Private Alfred Charles Elgood

Alfred was born in about 1896, and baptised on 5 April, 1896, the same day as his older brother Archibald, at Holy Trinity Church in Upper Tooting. He was the fourth child of William and Emily Elgood to survive to adulthood, and he had eleven siblings, including older brothers Robert and Archibald, who were also killed during WWI (see Robert Walter Elgood and Archibald Frederick Elgood for more information). His father worked as a painter, bricklayer, and house decorator, and the family lived at 97 Palestine Grove in Mitcham in 1901, before moving to 7 Briscoe Road in Colliers Wood.

Alfred was already working as a carman at the age of 15, and later became a painter; but in July 1914, after turning 18, he decided to enlist in the Royal Field Artillery less than a month before the outbreak of war. He is recorded at that time as being 5’6”, with brown hair and eyes and a “fresh” complexion. Unfortunately for Alfred, his behaviour was quickly called into question, and he was discharged on 27 October, 1914 for unspecified “bad” military character and “not being likely to become an efficient soldier.” Undeterred, and perhaps spurred on by the example of his two older brothers who were already successfully serving in the army, he quickly re-enlisted as a private in the 1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment under the alias Alfred Totterdill. In this guise he seems to have been more successful. His battalion fought in Flanders and Alfred served with honour from 1914 to 1917.

He was killed in action in November 1917, aged just 21. His body was never found and he is one of 11,956 British and Commonwealth troops commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium. He is also commemorated on the Mitcham War Memorial.