Alfred was placed in an orphanage at the age of six, where he remained until the age of fourteen. He then joined the army. Before the war Alfred was stationed in Coventry where he met his future wife Nellie, they married in 1914. Alfred entered the war in France on 14th August 1914 and served with No 2 Stationary Hospital throughout. After the war he was stationed in the British Military Hospital in Cairo until 1925-6. He and his wife and three sons then returned to England and lived in Dulwich in London. Alfred then worked for many years as a hospital porter in Kings College Hospital in South London. He retired in 1949 and spent his remaining years with his family in Dulwich. [Information kindly provided by family]