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301175 1st/7th Battalion, Essex Regiment
Alfred Sillitoe was born in 1893 in Sudbury, the second son of five children of James and Charlotte Sillitoe. His father was a builder’s carpenter and house painter and the family lived at 4 Princes Street before later moving to 48 Melford Road. Alfred attended St. Gregory and St. Peter’s School and on leaving school was employed as a grocer’s warehouseman.
He was living in Chelmsford when he enlisted to serve with the Essex Regiment (formerly 4313). Alfred’s battalion formed part of 161st Brigade, 54th (East Anglian) Division. It is not known when Alfred joined the battalion which in 1916 was in the Middle East defending the Suez Canal.
In the spring of 1917 the Allies were trying to push the Turks out of Palestine; the battalion saw action in the failed attempt to capture the town of Gaza which was an important costal gateway from Egypt during the First (26 - 27 March) and Second (17 - 19 April) Battle of Gaza.
Alfred died of wounds on 21 July 1917 and lies buried in Deir El Belah War Cemetery, Israel. He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
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