Alfred Craythorn (1890 -1914)
Private 11015 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment

One of eleven children of Arthur Craythorn, a brass dresser, and of Elizabeth Bragg, daughter of a silversmith, Alfred worked as a factory hand before joining the army in July 1908.

The family had lived in Hick Street in Deritend before moving to 67 Larches Street by 1911. Three of the children born had not survived infancy, but the family of six grown children (aged 11-22) and their parents lived in five rooms, with all the children except 11-year-old Ada working. Alfred and his eldest brother Arthur were away in the army.

Alfred joined the Second Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment – part of the Regular Army - which was based at Longmoor in Hampshire. The battalion moved to Malta, where they were stationed at the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914. In mid-September the battalion returned to England and then landed at Zeebrugge on the 6th October.   

The First Battle of Ypres was fought from 19th October to 22nd November 1914, in which the Allied and German forces attempted to outflank each other between Arras in Northern France and Nieuport in Belgium. 4½ million Allied soldiers – practically all French and Belgian, plus 160,000 British infantrymen – faced 5½ million Germans. There were more than a quarter of a million casualties, including 60,000 British.

In the early days of the battle Alfred was wounded, and evacuated to Cork military hospital, where he died of his wounds on the 28th October. His family received £9 11s 11d from his effects, and a War Gratuity of £5.
Alfred is commemorated in Cork, under the name Albert Craythorne. This error has been corrected on most records, but not yet on the CWGC.