Name
Alfred William Pitkin
15 May 1887
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
07/06/1918
31
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Serjeant
99950
Royal Air Force
H.Q. 13th Group (Edgbaston, Birmingham)
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
No medals Issued - Home Service Only
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
BOLSOVER (ST. MARY) OLD CHURCHYARD
302.
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
THY WILL BE DONE
UK & Other Memorials
Letchworth Town Memorial. War Memorial, Bolsover, Derbyshire
Pre War
Alfred William Pitkin was born on 15 May 1887 in Cambridge to William Alexander Pitkin, railway guard, and Ethel Maud (nee Collier).
On the 1891 Census Alfred was registered with his granparents, John (born 1841,an engine driver) & Margaret Pitkin at Cavendish Road, St Andrew the Less, Cambridge. His parents and Roland (born 1889) were living at Thaxted Road, Saffron Walden.
On the 1901 Census the family of parents, Alfred, Roland, John (born 1896), and Albert (born 1901) were living at Ashvale Cottages, Tuxford, Retford, Notts.
On the 1911 Census Alfred was a motorcycle mechanic and a boarder with Alfred Page (born 1881), motor and general engineer at Station Road, Letchworth, Herts. His parents (father was a motor dealer), John, Donald (born 1903), adopted daughter Jane Oliver Pitkin (born 1895) and boarder Stanley Skillings (born 1895. motor car driver) were living at 17 Lewis’s Place, Main Street, Shirebrook, Bolsover, Derbyshire.
Alfred married Ethel Maud Fell in May 1912 in Mansfield, Notts, district. He is reported as being the owner of a motorcycle shop in Bolsover.
They lived at 68 Glebe Road, Letchworth, Herts.
Wartime Service
Alfred enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps on 3 Oct 1917 as Air Mech 3, serial 99950 giving his address as Hilltop, Bolsover and was posted to Halton Park that day, to Denham (presumably for flight training on 1 Dec 1917. He was promoted to Acting Sergeant (Unpaid) on 17 Jan 1918 and posted 47 Training Squadron on 2 Feb 1918. He became a member of the Royal Air Force on its formation on 1 Apr 1918 as Private 2.
On 7 Jun 1918, during aerial combat practice above RFC Waddington, Lincolnshire, Acting-Sgt Alf Pitkin was killed when his Airco DH.6 (serial 7251) collided with a DH.9 (serial C1201) flown by 2nd Lt. Roy Esworth Heater, USA, who was also killed.
13th Group, Trainee Pilot died in mid-air collision DH6.
Additional Information
War Gratuity of £8 and arrears of £15 16s 7d was paid to his widow Ethel.
Brother John served as Private 292191 in 26 (Tyneside Irish) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, dying of wounds on 6 Dec 1917.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Dan Hill, Janet Capstick, Jonty Wild
