Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of William Chambers a shoe trade fitter, born 1854 in Dunton Bassett, Leicestershire and baptised on the 8th October 1854 in All Saint’s Church, Dunton Bassett (son of John Chambers, 1815-1891 and Sarah Elliott, 1826) and his wife Mary Chambers (nee Dexter, married in the April quarter of 1886 in Leicester), born on the 22nd March 1857 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire (daughter of David Dexter, 1833-1884 and Susannah Knight, 1830-1909). Alfred Ernest was born on the 22nd August 1896 in Leicester and was baptised on the 28th February 1914 in St. George’s Church, Leicester. Alfred’s father died in the January quarter of 1897 in Leicester, aged 42. In April 1901 Ernest was residing in the family home at 33, Welford Road, Leicester, together with his widowed mother, a lodging house keeper and his siblings, John William, a brass and bronze metal worker, born on the 15th January 1887 and baptised on the 15th May 1887 in St. Andrew’s Church, Leicester, Ethel May, born in the January quarter of 1889 and baptised on the 9th August 1891 in St. Andrew’s Church, Leicester and Bertha, born in the April quarter of 1891 and baptised on the 9th August 1891 in St. Andrew’s Church, Leicester, all his siblings were born in Leicester. In April 1911 Alfred was a schoolboy and was residing in the family home at 7, Chestnut Street, Leicester, together with his widowed mother, a small grocer and his sisters, Ethel, a hosiery trade linker and Bertha a shoe trade skiver.
Alfred’s Army enlistment documents were not researched, and as such all that is known of his military service is that he was commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers as a 2nd Lieutenant and posted to the 12th Battalion, it is unknown when he first entered the theatre of war. He was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry and also the British War Medal and Victory Medal. He died on the 29th October 1918 from wounds received in action, and was buried in Moorseele Military Cemetery, Belgium, the inscription on his headstone reads: - Those who love in Christ never see one another for the last time.
On Saturday, March 15th, 1919, The Leicester Daily Post published the following article under the heading. LOCAL NEWS. – POSTHUMOUS HONOUR. – The “London Gazette” announces the award of the Military Cross for an act of gallantry which will be announced as early as possible, to Second-Lieut. A. E. Chambers, Royal Fusiliers, attached to the 26th Battalion. Second-Lieut. Alfred Ernest Chambers, whose home is at 26, Lancaster-road, subsequently died of his wounds, and was buried at Moorsele, near Courtrai. He was an old Newarke Secondary School boy, a graduate of London University, and an altar server at St. George’s Church.