Alfred Alexander Burt VC (3 March 1895 – 9 June 1962) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces.

Details

Burt was employed as a gas fitter for the Broxbourne Gas Company and had enlisted as a

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

soldier in the

Hertfordshire Regiment The Hertfordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army. Originating in units of Rifle Volunteers formed in 1859, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First and Second Wor ...

in 1911. On the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was mobilised and arrived on the Western Front in November 1914 with 1/1st battalion of the Hertfordshires. On the date of the action for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross, he was aged 20 years, and serving as a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

. The 27 September 1915 was the third day of the British offensive known as the

Battle of Loos The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used poison gas and the first mass engagement of New Army units. Th ...

and his battalion was preparing to assault the German lines beside

Cuinchy Cuinchy is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A farming village some east of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D166 and ...

. The citation for the medal reads: He received his medal from the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

in March 1916 and returned to the front to serve for the remainder of the war, being promoted to the rank of

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. On 11 November 1920 he was among the 100 strong honour guard of Victoria Cross holders in the interment of the

Unknown Warrior The British grave of the Unknown Warrior (often known as 'The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior') holds an unidentified member of the British armed forces killed on a European battlefield during the First World War.Hanson, Chapters 23 & 24 He was gi ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. He died at the age of 67 in Chesham in 1962, his health having suffered from complications caused by his exposure to a

gas attack Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as Chemical weapon, weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN defen ...

during the war.http://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/page_id__675_path__0p4p55p.aspx "Hertford's Victoria Cross winner", retrieved: 20 September 2012 There is a road named in his honour in Chesham; Alfred Burt VC close.

The medal

His Victoria Cross is held at the

Hertford Museum Hertford Museum is a local museum in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire, England.Hertford Museum
...

as part of the

collection.

References

Monuments to Courage David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 36 ...

(David Harvey, 1999) *

The Register of the Victoria Cross ''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fol ...

(This England, 1997) * VCs of the First World War – The Western Front 1915 (Peter F. Batchelor & Christopher Matson, 1999)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Hertfordshire)''

Herts Memories
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burt, Alfred Alexander 1895 births 1962 deaths People from Hertford Hertfordshire Regiment soldiers British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army personnel of World War I British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Military personnel from Hertfordshire People from Chesham