Place of birth: Ramsey, Huntingdonshire, England, United Kingdom

Country: England, United Kingdom

Force: British Expeditionary Force

Rank: Private

Service number: 203388

Enlistment place: Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom

Units:  —  Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 1/5th Bn.  (Last known unit)

Date of death: 22/08/1917

Place of death: Winnipeg Farm, Belgium

Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

Private Alfred Allen of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment 1/5th Battalion, 143rd Brigade, 48th Division advanced with his Battalion on the 22nd of August 1917. The 48th Division was in the front lines approximately running from the hamlet of Keerselare and Hillock Farm. The Division attacked with two brigades, the 144th on the left and the 143th on the right. The 143rd Brigade advanced at zero hour, 4.45 a.m. with the 1/5th Royal Warwicks. They attacked the German strongpoints at Winnipeg and Springfield. The 1/5th Royal Warwicks succeeded in capturing the gunpits at C.12.d.7.3 West of Winnipeg, but further advance was impossible, due to the hard conditions. On the left the leading wave gained its objective without serious opposition, owing to the tank support. The tanks were unable to leave the Keerselare-Saint-Julien road, due to the muddy terrain and the main objective couldn’t be reached. The gunpits fell at about 9 a.m. to a German counterattack and drove the Battalion back to the principal positions, though C company recaptured them later that day.

1/5 Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2755/1). http://nationalarchives.gov.uk Further reference

McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 59-60. Sources used

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/845905

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=fc3c0e83-e924-4036-8f73-860291051de1

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/20944