Private Alfred Richard Irons (1897-1915)

Service No: 11852 – 2^nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment

Alfred Richard Irons was born on 26th January 1897 and seems to have been the youngest son of Charles and Lizzie Irons of Castle Bromwich. The couple married on 26th February 1876 at St Peter & St Paul’s Church, Aston. The youngest of the couple’s 17 known children was Gladys Eleanor, born in 1901. The oldest child, Annie Elizabeth, was born in 1877. Altogether, it seems the couple had 18 children including two sets of twins, of whom 5 had died by 1911. Unfortunately, three of the surviving sons would then die in the First World War. Alfred was the first, followed by George William in 1917, and Edward Arthur in 1919.

The Irons family lived on The Green, Castle Bromwich. Charles was a general labourer, working for Warwickshire County Council as a roadman by the time of the 1911 census when he was a 66-year-old widower. His wife, Lizzie, née White, had died in 1909. At this time two of the younger girls, Florence and Dora are listed as scholars in a hospital school in Shropshire. This was a charitable institution founded for widowed women and abandoned children. The death of Lizzie in 1909 had left Charles unable to cope with his large brood of children, despite help from his sister-in-law who was staying with him and undertaking domestic duties.

Alfred’s army service records do not appear to have survived, so we can’t be certain about the extent of his military experience. It would appear that at some stage prior to the commencement of war he had served with the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry with a service number of 13093. This must have been after the date of the 1911 census at which time he was working as a Gentleman’s House Boy. He then served in the 2^nd Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment. Like his friend Benjamin Harris, he was onboard the HMS Edward when it was torpedoed and sunk. He was amongst the dead and on the 5^th September 1915, he was officially listed as missing, presumed drowned.

An eye witness recorded in his diary details of the rescue operation.

Friday August 13th 1915

About 9.30 am we passed H.M.I. “Royal Edward” and at 9.45 am we received a message by wireless to say that she had been torpedoed, so we put back to her assistance arriving on the scene about 11 am where we remained until 3 pm picking up the survivors. What a scene it was there were boats right way, wrong way up rafts, wreckage of all kinds, barrels, hatch covers, etc, some even clinging to oars, some swimming. Poor mortals they had not much chance to prepare to leave their ship as she went down well inside five minutes. In one case we got about seven or eight men off a boat which had floated keel uppermost & when we got them alongside, they said they were two men underneath, we thought their wits had left them as they seemed scared. Well we got a line attached & with the help of a crane lifted one end of the boat, which was a steel one by the way, up a little out of the water, & sure enough we got two poor R.A.M.C. chaps from under. They had managed to get a little air through the plug hole in the bottom to keep them alive. They could not have lasted much longer, for the poor fellows were almost collapsed when got aboard which was a difficult job.
The total number saved by the “Soudan” was 441. Everyone as they came on board was stripped naked, given a good rubbing, a hot drink of beef tea or Bovril, & wrapped up in a blanket & laid at one side. It was the time of our lives & everyone worked right well. We only lost two by death after bringing them on board. One we had performed artificial respiration on for over an hour, but it was too late. One body was believed to be J. P. Conway 2/2 E Lancs. Fld. Amb. About 3pm. we continued on our way to Alexandria with all speed. It will be noticed it was a Friday, 13th day of the 13th month of the War.

Monday August 16th 1915

Discharged Army Survivors of “Royal Edward” at noon after they had got a supply of Clothing and Boots, & they formed up on the quay side & didn’t they look a sight.
Each remnant of a unit formed up by itself & you could tell where the blanks were by this means. It impressed us all. Well as they marched past the “Soudan” they gave rousing cheers, which were answered by us & also some neighbouring ships. Went ashore 4 till 11 pm.

These extracts are from Arthur Sanders’ handwritten account of his war service on the hospital ship, The Soudan.

He is remembered on the Helles Memorial XII, Turkey, the Castle Bromwich War Memorial and a plaque in St Mary and St Margaret Church. The Castle Bromwich war memorial and the memorial tablet in St Mary and  St Margaret’s Church record Alfred Richard Irons as F. Irons, suggesting that he was probably known as Fred.