Pte
Alfred Simpson
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1897 |
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Place of birth: Halifax, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Bakers Apprentice |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 35738 |
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Enlistment place: Halifax, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 9th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 22/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Jolting Houses, Beselare, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 20 |
Cemetery
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: XXII Row: A Grave: 16 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 06/05/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 06/05/1920 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Alfred Simpson was born in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire in the spring of 1897. He was the youngest son of Alfred and Rose Hannah Simpson. According to the 1911 census, Alfred, was working as a Bakers Apprentice when he was 13 years old.
By the autumn of 1917, Alfred Simpson served as a Private in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 9th Battalion, part of the 64th Brigade, of the 21st Division, which fought in the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele.
Alfred’s Battalion came up from Northern-France to join the offensive in September 1917. The 9th Yorkshire Light Infantry was first deployed on the 4th of October, when it captured positions to the southeast of Polygon Wood. Two days later it was relieved and moved back to the hinterland for some much deserved rest.
On 21 October 1917 the 9th Yorkshire Light Infantry moved back to the frontlines at the hamlet of Reutel, where it relieved the 13th Durham Light Infantry. The following day the German artillery relentlessly shelled the Battalion’s trenches between 4 and 7 a.m. The shelling was particularly severe in reply of a British barrage around 5.30 a.m. “C” Company, in support, took the brunt of the shelling and suffered several casualties.
Private Alfred Simpson was killed in action on the 22nd of October 1917. He possibly fell, due the German artillery fire. The 20-year old was buried in the field near Jolting Houses, just north of Reutel. His remains were exhumed after the war and reinterred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Plot XXII, Row A, Grave 16.
By the autumn of 1917, Alfred Simpson served as a Private in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 9th Battalion, part of the 64th Brigade, of the 21st Division, which fought in the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele.
Alfred’s Battalion came up from Northern-France to join the offensive in September 1917. The 9th Yorkshire Light Infantry was first deployed on the 4th of October, when it captured positions to the southeast of Polygon Wood. Two days later it was relieved and moved back to the hinterland for some much deserved rest.
On 21 October 1917 the 9th Yorkshire Light Infantry moved back to the frontlines at the hamlet of Reutel, where it relieved the 13th Durham Light Infantry. The following day the German artillery relentlessly shelled the Battalion’s trenches between 4 and 7 a.m. The shelling was particularly severe in reply of a British barrage around 5.30 a.m. “C” Company, in support, took the brunt of the shelling and suffered several casualties.
Private Alfred Simpson was killed in action on the 22nd of October 1917. He possibly fell, due the German artillery fire. The 20-year old was buried in the field near Jolting Houses, just north of Reutel. His remains were exhumed after the war and reinterred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Plot XXII, Row A, Grave 16.
Sources 2
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9 Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2162/1). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
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Bond R., History of The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in the Great War 1914-1918, (Londen, Humphries & Co., 1929), p. 894-897. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480451 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=5908fba2-9d5f-4103-8bd5-b1c8ad7f3c8c |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/4041834 |