Sergeant Richard Henry Alford

Richard Alford was a true journeyman, never staying still for too long. He was born in Great Torrington in 1885 to William and Mary Alford. His father originated from Littleham but his mother was also a Torringtonian. There were seven children in total, with Richard being the eldest. Although born in the town, the 1891 census lists the family living in South East England at Bletchworth, near Reigate His father’s occupation was noted as a gamekeeper. However, further records show that by 1896 Richard was attending the Great Torrington Council School for boys. By 17 years of age, Richard could be found at Southdown, Alverdiscott working as a carter on a farm with the Hooper family who were the farmers. He was not alone and two other young servants also worked on the farm. By this time, his parents and remainder of his family were also back in the area, living at 54 Mill Street, Great Torrington with his father as a labourer and his sister working in the gloving industry.

From here Richard’s journeys continued. He can next be found on a passenger list of the Empress of Britain. His destination was Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada; the date 14th March 1914. His documentation listed him as a farmer and returning Canadian; he was also listed as travelling to Winnipeg. Two years later, Richard can be found on the 1916 Canada census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, where he was living in Portage la Prairie with his third eldest sister, Annie. Annie was already resident in the country and had emigrated from England in 1903. In August 1905 she had wed Edward Purser in Portage la Prairie. By 1916 the couple had had four daughters who were also residing with them: Mary, Evelyn, Annie, and Emily. Richard was listed as being a “soldier away at camp”, his immigration year given as 1903. Although there is evidence to suggest Richard had previously travelled and resided in Canada, there are no official records.

We can gain a lot from Richard’s attestation papers. He enlisted on 31st March 1916 in Portage la Prairie. He wrote his occupation as ‘farmer’. However, other evidence suggests he was in the employment of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company in Portage. His next of kin is listed as his father, William, still living in Great Torrington. Enlisting with the 226th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry, he left Halifax, Nova Scotia with his regiment aboard the SS Olympic on 16th December 1916. You will recall that this is not the first time we have seen this liner used for transporting troops for military purposes from previous soldiers remembered.

Canada’s Entry into WW1

In 1914 when war was declared, Canada was a dominion of the British Empire, this meant that Great Britain entering the war automatically led these countries in as well. Canada was still a fledgling nation at this stage with an overall population of around 8 million people. More surprising still was that its entire military comprised of 3,000 men and two seaworthy ships. However, by the end of the war over 600,000 men would have served.

SS Olympic used for transporting troops. The ship was also the sister vessel of the SS Titanic.

The initial whirlwind of enthusiasm led to 100,000 men being rapidly enlisting for service. The first wave of soldiers, numbering 31,000, left the shores of Canada in October 1914 as the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). Within three years their numbers grew to four divisions on the Western Front.

Throughout the war the Canadians fought with distinction. Worth particular note are their engagements at Ypres, the Somme, Passchendaele and, probably most notably of all, Vimy Ridge. These actions led to this famous quote:

“Whenever the Germans found the Canadian Corps coming into the line, they prepared for the worst”.

David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister

Once embarked, Richard was transferred to the 14th Reserve Battalion, but by May 1917 he had moved on to the 44th Battalion. He was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal at the same time; this is the first rank achievable for a non-commissioned officer. The Battalion was placed under the wider umbrella of the 10th Canadian Brigade, which in turn came under overall control of the 4th Canadian Division. Although the Division would see a great deal of action, the coming months would see an intensification of operations.

Third Battle of Ypres, 1917

The Third of the Ypres battles is more commonly known as the Battle of Passchendaele. Unlike the previous two battles in 1914 and 1915, which were launched by the Germans, Passchendaele was instigated by the British and was intended to be the Allied forces breakthrough in Flanders. The operation was the ‘mastermind’ of Sir Douglas Haig with the aim of driving the Germans away from the Channel ports on the Belgian coast, thus eliminating the U-boat ports, which were crippling shipping movements and causing untold damage to the war effort. A secondary worry was the instability of the Russian involvement in the war with a looming revolution and their exit could see an influx of additional German units onto the western front after redeployment from the east.

Haig was convinced the German spirit and resolve were weakening, not least after the recent success at Messines Ridge earlier in June of 1917, which was particularly remembered for the simultaneous explosion of nineteen massive mines that had been tunnelled under the German lines by Allied Engineers. However, this was not the first time Haig had made mistaken prophecies of deteriorating German spirit; the lead up to the Battle of the Somme, for example.

The first attack was launched on the 31 July 1917 following a two week precursor barrage that saw some 4.5 million shells fired. Other than the fact that the well entrenched and fortified German lines were largely unscathed, the atrocious weather conditions, coupled with the bombardment, had turned the central no-man’s land into a treacherous quagmire. As well as slowing infantry movements, immobilising tanks and clogging machinery and weaponry, the relatively flat landscapes made stealth and cover virtually impossible leading to a perfect kill-zone for the defenders. To top all of this, the Germans were familiar with the modus operandi of prosaic British tactics and were well aware that intensive bombing would lead to a final crescendo of an overland attack, so there was no element of surprise to be had.

The attack, grotesquely costly in terms of the estimated 275,000 British casualties, finally stuttered to a halt in early November following the capture of the Passchendaele village. Haig disingenuously claimed a victory, but the offensive had not been anything like the breakthrough intended. Even these meagre pickings of conquest can largely be proportioned to the Canadian’s bravery and tactical ingenuity following Haig’s order for them to deliver success. Arriving in mid October and relieving the incumbent Australian and New Zealanders, the Canadians meticulously prepared for the attack by improving the supply infrastructure and bolstering defences. The following attack, costing 16,000 lives, delivered the village and an excuse for Haig to relinquish any further slaughter.

Following a shrapnel wound suffered at Ypres on 17 October, Richard was moved off the line and through a number of medical facilities for treatment and rehabilitation. After first being admitted to the Canadian Field Ambulance, he went through the Lakeside USA General Hospital in Rouen, the South General Hospital in Oxford and finally the Military Convalescent Hospital Woodgate Park in Epsom. By January 1918 he joined the CCD at Shorncliffe.

As part of this passage he would have met with Corrinne Helen (Nellie) Hill, whom on 18 April 1918 he married at Christchurch, Surrey. As her mother is recorded as being born in Devon, it is possible that there is an earlier connection between the couple, albeit none is recorded. Of course, it is also possible that his was a whirlwind romance caught up in a global conflict, which accelerated their plans.

Nonetheless, by the end of April Richard had rejoined the 44th Battallion and was back on the line. By 26th August Richard had received a further battlefield promotion to the rank of Sergeant. A further honour was bestowed on the Sergeant on 11 September1918 where he was awarded the Military Medal for his actions during recent heavy fighting. The Military Medal, which allows the recipients to use the letter M.M. after their name, is awarded, quite simply, for valour under fire.

The 44th Battalion’s war diaries give a strategic account of operations of fighting to the goal town of Cambrai. In the first attacks the Canadians provide a spearhead to the British First Army’s attack on the Arras front and across the Canal du Nord. This part of the attack was a high-risk venture to capture the town, which began on 27 September. It would eventually prove to cost a further 30,000 Canadian casualties; in that number on 28 September was Sergeant Richard Alford. The CEF burial register states he was "Killed in Action - During the operations at Cambrai, while holding the line in front of Sailly, Sergt. Alford was hit in the leg and back by shrapnel, and instantly killed."

His heroics were not forgotten. On 11 January the following year, a secondary honour was posthumously awarded; a ‘Bar’ for his Military Medal. Notwithstanding his attestation papers showing his height as 5”7’, these decorations showed him as a giant amongst men. The Sergeant’s gravestone can be found at the Quarry Wood Cemetery at Sains les Marquion in France, approximately 12km north-west of Cambrai; it was established by the 102nd Canadian Battalion. As well as the gravestone, Richard is also on the Portage la Prairie Cenotaph and on his former employers, the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, plaque housed in the Keewatin, Ontario Legion. His widow, Connie Nellie Alford, was registered at 71 Well Street, Great Torrington at the time of his death. She would marry again to Thomas Hammett; they had one son. Connie died in 1967, her death is registered in Bideford, Devon.

Great Torrington Remembers