PENN, Alfred
| Service Number: | 2969 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Potters Bar, Middlesex, England, 1884 |
| Home Town: | Stockton, Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 9 December 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Bernafay Wood British Cemetery, Montauban |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Stockton Soldiers Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 2969, 4th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Argyllshire embarkation_ship_number: A8 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2969, 4th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Argyllshire, Sydney | |
| 9 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 2969, 5th Pioneer Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2969 awm_unit: 5 Pioneer Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-12-09 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Michelle Watson
Private Alfred Penn (2969) was the son of Alfred Cornelius and Elizabeth PENN of Potters Bar, Middlesex, England. He was born in about 1884, and in 1891 he was living with his family in the Bath Cottages, in Potters Bar, where he attended the National School (1). He had two sisters Elizabeth and Ethel and two brothers, Walter and Arthur (2). In 1901 he was living away from his family at 51 Mostyn Rd, London and was working as a warehouseman’s porter (3). In the Roll of Honour Circular, his previous trade is listed as salesman in a carpet warehouse.
He came to Australia sometime around 1911. He was employed as a clerk (time keeper) prior to enlisting and he was living in Hunter St, Stockton. He listed his religious affiliation as Baptist (4).
He embarked from Sydney with the 4th Battalion aboard HMAT Argyllshire (A8) on 30 September 1915 but was then transferred to the machine gun section of the 5th Pioneer Battalion after reaching Egypt. This Battalion was formed in Egypt in 1916 (5) from forces recently evacuated from Gallipoli and reinforcements from Australia. From Egypt he sailed to Marseilles aboard the “Canada”, arriving on 25 June, 1916.
He was wounded in action at Delville Wood, north of Albert, France on 8th December, 1916 and died of wounds the following day on 9 December 1916, aged 31 at the 14th Field Ambulance in the Field. The area saw heavy action during the first Battle of the Somme in mid-1916 and the area remained an active area of conflict until the end of the war.
He is buried in Plot 1, Row I, Grave 47 at Bernafay Wood British Cemetery, Montauban, France. At the time of his death, Alfreds’ father was living at Gordon Cottage, Southgate Rd, Potters Bar, Middlesex. (6)
No details are available for an exact address or his relationship to Stockton other than that this was where he was living at the time of his enlistment. A Mrs Gwendoline EVANS is listed as a person to speak to on the Roll of Honour Circular (forms sent to next of kin seeking details regarding the deceased. They form the basis of the card indexes from which the original Roll of Honour was compiled at the Australian War Memorial). She is also listed as the Executrix of his will (7). It is possible that she ran a boarding house and that was where he was living at the time of his enlistment.
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(1) Roll of Honour Circular - AWM145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918 War, Army
(2) Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1891. Class: RG12; Piece: 1052; Folio: 64; Page: 3; GSU Roll: 6096162.
(3) Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives, 1901. Data imaged from the National Archives, London, England. Class: RG13; Piece: 340; Folio: 9; Page: 10
(4) Unit embarkation nominal rolls, 1914–18 War
(6) Commonwealth War Graves Commission; London, United Kingdom; The War Graves Of The British Empire, St. Acheul French National, St. Pierre, La Madeleine, Amiens Longueau, Longueau British, Camon; Roll #: 31274_184884.
(7) "Advertising." The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) 4 May 1917: 1. Web. 11 Sep 2013 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15715424 (nla.gov.au)>.
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