Genealogical war memorials of Bournemouth’s fallen
St Julien: April 26th, 1915
Introduction
Tales from the Front (33) tells the story of Alfred Thomas Baker, a native of Victorian Bournemouth, who fought in the Great War. Corporal Baker, 1st Rifle Brigade, fell on or near Hill 37 on the second day of the second part of the second Battle of Ypres. His unit had marched all night to support a thin khaki line stretched for 5 miles east of Ypres. Baker became one of the many fallen on that day.
Tales from the Front (33): restlessness
A resourceful man
Baker’s father grew up in Hastings, the son of a tailor, grandson of a grocer and a painter: a series of skilled men. His life reads like a catalogue of reinventions—baker, commission merchant, valuer, furniture dealer, photographer, and finally antique dealer—each shift hinting at both resourcefulness and restlessness. By 1901, photography had taken his attention. An example of his work survives: two men ensconced in a car, identified as a Renault, covered with blankets against Bournemouth breezes. The 1911 census has no trace of the family, but by 1921, he had become a grocery merchant agent. Between then and 1939, he had established an antique dealership, his final occupation. This resourceful man lost his first wife a year after their marriage, but soon found a second, a builder’s daughter from Weymouth. By then, he had abandoned Hastings for Bournemouth. Corporal Alfred Thomas Baker numbered among their several children.
Not far from the tree
Baker appears in the 1901 census but not in the following one. The only reference to the family found so far for that year may relate to Bessie, an older sister. Having married the previous year, she lived with her husband, a letter sorter, in Willesden in 1911. The estimated date of the Renault photographed by his father suggests the family still lived in Branksome around 1910. Baker recorded this as his residence when he enlisted. However, he may have shared his father’s restlessness, as he joined up with the 1st Rifle Brigade in London, perhaps following his sister to the capital in search of opportunity. The army recognised his potential, for by the time he reached St Julien, he had attained the rank of Acting Corporal. Still in his late teens, he must have convinced his superiors of the leadership and organisational abilities needed on April 26th, 1915.
Tales from the Front (33): St Julien
An artillery shell every second
Imagine crouching in a trench on Hill 37 in April 1915. The enemy fires 50 artillery rounds a minute at you. Shockwaves from each explosion roll over you. Internal haemorrhages. Ruptured eardrums. Acrid cordite makes the air thick. Noise becomes physical weight. Overload closes your nervous system. In a firefight, you can aim at the enemy, but in a bombardment of this size, you become an object. You sit catatonic, unable to move, staring into the distance. Your personality ebbs away; you can feel it go. Burrowing deeper into the pulverised mud becomes your primary objective. Speech has gone; you can’t talk to your pals. Flashes, debris, and dust limit what you can see. The rhythmic trembling of the earth feels like constant punches. Minutes feel like hours. You cannot understand orders. On Baker’s last day, he and his pals would have endured this perpetual physical and mental assault.
April 26th, 1915
The author of the battalion’s diary recorded this day’s torrid events in a laconic tone. At dawn, the Rifles had reached dugouts constructed by the French on Hill 37, with a Canadian officer providing guidance. They thought the Somerset Light Infantry lay on their right, but they could find nobody on their left. This suggests an alarming gap. As the sun came up, however, dispelling the mist, they did see British soldiers on their left, occupying trenches. They pushed one platoon out to get in touch with them, to close that threatening gap. The artillery shells now began an assault that would last all day, thousands and thousands of shells: flashes, impacts, terror and trauma. The Rifles watched the enemy come over Gravenstafel Ridge and reach the crossroads near Hill 37, but they advanced no further. The Rifles suffered 103 wounded and fallen, Baker included in the latter group.
Aftermath
Two of Baker’s brothers and a sister continued his father’s restlessness, although the boys followed his trade. One joined the Dorsets late in the war. He survived to establish a photography business and left a sizeable estate in 1979. The other, a photoengraver, emigrated to Canada. He and his second wife later moved to California and petitioned for US citizenship. A sister followed, becoming a healer there.
The events of May 1st to 3rd did not attract much attention from the battalion diarist, but a long appendix provides much more information. Because of variations in the landscape, parts of the battalion faced different directions. A Company took up an isolated position across a stream. Matters worsened. This company lost all but an officer and three men holding 200 yards of ground. Nevertheless, when the artillery lifted to allow the enemy infantry to attack, the remaining First Rifles prevented further progress.
Takeaway
Tales from the Front (33) has explored the background, life, and military career of Alfred Thomas Baker (1895-1915). Son of a resourceful father, Baker joined the First Rifle Brigade in London, with whom he advanced to Acting Corporal by the time of the Second Battle of Ypres. A torrid day of continuous artillery fire accounted for over a hundred casualties, Baker falling among them.
‘Tales from the Front’
A collection of personal stories honouring the natives of Victorian Bournemouth who gave their lives on the battlefield and the regiments with which they served. Blending social and military history with genealogical insight, it explores their roots, families, occupations, and the ultimate sacrifices they made for their country.
The posts weave genealogical data together with eyewitness accounts found in war diaries, contemporary press coverage, and official military histories. The series offers a powerful and intimate portrait of Bournemouth’s wartime heroes offset with live accounts of battlefield action.
Serving as a companion and continuation of Victorian Bournemouth, Tales from the Front forms part of News from the Past: History for the Rest of Us.
References
For references and engagement, please get in touch. Main primary sources: here and here (subscriptions needed). For War Diaries, go here. See also here. The featured picture shows an imagined scene—genealogical information based on available sources.
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