Pte 57964 Alfred Walter Trueman

• Age: 22
• From: Plaistow, Essex
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 28th March 1918
• Commemorated at: Pargny Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: I.C.5

Alfred Walter Stanton (Trueman) was born in Plaistow, Essex, in 1895 (Ancestry trees show birthdate 25th April), the son of Alfred Joseph Trueman and Edith Stanton.  His birth was registered in the September quarter as Stanton, as his parents never married.  His father, born in Langham Green, Birmingham in 1858, had married Anne Maria Terry on 27th May 1877 in Thanet, Kent and had six children Ethel Mary b.1880, Maud Phillis b.1881, Alfred Willie b.1881, Hilda Anne b.1885, Robert Nevill b.1889 and Winifred Bessie b.1892.  In 1891 his father was living in High Street, Ramsgate, with his first wife and five children, employed as a master baker and confectioner. His mother Edith was born in Norwood, Surrey in 1872, and went to work for his father in the early 1890s. 

A case of desertion was brought before the Magistrate in January 1894. His wife claimed that her husband had taken their servant girl, Edith Stanton, to be his second ‘wife’ and had refused to maintain his wife of 15 years and their five children, ranging in age from 5 to 15.  After he left in 1892, they had signed a deed of separation, with the husband agreeing to pay 10/- a week from his successful bakery business but he had stopped payment after about a year.  The verdict was that, since the parties had signed a deed of separation, there was no desertion.  When her husband’s bakery business (Alfred Joseph Trueman trading as Joseph Carter, 9 Ladywell Road, Lewisham) went bankrupt in 1896, he claimed the reason was loss of business caused by publication of proceedings taken against him by his wife for desertion. It is not known how his wife supported herself and the children after the separation.  She lived until 1941. 

Alfred and Edith had five children; Alfred had an older brother Frederick Joseph Trueman Stanton, born in 1894, and younger siblings Isabel Alice Stanton, 1898, Edgar John Stanton, 1901, and Harold Henry Trueman  in 1896. The parents and children all appear as Carter on the subsequent censuses. 

In 1901 his parents are living at 108 Duncombe Road, Islington, under the last name Carter.
His father is 43, self employed, his mother is 28, Frederick is 7, Alfred 5, Isabel 2, and Edgar 2 months old.  Four of his half siblings are living with a Thomas Grindley, 53, a photographer, in Islington. His father’s wife, 46, is living with her married sister in Lambeth.

In 1911 they are in High Road, Vange, Pitsea, Essex. 
His father is 53, a baker working on his own account, his mother is 38, his half sister Hilda, 26, is assisting her father in the business. Frederick, 17, and Alfred, 16, are baker’s assistants, working at home.  Isabel is 12, Edgar 10, and Harold is 4.  They state they have been married 18 years. 

His half brothers Alfred W., 29, now married, and Robert Nevill, 22, are living in Camberwell, his half sisters Ethel and Maud are married, and his father’s first wife, 56, is living with her brother and his wife in Buckinghamshire.  

Unfortunately his service record has not survived, but we do know that Alfred enlisted in London, under the name Trueman ; SDGW shows that he was previously Private 511, London Divisional Cyclist Company.  Ancestry trees state he was 6’ 2” tall, with a birthmark on his left hand,   Based on the amount of the War Gratuity, he served for about 26 months before he was killed, enlisting in about January 1916.  At some point he was transferred to the 18th (Pals) Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment.   

In 1917 the battalion saw action during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) from July to November.  The 18th Battalion celebrate Christmas at Brigade Reserve, Chippewa Camp with a special dinner, entertainment, and football matches.  On the 29th they entrain at Fuzeville for Manor Halt and march to their support position, relieving the 2nd Wiltshires. 

The Battalion War Diary for 1st January 1918 records:

“4 p.m.  Battalion left for line, via ‘A’ track, and relieved the 2nd Yorkshire Regiment in the right sub-sector. 

8:55 p.m.  Intense barrage on the sector, all trenches and Battalion H.Q. heavily shelled, all calibres and trench mortars.  Direct hits on posts and support line.

8:57 p.m.  Enemy party, estimated 30 strong, attempted to raid Lewis Gun post of Centre Company. They advanced to the wire and threw bombs into the post, causing casualties, but were driven off by the Lewis Gun team.  Two more attempts were made by the enemy to secure a prisoner, but they were again repulsed and finally withdrew, leaving three dead in front of the post.”

Casualties:  4 Killed, 10 Wounded:  including Pte. 57964 Alfred W. Trueman.  Alfred evidently recovered from his wounds. 

On 10th January the battalion entrains for the south to take over an area vacated by the French and in February move into the line opposite St. Quentin. The German Spring Offensive (Operation Michael) begins on 21st March.  The three Pals battalions are in Corps Reserve and at 5 a.m. receive orders to man battle stations. The 18th Battalion moves to Germaine and later digs in southwest of Vaux. The onslaught is so great along the front that Allied forces are overwhelmed and the battalion withdraws to Ham, arriving at 7:30 p.m.  On the 23rd the remnants of the three Pals battalions are forced again to retreat, and on 25th fall back to Roiglise, southeast of Roye.  After further German attacks are repelled, on the 28th the brigade withdraws to Rouvrel, southeast of Amiens. At the end of the month the three Pals battalions reform from survivors, stragglers, and new drafts.   

Alfred was declared Missing and his death later presumed for official purposes as having occurred on 28th March 1918. He was 22 years of age.

The Battalion Diary gives an insight into the chaotic events of the day

28^th March

At about 6am the enemy commenced to shell heavily the whole of the forward line and brought Trench Mortars and MACHINE Guns into action.

FOLIES was shelled and the area in the rear of the village as far back as LE QUESNEL.

Rations were received at dawn and parties were organised to carry them to the Companies on the right. Owing to the heavy fire, however, it was not possible to get them up.

Heavy fighting was in progress on the right from soon after dawn and at 8am the enemy was reported to be in possession of BOUCHOIR and progressing towards the BEETROOT FACTORY. About 10am  the 59^th Infy Brigade was notified that it was relieved by the French and the Battalions of that Brigade were at once withdrawn in the direction of LE QUESNEL.

At noon the enemy was bombarding the village and vicinity heavily and reports were received that he was in occupation of WARVILLERS on the left and ARVILLERS on the right.

The front line East of FOLIES continued to resist until about 2pm when the order was received from the 89^th Infy Brigade to the effect that the Battalions were relieved by the French and would withdraw at once to MEZIERES, where the men would be fed. Companies withdrew under some shelling and very heavy M.G. and rifle fire from the left , through K10 -K3 – North side LE QUESNEL to the main ROYE road and reorganised about D.29 c. The march from this point was conducted in good order despite the congested roads.

At MEZIERES it was decided to continue a rearward movement and the march was resumed via VILLERS-MOREUIL – MORISEL – ROUVREL, which village was reached about 7pm and the Battalion billeted. The men had marched 13 miles from the left position in good order and with practically no straggling. They were exhausted on arrival at ROUVREL, but in good heart.

Echelon ‘A’ of the Transport joined the Battalion at this village and the men were fed immediately on arrival. The night passed without incident.

His name appeared in the list of Missing in the Weekly Casualty List published on 28th May 1918.  It is not known when his family was officially informed of his fate. 

Alfred’s body was found and buried by the Germans, with others, in a common grave with a cross identifying them as “12 Englanders”.  

After the war, the grave was found and, of the 12, Alfred and two men of the Royal Scots were identified by their ID discs.  Of the others, six were identified as Royal Scots and one as an Argyll & Sutherland Highlander, by their shoulder titles or badges, and two are simply “Unknown”. 

Alfred was reburied in Pargny British Cemetery, Somme where he now rests.

Pargny British Cemetery was made after the Armistice, by concentrations from the surrounding battlefields and the following cemetery:- PARGNY GERMAN CEMETERY, which was a little way North-East of Pargny Church, contained the graves of 32 soldiers from the United Kingdom. The majority of the burials in this cemetery are those of officers and men of the 61st (South Midland) and 8th Divisions, whose resistance at the Somme crossings on the 24th March 1918, materially helped to delay the German advance. There are now over 600, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, more than three-quarters are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 16 soldiers from the United Kingdom, known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of two officers of the Royal Air Force, buried in Pertain Military Cemetery, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire. Certain graves in Plot III, Row E, identified as a group but not individually, are marked with headstones inscribed: "Buried near this spot". The cemetery covers an area of 2,509 square metres.     

His older brother Frederick served as Rifleman 652692, 21st County of London Bn (1st Surrey Rifles).  He arrived in France on 16th June 1916, and was missing and presumed dead on 08th October 1916, during the Battle of the Somme.  He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. 

His father received Alfred’s Army effects and a War Gratuity of £12.  The pension card shows his mother Edith, at London Road Tea Rooms, London House, New Thundersley, Essex, received a pension of 10/- a week.  His parents address was changed to Hill Top, Bread and Cheese Hill, Thundersley, though this is one and the same albeit name changed location. The location was popular with Cycling Clubs often en route from London. Alfred's younger sister Isabel acted as an unpaid waitress/helper during the war and the post war period. 

His father died on 20th Nov 1925 in Thundersley, Essex, aged 68 (probate).

Trueman - Alfred Joseph, of Hill Rest and Cheese Hill, Thundersley, Essex, died 20 November 1925. London 13th May to Robert Nevill Trueman plasterer. Effects £708.

His mother died in Essex in March 1927 aged 53.

Intriguingly, 57965 Robert N. Trueman appears on the King's Liverpool Regiment medal roll. Given the consecutive numbers, and the fact that there is only one birth of that name in England and Wales between 1870 and 1900, we can say that this is Alfred’s half brother. He survived the war and died at the age of 61. 

St. Andrews Church, Upper Holloway, London, commemorates A. W. Trueman, but this may not be Alfred as his brother is not listed.

Grateful thanks are extended to Chris Milne for the kind permission to use the photograph of Alfred Walter and for providing some further biographical information.
We currently have no further information on Alfred Walter Trueman, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.