Name
Alfred Edward Page
1893
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
18/06/1918
26
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Sergeant
3/6527
Bedfordshire Regiment
1st Bn. (attached Trench Mortar Battery)
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
AIRE COMMUNAL CEMETERY
III. C. 26.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Baldock Town Memorial, St Mary the Virgin Church Memorial, Baldock, Not on the Clothall Memorials
Pre War
Alfred Edward Page was born in 1893 in Clothall, Herts the son of Frederick and Annie Isaline Page (nee Covington) and baptised on 7 May 1893 at Clothall. He was one of ten children, but two died in infancy.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at Hickman’s Hill, Clothall, where his father was working as an agricultural labourer. Three brothers, George, Frederick and Frank are recorded there, but older brother Leonard was working as a barman at Grand Parade, Tottenham.
Sometime between 1907 and 1910 the family moved to Prospect Terrace, Baldock and were recorded there on the 1911 Census, with four more additions to the family, Harry (1901), Ethel, (1904) Willie (1907) and Mary (1910. By 1911 Alfred had joined the army and was living at Kempston Barracks, Bedford as a Lance Corporal in the Bedfordshire Regiment. His service number (3/6527) indicates that he enlisted in Apr/May 1910 in the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion.
Frederick married Phyllis Annie Wissenden in Maidstone in the spring of 1917. She later gave her address as 204 Union Street, Maidstone, Kent.
Wartime Service
Alfred was already in the Army on the outbreak of the war but no service record has been found, therefore it is not known when he was transferred to the 1st Battalion, promoted to Serjeant. or when he was attached to the Trench Mortar Battery. However in 1918 the 1st Battalion had been brought back from the Italian Front to the Ypres area and were involved in the Battle of Hazebrouck in April 1918 at the defence of the Nieppe Ford, which stemmed the advance of the German Operation Georgette. In the War diary of the 1st Battalion there is no mention of the 15th Trench Mortar Battery but there were a number of casualties during the period.
Alfred was wounded in action and his death from shell wounds, aged 26, was reported as 18 June 1918. He is buried in Aire Communal Cemetery, France.
Additional Information
His widow received two war gratuities of £11 & £10 10s and pay owing of £14 10s 7d. She also received a pension of 16s 3d a week.
His brother Leonard enlisted in May 1915 in the Army Service Corps as Private 95485 at the Remounts Centre, Romsey, Hants, but was discharged on 22 May 1915 as "unlikely to become soldier". Brother George had enlisted in 1906 in the 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regt and had transferred to Regular service. (Nothing further has been found but he did survive the war). Brother Frank enlisted as Private 3/6527 in the Kings Royal Rifle Corps while underage and was killed in action on 9 December 1917.
Acknowledgments
Derry Warners, Neil Cooper, Brenda Palmer
Adrian Pitts, Paul Johnson
