Alfred entered the war in France on 15th August 1914, as part of the Regimental Medical Officer's team for the 1st Life Guards. He was mentioned in the despatch received by the Secretary of State for War, addressed to the Chief of the General Staff, India by Lieutenant-General Sir W R Marshall, K.C.B., K.C.S.I., Commander-in-Chief, Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force.