| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information
Alfred Fletcher was born in Beverley the 17 Mar 1887 and was baptised in Beverley Minster on 10 Apr 1887. He was the eldest of eight children born to Joseph and Harriet Fletcher. Joseph was a tanners’ labourer and like Harriet originally came from the York area. Alfred lived variously in Flemingate, Trinity Lane and Chantry Lane before moving out to Queensgate Road and then 17 Sloe Lane which became the family home. Alfred worked as a tanners’ labourer but his army records show that prior to enlisting he was working as a ship’s steward.
From 1909 to 1913 Alfred served in the Territorial Army and re-enlisted in Oct 1914. He served as a sergeant in the 18th Battalion of the King’s Own Liverpool Regiment which arrived in France on Christmas Day 1915 and stayed for the duration of the war. On 31 Jul 1917 he received a gunshot wound to the chest and spent four months at the Norfolk War Hospital, Norwich. A report in the Beverley Guardian of 11 Aug 1917 contained a letter he sent home upon being wounded. It stated that:
“I should have been in England earlier only I had to be operated on before they would let me go. Our boys were the first over, so we had a rather tough job. Our artillery was just great, old “Fritz” must have wondered what was coming. I have never seen such a lovely barrage.” He went on to say that “the Archbishop of York was at our last Divine Service before going over the top.”
Alfred was switched to a role in the Labour Corps in France away from frontline duties after recovering from his injuries. On 7 Feb 1919 he formally re-enlisted in the Liverpool Regiment and served for another two years. He was awarded the War and Victory medals.
In the 1939 Register Alfred is recorded as being a “tanyard beamman” and living at 166 London Road, Derby married to Elsie May though no record of their wedding has been found. He died in the Shardlow area of Derbyshire in 1966.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |