Alfred Henry Norman

A Private with the 15th (Suffolk Yeomanry) Battalion, Alfred died on 18th of September 1918 aged 20. 

Alfred was born at Lowestoft on 29 October 1897, a son of Henry Robert James and Annie Eliza Norman. He was baptised at Saint Margaret’s Church on 26 November 1897 and his family lived at 4 Jacob’s Street. Alfred attended Saint Andrew’s School and, on 19 January 1906, became a pupil at Saint Margaret’s School. At that time his family lived at 271 Raglan Street. By 1911 his mother had died, his father remarried, and his family lived at 90 Seago Street, and Alfred was a grocer’s errand boy. Later his family lived at 49 Stanford Street.

Alfred enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft around June 1916. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 20641. He was posted to the 15th Battalion and arrived in Egypt around August 1917. On 17 March 1918 he was admitted to xx with inflammation of connective tissue in his hands and knees. The next day he was transferred to a Convalescence Depot at Mustapha. His battalion arrived in France on 17 May 1918. 

On 18 September 1918 the 15th Battalion made an advance from Templeux La Fosse, passing Templeux La Gerard, on the left. By 7.31 a.m. they had taken their objectives, and the attack was deemed to be successful with many Germans surrendering without much resistance other than a machine-gun nests that held out determinedly and held up the advance. Alfred was killed during this attack.