Military History

Alfred is listed as having died of wounds, received the same day, on 18 Jul 1916 at the 36 Casualty Clearing Station, Heilly. The 1st/7th Battalion war diary entries for the period 16 to 19 July are transcribed below:

Becourt – 16 Jul 1916: At Becourt Wood . a drft of 74 arrived. Quiet day, much rain.

Becourt – 17 Jul 1916: At Becourt quiet morning. The Battn moved up during the afternoon with the Contalmaison and near Scotts Redoubt. A draft of 68 arrived under Capt J.S. Wilson.

Contalmaison – 18 Jul 1916: During the night of 17/18 there was some shelling by gas shells round C Coy but we had no casualties. On the night of the 18^th the Battn moved up West of Bazentin-le-Petit Wood with the O.G. 2^nd line trenches where it relieved the 2^nd Welch Regt. The 2^nd Battn relieved the 3^rd Bn in this line the ? and being on our left. Some of B Coy were caught by gas shells near Contalmaison while moving up and taken to hospital [36th CCS].

Contalmaison – 19 Jul 1916: The trenches in this area had been very much wrecked by our bombardment. Many dead of both sides were buried, salvage collected, ? trenches improved. The German artillery frequently bombarded Bazentin-le-Petit Wood and Mametz Wood in our rear with shells of heavy type. A draft of 47 arrived.