CARTWRIGHT, Alfred

Alfred Cartwright was born in Brockmoor on 27th April 1879 and his name appears on the 1901 census as living at Giles Hill, Stourbridge, with his parents Charles and Jane. He enlisted in the army on the 27th April 1900 and served in the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards. He was a regular soldier on a six year engagement and was promoted to Corporal in 1904. He was transferred to the Reserve in 1907 and was married to Florence Bell in 1908. In January 1912 he re-engaged and by August 1914 he was in the 2nd Battalion. He served on the Western Front from the 22nd November until October 1917 and was promoted Sergeant in January 1915. He was directly involved in the 1915 battles of Loos and the Hohenzollern Redoubt and in the 1916 Battle of the Somme at Flers and Morval. He was promoted to Acting Regimental Sergeant Major after the Somme. During the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917 he must have received injuries as he was admitted to hospital on the 28th September after the battle of Pilckem Ridge. He returned to Britain and remained as Sergeant in the 5th (Reserve) Battalion until 10th January 1918 when he was discharged as no longer fit for war service. He was 38 years old and had served 17 years and 229 days. His address at that time was 13 Chalfont Road, Dulwich, Sydenham, London. He was discharged to Coulsdon asylum suffering from 'general paralysis' and died on the 27th December 1918. He is commemorated on the Stourbridge and St. Thomas's church Memorials.