Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of William Cooper Sanders, a stone quarry labourer, born 1868 in Duddington, Northamptonshire and his wife Sarah Ann Sanders (nee Croft, married in the 2nd quarter of 1892 in the Stamford, Lincolnshire district), born 1869 in Barnack, Northamptonshire. Alfred Edwin was born on the 23rd December 1892 in Barrowden, Rutland, his siblings were, Gertrude Annie, born 1894, John William, born 1896 and Leslie Arthur, born 1901, all his siblings were born in Barrowden, in March 1901 the family home was at the Wheel Inn, Barrowden, Rutland. In April 1911 Alfred was employed as a farm labourer and was residing in the family home at Lime Cottages, Barrowden, together with his father, a lime merchant’s labourer, his mother and siblings, Gertrude, a domestic general servant, John, a farm labourer, William George, a schoolboy, born 1904, Raymond Charles, a schoolboy, born 1906, Maggie May, born 1908 and Reginald H., born 1910, the latter four siblings were all born in Barrowden. At the outbreak of war Alfred was employed in the engineer’s department of the London and North Western Railway Company at Rugby, Warwickshire, and he joined up on the 14th August, ten days after the outbreak. He embarked for France on the 20th November, and on the 30th December was shot in the head whilst in the trenches, dying six hours later.
The War Diary records: 30 Dec–14 – In trenches RUE DE L’EPINETTE. Casualties 2 Wounded.
On Saturday January 16th 1915 The Grantham Journal published the following article under the heading. “UPPINGHAM AND THE WAR.” – A COLDSTREAM GUARDSMAN FATALLY SHOT IN THE TRENCHES. LAST LETTER TO HIS PARENTS. Another Rutland man has been killed at the front. Yesterday (Friday) week, Mr. and Mrs. William Sanders, of Barrowden received the sad message from a Captain in the Coldstream Guards that their son was shot in the head while fighting in the trenches, and he survived only six hours. He was buried in Bethune Cemetery. An official communication came on Monday, notifying the death of No.11020 Pte. Alfred Edwin Sanders, which occurred with the Expeditionary Force overseas on the 30th day of December. It was accompanied by the following note of condolence:- “The King commands me to assure you of the true sympathy of his Majesty and the Queen in your sorrow.-KITCHENER.” Pte Sanders was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, and exactly a week prior to receiving the fatal shot attained his 22nd birthday. When the war commenced he was employed on the L. and N. W. Railway at Rugby, and he joined Lord Kitchener’s Army in August. He came home during October, and had been engaged in the trenches about three weeks. He was unmarried, and his sweetheart belongs to Colsterworth, Grantham. The bereaved parents have had a family of eleven children, seven of whom are living. Another son, John William, who was working at Messrs. Blackstone’s foundry at Stamford, enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery. Deceased’s last letter home was written on December 25th, and therein he said:- “I got your parcel all right for Christmas eve, and also one from Mrs. Cave (Barrowden), one from where I used to lodge in Rugby, and one from Edie Clarke (Barrowden), and also a letter from dear Jane. So I think I got on all right for Christmas don’t you, in the three parcel’s I got? Besides yours was socks and cigarettes. I shall be thinking about you at home this Christmas ‘scoffing’ plum pudding and cake. And poor me living out here in the wet and cold, and the bullets and shells flying about something awful. Yes, my dear mother, if I get out of this alive I shall be a lucky boy, as the Germans are not half ‘hot stuff,’ and its most awful to see the poor soldiers as they get shot. . . . I also got Mrs. Stapleton’s (Barrowden) parcel. I hope you have had a good holiday this Christmas, and also Jack. But I don’t expect it will be much of Christmas in England this year, with so many lives being lost. I feel proud to think that people at home all think so much about me. . . . I cannot write any more this time, as my hands are so cold, and there is no fire out here. Give all the kiddies a Christmas kiss for me, especially little Reggie. So long!” A photo postcard of our King and Queen received at Christmas was forwarded home for preservation.