Alfred Cecil Heald
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Alfred Cecil ( his full name ) was born in 1892 in South Clfton the son of Richard Heald a railway platelayer and Mary Jane (nee Tinker) . In the 1901 census we find him living with his widowed father ( his mother having died in 1900 ) and four siblings at London Row ,South Clifton he is 9 years of age and was born at South Clifton. By the 1911 census he has left home and is living with Tom and Eliza Black a farmer at Darlton he is shown as being 19 years of age a servant and working on a farm as a horseman. He met his future wife Alice Griffiths and married her in the local parish church St Oswalds at Dunham on Trent on 31st October 1914 and they later had a daughter Ceclia born on 4th February 1915.
From his medal card we can see that he first entered into a theatre of war on 7th December 1915 in Egypt and that he died on 31st March 1919 and served with the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (Sherwood Rangers), he was entitled to the following medals;- the 1915 Star , The Victory medal and the British medal (at the time known as Pip, Squeek and Wilfred) . His discharge papers exist on his service record and give his service number as 275948 of the Notts Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. it states he was a farmer prior to joining up and had enlisted at Retford 21st June 1915 and his rank was that of shoeing smith. It also gives details of where he was born and his marriage and daughter. It further states that he saw service in India and South Africa and served for a total of 3 years and 273 days before his discharge on 20th April 1919 and that the cause of his discharge was - disembodied (a military term which was used in the territorial forces when a soldier was too ill or not fit enough for future service and means being returned to their peace time status ) in Alfred's case he had suffered or was still suffering the effects of malaria.
Alfred had two brother in laws who also served and died in the Great war and whose names also appear on the Dunham on Trent war memorial , Alec and Ronald Beat .
No Photos