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HOPKINS, Alfred
 | Rank: Sergeant Year of death: 1946 Date of birth: 1854 Date of death: 1946 aged 91 Place of death: Service number: Regiment: 14th Regiment of Foot, Royal Regiment of Artillery, Scarborough Pals Medals: Cemetery location: Dean Road East Circle (unmarked grave) Where remembered?: |
Biographical Information
Born in Scarborough in 1854, Alfred enlisted in 14th Regiment of Foot in 1874. He left the army in 1877 with the rank of sergeant, to be married to Kate Rudd. In 1879 he enlisted in York to the Royal Regiment of Artillery and in 1884 was posted to Egypt where he took part in the relief of General Gordon at Khartoum.
Alfred was posted to India in 1886 and was joined by his wife and two daughters, with two more children being boen there. He was discharged from service in 1901 aged 47, but enlisted in Scarborough Pals on 17/3/1915, giving his age as 44 when he was actually 61. Alfred fought on the Somme and was wounded in action on 16/3/1916 when he was temporarily blinded by mustard gas. In the same year his son Harry was killed on active service in Salonika. A second son, William Edward, also served in WW1.
Alfred survived the war, after being taken prisoner. He proudly wore his medals until his death in 1946 aged 91, when he was buried in an unmarked grave in the East Circle in Dean Road Cemetery.