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HoC - Roll of Honour - Alfred James Larner

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Wilfred Hitching -- Frank William Keen -- Alfred James Larner -- Charles Richard Larner -- John Patterson Malcolm

Private L/16094 Alfred James Larner

Royal Fusiliers City of London Regiment (b. 1895 d. 1 March 1917)

Alfred's parents Daniel and Charlotte Larner had nine children; Rosannah b1887, Lydia b1897, Daniel b1881, George b1883, Sydney b1885, Emily1887, Charlotte b1889, Charles Richard b1893 and Alfred James b1895. The family knew trying times even before WW1 – as sadly Charlotte Larner died in 1908.

The 1901 census shows the family living locally. Daniel senior is employed as a bricklayer and his son George is listed as a grocer’s assistant. Emily is listed as a domestic servant. It is not known where Rosannah was but it is possible she too was in domestic service. Records suggest Lydia may have married in 1897. The younger children were still at home but two older sons Daniel and Sydney were recorded as being boarders with a family in Acton. Their occupation was described as ‘brick pointers’.

By the time of the 1911 census Daniel senior was living at 15 Stanley Gardens with Alfred described as a ‘laundry carman’ probably at one of the many commercial laundries in the Acton area at this time. They also had a boarder named Henry Newens. George meanwhile was living with his wife at 8, Herbert Gardens while employed by a local grocer at a shop on 17 Gordon Road. Charlotte at this time was a cook in the home of a retired barrister.

Of Daniel and Charlotte Larner’s five sons, four served in the forces, two of them were killed. Their son George did not see active service due to a mix of poor health and the nature of his job which involved food distribution. Food shortages became more acute as the war progressed and rationing was introduced.

Alfred was a private in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. He first served in the Balkans in 1915 and then transferred to the Western Front where he died of wounds on 1 March 1917. He is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery. The area around Boulogne and Wimereux formed one of the chief hospital areas. It is likely that Alfred was evacuated to this area but his wounds proved fatal.

His brother Charles, a Corporal in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, was killed in action five weeks after Alfred died.