Alfred Smith, known as Alf, was born in Hemel Hempstead in the Spring of 1892, the third child of Noah Smith and Amelia Saving. Alfred had eight siblings two of whom died young. His brothers and sisters were: Rose, Noah, Emily, Amy, Hetty, Joseph and Ernest. Rose and Emily both died before 1911.

The family moved between Leighton Buzzard and Boxmoor as the children grew up, and finally settled in Apsley End near Hemel Hempstead when Alf was about sixteen years old. His father Noah, who was rather intriguingly christened Noah ‘Ark’ Smith, was a "Pedlar" whilst his mother Amelia worked as a "Hawker". These were common jobs for the poverty stricken of the time with a Pedlar typically buying and selling any kind of everyday goods for cash whilst a Hawker sold items such as matches, shoelaces or similar small articles.

Alf’s family had a number of run-ins with the civil and military authorities when he was a child. The 1901 census curiously records his mother Amelia as the wife of one James Saving but research has revealed that this was in fact Amelia’s younger brother and Alf’s Uncle. The reason for this strange deception is not clear but may be linked to the fact that James had deserted from the Army shortly after enlistment in 1900. He was court-martialled and served time in prison and by the time of the Census in April 1901 he was living with his sister Amelia.

At the same time Alf’s father was serving a prison term at HMP St Albans but curiously, under the alias Noah Ark Loveridge (his mother’s maiden name). The reason for his incarceration is not clear or the use of an alias but it may be that James, Amelia and Noah’s subterfuge was somehow linked.

Regardless of these deceptions, young Alf appears to have avoided the same dishonesty and there is a record from his school teacher at Apsley Boys school attesting to his honesty: "1899, Jan. 23rd: Alfred Smith - one of my Second Standard Boys – brought me 2/- this afternoon (which he had found). I am making enquiries as to the owner". Given the straitened financial circumstances of the Smith family the temptation to keep the lucky find must have been great for young Alf but his honesty won the day.

By 1911 the ‘real’ Smith family were all at home and living at 23 Mill Street, Apsley End. Alf was working as a "Brush Hand" at G.B. Kent and Sons the brush makers in Apsley whilst his father Noah is working again as a Pedlar and his older brother Noah is employed at Frogmore Mills with the British Paper Company.

On the outbreak of war, Alf enlisted with the Essex Regiment, attesting at Watford in October 1914. He was posted to the 11th Battalion which was a Service battalion formed at Warley in Brentwood, Essex in  September 1914 as part of ‘K3’ new army. Alf initially went to Shoreham, West Sussex to undergo basic training where he remained until March or April.

At this point he was transferred to the 6th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment due to a request from his mother Amelia. She wrote to the War Office to request his transfer so that he could serve alongside his older brother Noah, a wish granted around April 1915. The two brothers would serve together until Alf’s death a year later, whilst Noah fortunately survived the conflict.

Following his transfer, Alf went to France and disembarked at Le Havre on the 30th July 1915 and spent some time in the area around St. Omer. In September the battalion had moved into the Front Line around Foncquevillers about twelve miles south-west of Arras. Alfred and his brother Noah saw action in the trenches in this area for the next eight months never moving more than about three miles from Foncquevillers.

On the 3rd May the 6th Battalion took over trenches 72 to 92 from the 13th King’s Royal Rifle Corps and the following day it suffered "intense hostile bombardment followed by raid at 3 am" which resulted in sixty-six casualties and eight missing men. Alf was one of the casualties and his unfortunate death was reported in the Hemel Gazette on the 13th May 1916. His brother Noah wrote also to his parents with the tragic news of his brother’s wounding and death. His letter was reported in the Gazette a few weeks later.

In the following June, the Rev. Thomas Tiplady, Chaplain to the Forces, wrote to the Gazette recounting a moving story of his discovery of Alf’s grave. Revd. Tiplady was subsequently sent some flowers by a grieving mother to lay on her son’s grave to commemorate what would have been his 21st birthday. Since the Regiment had moved to France he was unable to carry out the mother’s wishes but remembering Alf’s nearby grave he laid the flowers there and divided them between four other newly dug graves as well. He requested that Alf’s mother be informed of this and explaining that the little cemetery where Alf was buried was “as neatly arranged as any in England”. One hopes that this act of kindness was some kind of comfort to Amelia and Noah.

Rev. Tiplady was well known for the simple poetry he wrote about the men who died, much of which was published in the Gazette, and he included a poem with his letter on this occasion as well.

Alf is commemorated on the memorial plaque at G.B. Kent & Sons in Apsley and following the War his family received a “Death Penny” also known as “Dead Man’s Penny”. These were sent in 1919 and 1920 to the families of many soldiers in who died as a memorial token of the Nation’s gratitude and as well as being engraved with the individual soldier’s name the penny had a message from the King inscribed which read: “I join with my grateful people in sending you this memorial of a brave life given to the Great War”

He is Remembered with Honour in the St. Amand British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, where he is interred in Grave 1.A.4.

Alf was 24 years old when he died.

He was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.