Rfn
Alfred Samuel Ashby
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 07/11/1890 |
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Place of birth: Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Farrier - Shoeing Smith |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Rifleman |
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Service number: 42776 |
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Enlistment place: Bethnal Green, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Irish Rifles, 12th Bn. (Central Antrim) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 11/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Casualty Clearing Stations, Brandhoek, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.) |
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Age: 26 |
Cemetery
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Brandhoek New Military Cemetery Plot: VI Row: C Grave: 16 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Alfred was born in Bethnal Green, Middlesex on 7 November 1890. He was baptised in St Leonard’s, the Shoreditch parish church, where he married Ann Louisa Cook in 1911. They had three children together. At the time of his wedding he was employed as a farrier. Alfred enlisted somewhere in 1916 and by the time of the Battle of Passchendaele he served as a Rifleman with the 12th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (Central Antrim), part of the 108th Brigade, of the 36th (Ulster) Division.
On 7 August 1917 the 12th Royal Irish Rifles marched into the support trenches east of the hamlet of Wieltje, where the relieved the 10th Royal Irish Rifles. Throughout the following days the German artillery regularly shelled the Battalion’s positions.
On 9 August the 12th Royal Irish Rifles relieved the 11th Battalion in the frontline. They took up positions in the remnants of Captain Trench and possibly in a part of Capricorn Trench, roughly between Pommern Castle and Spree Farm in the Bank Farm area. The Germans heavily shelled the frontline throughout the 10th of August, causing a number of casualties. On the following day an S.O.S. signal was put up by the Battalions on the flanks of 12th Royal Irish Rifles. No German attack developed, but the German artillery continued to shell the Battalion during the day.
Twenty-six-year-old Alfred Samuel Ashby was mortally wounded, while his Battalion held the frontline between Spree Farm and Pommern Castle. Alfred was evacuated to a Casualty Clearing Station near the hamlet of Brandhoek, where he succumbed to his wounds on the 11th of August 1917. He was buried in the nearby Brandhoek New Military Cemetery. Alfred left behind a young wife and three young children.
On 7 August 1917 the 12th Royal Irish Rifles marched into the support trenches east of the hamlet of Wieltje, where the relieved the 10th Royal Irish Rifles. Throughout the following days the German artillery regularly shelled the Battalion’s positions.
On 9 August the 12th Royal Irish Rifles relieved the 11th Battalion in the frontline. They took up positions in the remnants of Captain Trench and possibly in a part of Capricorn Trench, roughly between Pommern Castle and Spree Farm in the Bank Farm area. The Germans heavily shelled the frontline throughout the 10th of August, causing a number of casualties. On the following day an S.O.S. signal was put up by the Battalions on the flanks of 12th Royal Irish Rifles. No German attack developed, but the German artillery continued to shell the Battalion during the day.
Twenty-six-year-old Alfred Samuel Ashby was mortally wounded, while his Battalion held the frontline between Spree Farm and Pommern Castle. Alfred was evacuated to a Casualty Clearing Station near the hamlet of Brandhoek, where he succumbed to his wounds on the 11th of August 1917. He was buried in the nearby Brandhoek New Military Cemetery. Alfred left behind a young wife and three young children.
Sources 4
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Further reference |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/430180/ashby,-/ Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
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War Diary Royal Irish Rifles, 12th Bn. (Central Antrim) http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |