Name
Alfred John Spruels (poss Sprules)
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
06/05/1915
20
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lance Corporal
13194
Bedfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 31 and 33.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Bushey Town Memorial, St James’ Church Memorial, Bushey
Pre War
Born in 1895 and baptised on 17 February 1895 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, Alfred John was the son of Alfred (Snr.) and Isabel Fanny (nee Tibbles) Spruels. Alfred (Snr.), a 24-year-old labourer, and 26-year-old Isabel had been married on 3 May 1884 in Marston Maisey near Swindon in Wiltshire.
By the time of the 1891 census, they were living at Tyler’s Farm Cottage in Little Bushey Lane, Bushey Heath. Alfred (Snr.) was working as a farm labourer, presumably for William Turpin of Tyler’s Farm, and they had three children, named Rose, Annie and Edith, who were 7, 4 and 7 months respectively. Birthplaces were given as Swindon in Wiltshire for Alfred (Snr.), Sarratt in Hertfordshire for Isabel, Fairford in Gloucestershire for Rose and Bushey for Annie and Edith.
At the 1901 census, Alfred and Isabel were still living at Tyler’s Farm Cottage and Alfred was now employed as a farm foreman. Rose had sadly died in 1900 but they now had three more children, Alfred, Alice and Kimberley, who were 6, 3 and 4 months old respectively. They had all been born in Bushey.
Alfred and Isabel remained at Tyler’s Farm Cottage through to the 1911 census and three of their children, Alfred, Alice and Frederick, were still living at home. Alfred (Snr.) was now working as a general farm hand and Alfred (Jnr.) was employed as a domestic servant. The other two children were at school.
Wartime Service
Alfred John Spruels enlisted in Watford with the Bedfordshire Regiment. He served on the Western Front as Acting Lance Corporal 13194 in the 1st Battalion and was killed in action on 6 May 1915. He is remembered with honour at the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing at Ypres in Belgium and is also commemorated on the Bushey Memorial and at St James’ Parish Church in Bushey. He was entitled to the British, Victory and 14/15 Star medals, his qualifying date being 11 March 1915.
The Registers of Soldiers’ Effects named his father as the legatee and showed payments of £4 19s. 3d. on 23 November 1915 and a war gratuity of £3 on 29 July 1919.
His pension card named Isabel as his dependant and showed a pension award of 5s. per week with effect from 6 November 1918. It gave her address as The Cottage, Tyler’s Farm, but incorrectly showed this as Burley in Hampshire.
Additional Information
Dianne Payne - www.busheyworldwarone.org.uk, Jonty Wild
Acknowledgments
Andrew Palmer
Dianne Payne - www.busheyworldwarone.org.uk, Jonty Wild
