|
3/10151 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Alfred Golding was born in Sudbury around 1884, the son of Sarah Golding. In 1901 the family lived in Upper East Street and Alfred was employed as a house painter.
After his mother died Alfred enlisted for six years on 26th January 1904 to serve with the Suffolk Regiment (formerly 6260), his service records describe him as 5ft 2 ins in height with a fair complexion and auburn eyes. When war was declared he was serving as a regular stationed in Khartoum in the Sudan. He first served in France on 16 January 1915 when the battalion, which formed part of 84th Brigade, 28th Division landed at Le Havre. Alfred served alongside other Sudbury men who would also lose their lives in early 1915 including Joseph Allen, Sidney Binks, William Brown, Arthur Crick, Arthur French, Harry Lorkings and Bert Malyon.
Alfred saw action in Belgium during the Second Battle of Ypres where the first gas attacks were launched by the Germans on 22 April 1915. On 4 May a tactical withdrawal was made to the Frezenberg Ridge. 400 casualties had depleted the battalion strength and the men were on the point of exhaustion.
Alfred was killed in action on 4 May 1915. There is no known grave and he is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
A Cross of Remembrance was laid at the Menin Gate in 2006, April 2009 and October 2012.
Back to Roll of Honour
|
