Alfred Hughes Brown was born on 31st July 1880 in Herne Hill to Timothy Brown (a commercial traveller in biscuits) and Susannah Brown. Alfred was born south of the river Thames in Lambeth. He was educated at St. John’s College in Brixton and Bancroft’s School, Woodford. By 1901, the Brown family was living at 20 Cleveland Road, Wanstead, and Alfred had begun work as a bank clerk.
Alfred was an employee of the Ocean Accident Guarantee Corporation in London, he joined the London & Westminster Bank in December 1898. He became a teller at the City Branch, and Assistant County Clearer 4th Class in March 1903. After the amalgamation in 1909 with the London & County Bank to form the London & Westminster Bank, be advanced to Assistant County Clearer 3rd Class in 1912.
On 7th June 1910, Alfred married at Holy Trinity Church, Woodford and by 1911 the couple were living at 7 Old Church Villas, The Avenue, Chingford, in 1911. Alfred and his wife, Jane, had two children: Marjorie, born in 1911, and Michael, born in 1913.
On 9th December 1915, Alfred enlisted in the army with the 28th Battalion, London Artists Rifles at St Swithins Lane while living at 2 Belgrave Terrace, St Alban’s Road, Woodford Green. His Attestation Form, under the heading Distinguishing Marks, bears the comment “Nonconformist.” He was called to serve in the Artists Rifles on 20th July 1917 and, after training at Hare Hall Camp Romford, left Southampton for Europe arriving on 16th November 1917. Alfred was wounded in action at Cambrai on 30th December 1917, and died in the No. 21 Casualty Clearing Station on the 5th January 1918.
At the time of his death, his wife and children were living at 54 Cleveland Road, South Woodford, according to Alfred’s probate record.
Among his effects were a religious book and a cloth badge showing two crossed rifles; he had qualified as a Marksman.
Research by Adrian Lee and Redbridge Museum
Sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Ancestry.com
For more information on this individual please see The Old Bancroftian website.