Name
Edward Whyte Alment
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Biography
Edward Alment was born in the spring of 1877 at Forest Gate, the youngest of two children born to Edward John and Mary Alment. The family lived in the West Ham in east London until after 1901. By the time of the Census in 1901, his sister May had left the family home. Edward was recorded as a Medical Student, and went on to qualify as a Doctor. By 1911 the Alments had moved to “Arycot” in Abbots Road, Abbots Langley. Edward (senior) was described as a “widowed” and a Chemical Manufacturer in the 1911 Census, whilst Edward (junior) worked from the family home as a Medical Practitioner, and served the community of Abbots Langley.
In August 1912 Edward married Emily Reed at a wedding in Northumberland, but his new wife died in 1913, aged 23.
The Abbots Langley Parish Magazine Roll of Honour listed Edward serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) in November 1914. The following month he had joined the 9th Gloucester’s RAMC with the rank of Lieutenant, and he was listed with this unit throughout the following months. After serving some time near to the Front, he was attached to No 2 General Hospital at Le Harve.
In April 1915 the Parish Magazine reported - "His many friends in the Parish will be glad to hear that Dr Alment is doing good work in the Base Hospital at Harve. Through the kind instrumentality of Mr Higgins a bed-lift, which was much needed, has been sent out to him. The cost of this was £6 8s 6d, which was met by £2 from the collection in Church for Red Cross, 18s 6d from Mr Higgins and 10s each from Mrs Cleasby, Mrs Kindersley, Miss Henry, Mr Inett-Ward, Mrs Kemp, Mr Baxter and the Vicar."
In July 1915 more news about Dr Alment was received by the Parish Magazine – “Some little time back some few friends sent out to Dr Alment, who is at one of the Base Hospitals in France, a bed lift, of the sort not supplied by the War Office, but of the greatest service in surgical cases. So useful did this bed lift prove that he wrote home asking if he could be provided with six more, and these Mr Higgins most kindly sent out at once and defrayed the cost, which has since been met by contributions from the community. A total of £35 12s was collected”. Dr Alment in acknowledging the receipt wrote to Mr Higgins :- “The seven bed lifts I wrote you about have safely arrived and have proved most useful; they have proved a great source of comfort to the badly wounded as their use entails far less moving of the patient than would be necessary without them. It is a source of much gratification to the staff here to know that those at home are taking such an interest in our wounded, and are willing to give such generous help”.
In January 1917 Edward met Nurse Alice Slythe at No 2 General Hospital at Le Harve. After several months near the Front at Ypres and on the Somme, Alice was posted to No 2 General. Alice returned home in May 1917, and the Parish Magazine reported that Edward was discharged disabled in December 1917, and returned home where he married Nurse Slythe in the same month. The couple continued as Doctor and Nurse in the village for many years after the War.
Edward Alment survived the War.
Acknowledgments
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org
