Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Joseph and Hannah Simkin of Hallaton, Leics., and
the husband of Sarah Alice Simkin (nee Coleman). The memorial shows his Christian name as Albert.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Alfred’s father was a groom and he received his unusual middle name from his mother who was Hannah Maria Tebbutt before her marriage. The family lived on Eastgate. Alfred attended Hallaton School and was evidently an assiduous pupil, achieving top marks for attendance in 1898. By 1911 he was lodging in Kibworth and working as journeyman house painter. His service records no longer exist but it is known he signed on in Watford, probably because he was then working there. He enlisted into the 3/6th Battalion the Essex Regiment with service number 6306 and carried out initial training at Halton Park, the home of Alfred de Rothschild near Tring in Hertfordshire. In June of 1916, he must have been given leave because on 23rd he married Sarah Alice Coleman of Glooston, daughter of George, an agricultural worker and his wife Priscilla. While Alfred was at Halton, Sarah was living in Finsbury Park. In late 1916 or early 1917, he was part of a draft transferred from the Essex Regiment to 5th Battalion The Border Regiment with new number 242002. We do not exactly when he was sent to France. In April 1917 the Battalion was involved in heavy fighting near Arras and at one stage was ordered to take refuge underground in the remarkable labyrinth of caves in the limestone under that town. They were there five days. On 23rd June the Battalion along with 9th Durham Light Infantry launched an attack on Wancourt water tower. Five enemy machine guns were captured along with 200 prisoners and many wounded from the previous attack were recovered. It was a success. The following day another attack was launched but Alfred was wounded and died two days later. He was buried at Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery and his name is recorded on Hallaton War Memorial. Although his name was printed correctly in the Market Harborough Advertiser, for an unknown reason it has been incorrectly cut as ‘Albert’. His name was also added to the headstone of the grave of his father and mother in Hallaton Cemetery.

Information (including photograph) kindly provided by Dennis Kenyon.