Site Home
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.
Great War Home
Search
Add Stories & Photos
Library
Help & FAQs
Features
Allied Army
Day by Day
RFC & RAF
Prisoners of War
War at Sea
Training for War
The Battles
Those Who Served
Hospitals
Civilian Service
Women at War
The War Effort
Central Powers Army
Central Powers Navy
Imperial Air Service
Library
World War Two
Submissions
Add Stories & Photos
Time Capsule
Information
Help & FAQs
Glossary
Our Facebook Page
Volunteering
News
Events
Contact us
Great War Books
About
100585L/Corporal Alfred "Alfie" Bloomfield M.M.
Army 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry
from:Fencehouses, Co Durham
I am trying to find out more about my father's army service in WW1 and wonder if anyone can help. I have visited National Records Office at Kew but have found only a record of his award of M.M. Durham Records Office holds war diaries of 2 D.L.I. and my father's name is mentioned as recipient of M.M. in the appendix to the action for which it was awarded.
I still have his medals, the Military Medal, War Medal & Victory Medal plus two citations which read:
1. Your Gallant Conduct in the Field on July 14th 1918 near Dickebusch; by capturing a machine gun and team and thus preventing serious loss to your company, has been reported to me, and I have much pleasure in reading the record of your gallantry. J.G.Crawford, Brigadier General Commanding 18th Infantry Brigade.
2. Your Commanding Officer and Brigade Commander have informed me that you distinguished yourself on the 14-7-18 by conspicuous gallantry and coolness when you rushed a machine gun and captured it. I have read their report with much pleasure. T.O. Marden, Major General Commanding 6th Division Awarded M.M. 29-7-18
I also have a newspaper cutting of a social evening in Burnmoor Parish Hall at which my father was presented with an inscribed gold watch by Lord Durham and a gold chain by Lady Anne as the first employee on Lambton Estates to receive the Military Medal. All the other information I have tends to be anecdotal. Is it possible from his service number to discover when he enrolled or was conscripted and when he was demobilsed? Are there any Battalion disciplinary records and if so, where might these be found? I know from a photograph that he was a full corporal, and from what he did tell me, he was reduced to the ranks for striking a sergeant. I assume that he had been promoted back to L/Cpl before the action on 14-7-1918.
I would be grateful for any help and advice on where I can search further.
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?
If so please let us know.
Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.
This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.