Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Fred Barratt, born 1859 in Barsby, Leicestershire and his wife Fanny Barratt (nee Bullimore, married in the 2nd quarter of 1881 in the Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire district) born 1862 in Oakham, Rutland. Alfred Edward was born on the 2nd July 1884 in Melton Mowbray, and was baptised on the 28th March 1886 in St. Mary’s Church, Melton Mowbray. In April 1901 Alfred was absent from the family home at 1, Churchyard, Melton Mowbray, residing there was his father, a journeyman butcher, his mother and brother, Fred, born in the 1st quarter of 1900 in Melton Mowbray. In April 1911 Alfred was absent from the family home at 38, Burton Street, Melton Mowbray, residing there was his widowed mother, a confectioner, meanwhile Alfred was employed as a domestic footman and was residing as a servant at Coventry House, Melton Mowbray.
Alfred’s Army enlistment documents do not survive, but from the few existing documents that are available in the public domain, it can be confirmed that he enlisted into the Army in Mill Hill, Middlesex. After enlistment, although it is unclear to which Regiment he was first allocated, it can however be confirmed that he was posted as a Private to the 8th Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment and allotted the service number G/1754. And it was to join this Battalion, that he first entered the theatre of war in France on the 12th August 1915. Nothing further is known of his military service until he was officially recorded as having been killed in action on the 1st July 1916, while serving with the 8th Battalion East Surrey Regiment, his body was never recovered and he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, France. Alfred was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Alfred’s widowed mother was awarded a weekly Army Pension of five shillings to commence on the 6th February 1917.
The War Diary records: 1 Jul-16 – PLACE A/1 Subsector. From midnight on the enemy shelled our front line and assembly trenches mostly with 10.5cm and 15 cm shells, knocking in the trenches in several places and several small dug-outs, causing a total of 13 casualties, 3 killed and 10 being wounded.
Enemy artillery was less active from about 5.00am until 6.30am when he started an intense but distributed bombardment, a large amount of which fell round the Right Battalion Headquarters.
At 5.30am Companies reported that they were in position and that all the necessary stores etc. had been issued.
At 7.15am Adjutant left the Headquarter dugout to observe the attack from our parapet.
At 7.27am “B” Company started to move out to their wire, Captain NEVILL strolling quietly ahead of them, giving an occasional order to keep the dressing square on the line of advance. This Company took four footballs out with them which they were seen to dribble forward into the smoke of our intense bombardment on the Hun front line.
The first part of “B” Company’s advance was made with very few casualties, but when the barrage lifted to the second Hun trench, a very heavy rifle and machine gun fire started from our front and left, the latter coming apparently from the craters and the high ground immediately behind them.
At 7.50am the Adjutant reported that the Battalion was in the German trenches, Hand to hand fighting went on for a long time in the German trenches and news received that both Captains FLATAU and PEARCE had been killed and later it was known that Captain NEVILL, Lieutenant’s SOAMES, MUSGROVE, and 2nd Lieutenant’s KELLY and EVANS had also been killed.
At 8.05am The Battalion Bombing Section was sent forward and at 8.07am 2nd Lieutenant P. G. HEATH in charge of two Stokes Guns was sent out with orders to proceed as far as he could with reasonable safety, and report to the nearest EAST SURREY REGIMENT officer and find out how best his Guns could be used.
At 8.10am and again at 8.25am the Adjutant returning from our front line trenches reported heavy machine gun and rifle fire from the left and that apparently the craters and the high ground immediately behind them had not been successfully dealt with by the Battalions on the left.
Owing to reports of heavy casualties the Commanding Officer sent to Officer Commanding 7th BUFFS for reinforcements.
At 8.40am the Adjutant again reported heavy fire from the left causing us a large number of casualties. Officer Commanding 7th QUEEN’S was asked whether the craters had been taken, and the reply received at 8.47am was that he believed the craters had been taken, but as it turned out later this was not the case.
At 9.00am 2nd Lieutenant STIMSON, who had been wounded in the arm reported at Battalion Headquarters. He said that the Germans were along the Railway Line and advancing along the VALLEY TRENCH and VALLEY SUPPORT TRENCH.
At 9.08am a message was sent to Officer Commanding 7th BUFFS asking him to send 2 Platoons to proceed along the Valley and into TRAIN ALLEY.
At 9.20am this message was acknowledged Officer Commanding 7th BUFFS sending one Platoon forward and keeping one Platoon in Reserve.
At 9.21am an intercepted message on the telephone told us that the QUEEN’S were held up in BACK TRENCH, and at the same time, Private BILLSON one of the Battalion orderlies, who had been sent forward to remind Companies to wave their Artillery flags returned with the report that our men were now in the POMMIERE LINE, and a few minutes afterwards information was received from the Forward Observation Officer that the SURREY’S were in TRAIN ALLEY.
At the same time an orderly from 2nd Lieutenant WIGHTMAN brought in a report that the Brigade on the right were getting up reinforcements splendidly, and going ahead well.
A few minutes earlier 2 Huns ran into the trench near our Battalion Headquarters crying for mercy.
At 9.44am Major IRWIN handed over command at Report Centre to the Adjutant, and went forward to ascertain and if possible to bring back, news as to the actual position.
At 9.49am a message was intercepted from the craters that the enemy was still holding out in the craters and the high ground. Strong point at the end of craters.
At 9.55am the Commanding Officer and Adjutant 7th ROYAL WEST KENT’S and a numerous staff, reported at Battalion Headquarters.
The Adjutant sent 2nd Lieutenant WIGHTMAN forward with 2 Signallers and a telephone line to proceed to POMMIERE and try to get into touch with Major IRWIN.
At 10.10am Lieutenant THORLEY reported that the Brigade on the right were advancing well, but that nothing could be seen on our front.
The Adjutant reported the position to the Brigade which was that we had taken POMMIERE, but had suffered extremely heavy casualties in doing so and that the line was too weak to advance without reserves being put in.
Thereupon at 1.23am a message from the Brigadier ordered 3 Companies 7th WEST KENT’s to advance and push the line forward. Their position in A.1 Subsector would be taken by the SUFFOLK’S. The 7th WEST KENT’S to detail 1 Company to consolidate the POMMIER LINE.
At 10.30am a message was received from Lieutenant GRIFFIN Forward Observation Officer through Lieutenant CARVER, liaison officer, that the enemy were leaving MILL TRENCH and MINE ALLEY and converging on the MILL and the ORCHARD, also that they were seen to have machine guns with them. We ordered an immediate intense bombardment on these two points, and this was done practically at once.
At 10.45am the Adjutant with the remainder of Headquarters left Battalion Report Centre to find the wire which had been laid forward, and to establish a forward Report Centre.
Some difficulty was experienced in finding the wire and it was not until 10.45am that the forward end of the wire in the German third line trench was found. The Signallers here reported that Major IRWIN was in the POMMIER LINE, and that he would be returning to the telephone shortly. From this point a splendid view of the whole slope of MONTAUBAN could be obtained and the dispositions of our troops could be clearly seen. They had advanced from POMMIERE and lined the parados of BRESLAU ALLEY.
The position was reported by telephone to the Brigade, and also the urgent necessity for hurrying the WEST KENT’S and pushing the attack home. At about noon the 1st of the WEST KENT’S appeared in BACK TRENCH.
Major IRWIN returned to the telephone at 12 Noon and gave orders for 2nd Lieutenant WIGHTMAN to see Captain BOWEN who was still engaged on the left, and tell him if possible to disengage and go forward with all men he could collect. The Adjutant was ordered to carry the line on from BRESLAU ALLEY to MILL TRENCH and either consolidate there, or carry on to MONTAUBAN as he thought best, according to the situation.
The bombardment of the MILL and the ORCHARD continued most satisfactorily, and when the line went forward from BRESLAU ALLEY and MILL TRENCH at 12.10pm not a shot was fired from our immediate front, and it was decided to carry on from MILL TRENCH to MINE ALLEY, and after a short halt there and finding that the Artillery evidently having seen our men go forward had lifted, the whole of the EAST SURREY’S advanced to the road West of MONTAUBAN, which they reached at 12.22 pm with their right resting on the two Westerly houses of MONTAUBAN, their left about 100 yards East of the ORCHARD.
PLACE – MONTAUBAN RIDGE.
There was no sign of any troops on the left so Sergeant WILLIS was sent with half a dozen men to the WINDMILL to watch the left flank, and as other men came up from time to time reinforcements were sent him until the line stretched from the WINDMILL across the road and along the road from the small copse to MONTAUBAN ALLEY.
When Sergeant WILLIS first got to the MILL he took prisoners 1 Officer and 2 men.
At 12.35pm Major IRWIN arrived with Headquarters and took command of all troops of the 55th Brigade West of MONTAUBAN. A number of BUFF’S and WEST KENT’S had arrived by this time and were ordered to hold on in MONTAUBAN ALLEY with the EAST SURREY’S in close support.
When Lieutenant HEATON 7th QUEEN’S arrived he was ordered to extend the line to the left so that the whole Brigade objective was reached by 1.30pm.
Captain GIMSON had arrived close behind Major IRWIN, and later Lieutenant Colonel BRAME turned up with a bottle of champagne to be drunk in MONTAUBAN “ON DER TAG” This bottle was sent round from officer to officer, those who shared in it being Major IRWIN, Captain GIMSON, Captain BOWEN, 2nd Lieutenant DERRICK, 2nd Lieutenant JANION, Lieutenant THORLEY, 2nd Lieutenant WIGHTMAN, 2nd Lieutenant ALCOCK and Captain CLARE, in fact all the EAST SURREY officers engaged in the attack who had not been killed or wounded.
Major IRWIN having fully reported the position to the Brigade, and having satisfied himself as regards the dispositions moved Headquarters and “B” and “C” Companies down MINE ALLEY, putting Headquarters in MILL TRENCH and “B” and “C” Companies in MINE ALLEY, either side of MILL TRENCH in a position where they would be able to resist any counter attack from the left, where our flank was still in the air.
Headquarter officers and 2nd Lieutenant JANION put their kit on the fire step in MILL TRENCH, and had only just finished tea when the first of a large number of 5.9 shells landed almost on MILL TRENCH. A rapid decision was arrived at, and Headquarters were moved further away to the right. One of the next few shells landed plumb on the fire step on which all the officers had been sitting. The shelling was also on MINE ALLEY. At the junction of MINE ALLEY and MILL TRENCH where the Brigade had ordered a strong point to be made we suffered several regrettable casualties, both Sergeant SIMONS and Sergeant ABREY being killed, and a number of men wounded. It was hard to know where to put the men for safety, but as the top of MINE ALLEY seemed to be suffering somewhat less all men were moved forward.
At 9.00pm a party of SUFFOLK’S reported with 25 canvas buckets of water, which were extremely welcome.
Major IRWIN left for a conference of Commanding Officers with the Brigadier at No.2 STRONG POINT, where POMMIERE LINE joins MINE ALLEY and returned later with the news that the Battalion would be relieved at daylight, but must remain till then in a position forming a defensive flank on the left.
At midnight 2nd Lieutenant DERRICK was carried down from the front line with a large piece of shrapnel having torn through his right foot.
There was great difficulty in attending to this and all other casualties in the crowded communication trench and Captain GIMSON got no rest that night.