2nd Lieutenant Alfred Emmerson

  • Batt - 5
  • Unit - Leicestershire Regiment
  • Section -
  • Date of Birth - 1892
  • Died - 04/04/1917
  • Age - 25

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Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Jabez Emmerson, born on the 29th January 1858 in Abersychan, Monmouthshire, Wales (son of William Emmerson, 1826-1890 and Maria Tomblin, 1830-1893) and his wife Esther Emily Emmerson (nee Wilson, married in the July quarter of 1883 in the Worksop, Nottinghamshire district), born in in the April quarter of 1861 in Shireoaks, Nottinghamshire (daughter of Joseph Wilson, 1829 and Esther Ashley, 1833). Alfred was born in the October quarter of 1892 in Kiveton Park, Yorkshire. Alfred’s mother died in the April quarter of 1897 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, aged 35. Alfred’s father married Ann Vardy in the April quarter of 1900 in the Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire district. In March 1901 Alfred was residing in the family home at Main Street, Bagworth, Leicestershire, together with his father, a colliery manager, his step mother Ann Emmerson, born 1867 in Sheffield, Yorkshire and his siblings, Mary, a schoolgirl, born in the July quarter of 1884, Jessie, a schoolgirl, born on the 26th January 1887, William, born on the 30th November 1888 and Joseph born in the October quarter of 1890, all his siblings were born in Kiveton Park. In the October quarter of 1905 Alfred’s step mother died in Bagworth, aged 38. In April 1911 Alfred was engaged as a student teacher, and was residing in the family home at Station Road, Bagworth, together with his widowed father, a colliery manager and his siblings, Mary, a housekeeper, Joseph, a colliery surveyor and his half-blood sibling, Grace, a schoolgirl, born in the July quarter of 1902 in Bagworth and baptised on the 27th August 1903. In the July quarter of 1913, Alfred’s father married Annie Annis in the Market Bosworth, Leicestershire district, Annie was born in 1860 in Bagworth. On the 20th February 1915 Alfred married Maggie Lea in the Church of St. John the Baptist, Hugglescote, Leicestershire. Maggie was born in the January quarter of 1888 in Shenton, Leicestershire and baptised on the 5th February 1888 in the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Shenton (daughter of William Lea and Hannah Arnold).
Alfred was shot down whilst flying on the 3rd April 1917, dying from severe injuries the following day. His brother older brother Joseph fell in action on the 13th October 1915.
Alfred’s Army enlistment documents were not researched, and as such all that is known of his military service is that he enlisted with his older brother, Joseph as a Private, service number 3011, into the 1/4th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment, first entering the theatre of war in France on the 2nd March 1915, during his service he rose to the rank of Lance Corporal, before being granted a commission on the 30th September 1915, he was then posted as a 2nd Lieutenant to the 5th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment and was attached to the 12th Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. He was killed in action on the 4th April 1917 and is buried in Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery, Saulty, France. He was awarded the 1914-15 STAR, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
On Tuesday, November 9th, 1915, The Leicester Daily Post published the following article under the heading. “LEICESTERSHIRE AND THE WAR.” – LOCAL CASUALIES. – LIEUT. J. EMMERSON MISSING. – Wounded Twice During the Famous Charge. – Second-Lieutenant Joseph Emmerson, of the First 4th Leicester’s, was seen wounded twice during the charge on October 13th, but has not been seen or heard of since. He was gazetted on October 8th, and he did not know of his promotion. At the time he was a Lance-Sergeant in charge of the Brigade Mining Company. Any information that will give his family any help or hope, in fact, any news at all concerning his fate, will be gratefully received by his father, Mr. J. Emmerson, White House, Bagworth, or by his brother, Second Lieutenant A. Emmerson, Third 5th Leicester’s, Belton Park, Grantham.
The 11th April 1917 edition of the Leicester Mercury published the following under the heading, “LOCAL CASUALTIES.” THE LATE LIEUT. A. EMMERSON – As previously reported in these columns, Lieut. Alfred Emmerson, Royal Flying Corps, was killed in action last week. The son of Mr. J. Emmerson, manager of the Bagworth Colliery, he had only just completed his training at a London College, and had been temporarily engaged as assistant master at Markfield Schools when war broke out. He immediately enlisted in the Leicester’s, and was later transferred to the R.F.C. He was killed in an air duel with an enemy aeroplane. Lieut. Emmerson who was 25, and the pilot receiving mortal injuries. Great sympathy is felt for the young wife and the father in their bereavement. Another of Mr. Emmerson’s sons, Lieut. Joseph Emmerson, Leicester Regiment, was killed in the attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt, while a third, Private Wm. Emmerson, of the Liverpool Scottish, has been a prisoner of war in Germany for about two years.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Coalville Times article - Friday April 2nd, 1915:

BAGWORTH ASSISTANT SCHOOLMASTER AT THE FRONT

AN INTERESTING LETTER

The headmaster of the Bagworth Council School, Mr J. C. Williams, has kindly forwarded to us for publication a most interesting letter he has received from a member of his school staff, Mr Alfred Emmerson, now on active service in France. The letter is so brightly written and gives so much interesting information that we publish it in extenso.

Dear Mr Williams, Have time for a few small jottings to you now. Really we are very busy indeed. We are “right in it,” except for being in the trenches. The latter is expected at any time. We are just outside the town – living in a barn (you’ve no idea how comfortable the barn is, we have never lived elsewhere since landing) but there is a café attached so we are all right. Even as I write the place continually shakes owing to the concussion of the big guns. One of the biggest out here is only 100 yards down the road and the thunder of it is great. It gives one huge crack half bang and even indoors the rush of air is felt as the shock travels. We are quite used to it now. There has been a rush out to see German shells bursting in the air quite near. Yesterday we saw a lovely sight – an aeroplane being fired at by big guns. It was an English plane and the daring of the pilot was great. He circled slowly round and round, then dived and then rose out of range and so on. The flashes of the bursting shells (shrapnel) around the machine, and the smoke which looked like small puffs of cotton wool against the blue sky made a very pretty picture. At night the whole district is illuminated by flashes from guns, searchlights and fire balls. The latter float in the air and are like electric arc lamps. They are thrown by the Germans to illuminate the immediate area and to prevent British soldiers leaving and entering the trenches. Of course, the old soldiers tell us many hair-raising yarns, but we take the proverbial grain of salt with them. These men as a rule possess amazing thirsts. You’d no doubt like to know how we live – well you wouldn’t recognise me. My hair is off – shaved almost – and after my usual flowing mane you can guess how I look. I have had to grow a moustache, my clothes are no longer immaculate – they are dirty and greasy – boots covered in mud and dirt, a handkerchief I have used for a month (fortunately it is a khaki one) and well, on the whole a lovely sight. We eat and drink out of the same vessel – a mess tin – which we carry with us everywhere. It is a good tin I can assure you. The outsides are black – like a gypsy’s pot – with being on fires, but we contrive to keep the insides clean. We have knives and forks, but we have good clasp knives and we can get at them better. Besides we stick to the old phrase, “Fingers were made” etc. We have bacon for breakfast, “pootoon” soup for dinner, jam for tea and cheese for supper. When we haven’t bread we have biscuits – like dog biscuits. Our dining tables are our knees and chairs the ground or straw. We move on long journeys in cattle trucks – each truck holding 40 men – and small journeys, anything to 20 miles, we walk. We carry all our belongings on our backs, except blankets and fur coats. That is, we carry towels, comforters, all change of underclothing, shirt, socks, overcoats, waterproof sheet, food and any other luxury you wish to have with you. The whole weighs 60 – 70 pounds, but at the end of the journey it seems double. We know nothing of outside affairs except for an occasional newspaper. Of the progress of the war we are ignorant. The wildest rumours float about. Of course, there is a gentleman known as the Censor, who stops me from telling you too much, so I can tell you no names of places or people or regiments and so on.

The people here are of the peasant class and on the whole live very meanly. They appear to thrive on filth. The children, of course, do not attend school now, and at our billet there are 9 children. They spend their leisure hours on the manure heap, and squeal and shout like young Indians. They have picked up many English phrases and delight in repeating them over and over again. There is one great difference between places in France and places in England – such as Bagworth especially – and that it, there are no young men in civilian clothes. The women carry on all the business whilst their husbands fight. There are lady signalmen, station masters, tram conductors and so on. If only a few young men in England realised how serious this business is they would soon give up their Saturday football and week-night pub and be out here doing their little bit.

Don’t think we are serious. In my company are bank clerks, auctioneers, lawyers, surveyors and schoolmasters like myself (there are two of us), and we, of course, find many things that are real hardships to us. We have not been used to “roughing it” and so it comes hard sometimes. But we always smile. One never sees a British soldier who hasn’t got a joke or a laugh ready – no matter under what circumstances you find him. That is the British temperament – a thing quite different to the French who are so easily upset. By the way, ask the children why it is nearly always raining here now. After I have been in the trenches properly I shall no doubt have more interesting things to tell you. Until then, think of me sometimes. I often think of you all. Kindest regards.

Yours sincerely

Alf Emmerson

Coalville Times article - Friday May 7th, 1915

"Bagworth Men's Baptism of Fire
With the 4th Leicesters in the trenches.

Private A. Emmerson, writing to the headmaster of Bagworth Council School says: “Naturally we are broken in easily, being detailed off with the old stagers in trenches of a most elaborate kind. The approach to these trenches was through a very long communication trench – a raised floor of wood keeping it absolutely dry. Stray bullets cracked on the parapets or whistled shrilly overhead. It will hardly be allowed me to give you exact details of the construction of these trenches, but I will give you some faint ideas. They had been built with great care and by men who had been used to fixing props, etc., in coal mines. The earth at the back was held up by props and wire-netting and in front was a system of hutches running the length of the trenches. These were built up to the parapet of earth and sand bags. In order to fire, the men stood at the entrance to the hutches and fired over. Some slight head cover was arranged but very little. The popular name of these shelters is “Booby-hutches.” The name explains itself but they are used by everyone of course for purposes of rest and sleep. Each hutch has its brazier of coke and the men fry bacon and make tea all day long. It is amusing to note the apparent willingness of both sides to cry quite at meal times. There is a distinct lull in firing and smoke rises merrily from both lines. Just where I was situated the lines were only 30 yard apart and greetings were exchanged morning and evening between the rival combatants. To the ‘Tommy’ the German is familiarly known as ‘Fritz’ or ‘Allemand.’ As for my own personal experiences they were not very exciting. My brother and I were put on an observation post only 25 yards from the enemy and it grew so hot that we were taken off and the post abandoned. The line of trenches ran through a ruined nunnery, and the courtyard of this place was very dangerous indeed, for bullets struck the walls and ricocheted all over the place. It was here I saw my first casualty – one man getting a nasty wound in the head. Am glad to say it did not affect me in the least. So much for our baptism of fire. We are now holding our own lines and doing our own work. Of the latter commodity there is more than enough, for we found the trenches in a very poor condition. Our ambition is to make these trenches as comfortable and respectable as those we first went in. I got soaked through time after time on the occasion of our first venture here and stood and dried in the cold wind. Booby-hutches are rapidly making their appearance now thank goodness.

You’ll be wondering how many Germans I’ve seen, killed and so on. Well, I’ve seen at least three live Germans, plenty of dead ones, and my “bag” amounts to any figure I like to state, that is I don’t know.

To stay “in status quo” is all right, fairly safe and sometimes almost boring. A man must as a rule, expose himself unnecessarily in order to be shot by a bullet. Of course the danger from grenades and shells is always there. The old fashioned glorious close charge is a thing of the past – indeed it would mean swift and sure annihilation. Any advance that is made must be accompanied by fearful losses, so terrible and murderous are the modern implements of warfare. Loop holes, barricades, cover of every kind, makes this war one vast siege with both sides able to get supplies and reinforcements.

I am writing this in the firing line as opportunity arises, but two days ago I was in the supports. Behind us were ruined farms and homesteads and from one of the former we were able to procure wood (for fuel), straw, and best of all, potatoes and turnips! We feasted right well. Whilst prowling about I came across the skeleton of a human being. It gave me quite a ‘turn’ for the moment. Decaying remains of dead animals lay about polluting the air. Still, we enjoyed the potatoes!”

Coalville Times article - Friday October 8th, 1915

Mr Alfred Emmerson, Bagworth, who joined the 5th Leicestershire Territorials soon after the outbreak of war, has been granted a commission, on which he will be congratulated by many friends. Last week, Lieut. Emmerson visited Bagworth on a few days’ leave from the front, where he has been engaged for several months. He is one of the three soldier sons of Mr J. Emmerson, manager of the Bagworth Colliery. His brother Joseph also has a commission and is at the front, while his brother William is now a prisoner of war in Germany. Lieut. A. Emmerson is well-known in Coalville and district as a sportsman. He played football with Ellistown St. Christopher’s and cricket with Bagworth United. While at Ashby Grammar School he was captain both of the cricket and football teams. He was engaged in the teaching profession before joining the army.

Coalville Times article - Friday April 13th, 1917

BAGWORTH OFFICER KILLED

News has been received that Lieutenant Alfred Emmerson, of the R.F.C. has been killed in action with an enemy aeroplane, both he and his pilot receiving mortal injuries. Before the war, he was a teacher at the Bagworth school, and joined the Leicesters as a private. After receiving his commission, he was attached to the R.F.C. Much sympathy is felt for his young wife, and parents, his father, Mr J. Emmerson, manager of the Bagworth Colliery, now having two sons killed in the war, while another is a prisoner of war in Germany, and has not been heard of for over 3 months.

Research undertaken and submitted by Andy Murby 19/10/2017



Leicestershire Project Findings
  • Conflict - World War I
Research from Michael Doyle's Their Name Liveth For Evermore
  • Attached Unit - Royal Flying Corps., 12th Squadron
  • Unit - Leicestershire Regiment
  • Former Unit n.o - 3011
  • Former Unit - 1/4th Bn. Leicestershire Regiment
  • Cause of death - KILLED IN ACTION
  • Burial Commemoration - Warlincourt Halte British Cem., Saulty, France
  • Born - Kiveton Park, Yorkshire
  • Enlisted - September 1914 in Coalville, Leicestershire
  • Place of Residence - Shenton, Leicestershire, England
  • Memorial - GRAMMAR SCHOOL MEM., ASHBY DE LA ZOUCH, LEICS

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