HENSBY, Alfred



No. 242394, Private, Alfred HENSBY
Aged 28


Notts & Derbyshire Regiment (Sherwood Foresters), 1st/6th Battalion
formerly 5320 Notts & Derbyshire Regiment
Killed in Action on Friday 11th May 1917

Born in Beck Row [Mildenhall Q3-1888 4A:695]

1891 census...Aged 3, he was living at The Cottages, Burn Fen, Mildenhall with his father- Marshall HENSBY [52] farm labourer born Lakenheath; mother- Eliza (née BONNETT) [48] born Littleport; brother- John E. farm labourer; brother- Arthur J. farm labourer; sister- Betsy J [15]; sister- Elizabeth S [12]; sister- Alice M[9]; brother- William G. [7]; brother- Marshall E. [5]. All the children were born in Mildenhall.

1901 census...Aged 12, he was living at Flanders Farm, Lakenheath with his father, mother (now recorded as born at Burnt Fen, Ely), sister Mary and brothers- Arthur, William and Marshall. All the children are now recorded as born in Lakenheath.

1911 census...Aged 23, a farm labourer, he was at Burnt Fen with his parents and niece Jessie Maud HENSBY [9] born Lakenheath. His brother Marshall had joined the Royal Engineers in 1907, but died in Chichester of septicaemia on 18th June 1908. Brother William was in the Army Service Corps.

The pension card has the family still at Flanders Farm.


Enlisted in Bury St Edmunds.
On the 11th May 1917 the 1st/6th Battalion,Sherwood Foresters were at Petitt Sains, four were killed and ten wounded. On the 12th May the Battalion was relieved by the 5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters and moved into Reserves in dugouts at Cite St Pierre.



© Pierre Vandervelden www.inmemories.com



Alfred is buried in Maroc British Cemetery, Grenay, France..ref..2:P:23
and also commemorated on the war memorials in Mildenhall and Kenny Hill.

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details

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