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Auction: 23113 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 438

Six: Captain A. Aley, Royal Fusiliers

1914-15 Star (2. Lieut. A. Aley. R. Fus.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt. A. Aley.); 1939-45 Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as worn very fine (6)

Alfred Aley was commissioned into the 11th Bn. Royal Fusiliers on 5 January 1915. He entered the war in France in July 1915.

Extracts from his diary were used in the Royal Fusiliers in the Great War:

BEFORE THE SOMME BATTLE

'June 23rd - We arrived at Carnoy and found it a hive of industry. Everybody was working; shells of all sorts and sizes were being brought up; plum puddings and flying pigs (trench mortar shells) were being carried to the forward dumps practically day and night. Barbed wire, corrugated iron, wood and iron stakes, trench ladders and a multitude of other things made up the R.E.'s dump, and in many other nooks and corners one would see cylinders of gas and liquid fire, smoke bombs, small arms ammunition and Red Cross appliances. Everything that was necessary to defeat the enemy was brought up from the rear and dumped in or near the trenches.

On our way up from Bray we were delighted to see guns of every calibre dug in, it seemed everywhere; in fact, the whole ground seemed alive with them, and every valley behind the line was indeed a very hotbed of destruction to spit at the enemy. So close were some of the batteries that if the Germans could only have discovered they were in those valleys a few shells from them would have put a good many out of action. In vain did they search for them, because they were so cleverly concealed.

MONTAUBAN AND LA BOISELLE

It was very hard for the diggers, but it was really pitiful to see the others. Everybody was tired out, and I had to keep on constantly waking the men up, for as soon as they touched the ground they automatically succumbed into deep sleep. It is not altogether fun being so tired as we all were in the face of the enemy.

TRONES WOOD

One platoon (No.14) of D Company of the 11th Battalion assisted the 12th Middlesex in their successful attack on Trones Wood on July 14th to 15th. As they were moving up from Maricourt in the early hours of the 15th they ran into a barrage on the Maricourt-Briquetin road. They had "one casualty, a poor devil who gets his head blown off by a large piece of shrapnel. Still no signs of fear. The men keep in their fours, and go on as if nothing had happened". Aley was wounded in Trones Wood and the platoon suffered heavily. After serious losses from the continual bombardment the battalion left the Somme area on the 18th.'

Aley became eligible for a Silver War Badge on 22 October 1919 appearing in the London Gazette on the 4 November 1919, as a result of this he relinquished his commission on 5 November 1919 on account of ill-health contracted on active service.

With the outbreak of the Second World War he was re-called and served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 14th (Overseas Defence) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. This was formed in 1939 from veterans of the Great War aged between 35-50 unfit for front-line service. It went to France in February 1940 and when the Germans attacked in May it was scattered around the lines of communication. Falling back to Le Havre they in turn helped to defend the port, and were embarked on the S.S. Briac but was then sent to St. Malo; they were not evacuated from France until 16 June 1940, being one of the last units to get back to England.

Aley died on 3 November 1974 at St. Helens Hospital, Hastings, Sussex; sold with a number of copied photographs of him in civilian clothing and military uniforms, one dated December 1947 showing full medal entitlement with ribands on his uniform, and an Other Ranks cap badge.

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Sold for
£240

Starting price
£180