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Three Hartfield brothers went to war and only one survived

7/8/2021

1 Comment

 
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Three Hartfield brothers went to war and only one survived. They were born to George Hartfield and Clara (nee Payne) and they lived in Streatham and Thornton Heath at various times.

Albert George Hartfield was born On This Day 7 August 1896 in Streatham. The family lived at 103 Leverson Street and Albert attended St Andrew's School

He worked as a bookseller’s assistant. He enlisted on 11 May 1915 and went to France on 6 March 1916 with the 17th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps, service number 3185, and reached the rank of corporal. 

He was wounded in the right arm by a gunshot on 8 September 1916 and on 10 June 1917 suffered severe shell shock. This was the result of being buried when his machine gun post was hit by enemy shells and he was never able to fight at the front again. He was transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) on 20 March 1918 and was finally demobilised on 21 July 1919.

He went on to marry Ruth Vine in 1919 and had seven children. So Albert was the ‘lucky’ one
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(Family story contributed by Brian Roote on Surrey in the Great War: Image Albert Frederick and Charles)
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1 Comment
Mark Hartfield
29/7/2022 06:04:37 am

Albert was for all intents and purposes my father. From an early age I recognised he had been mentally wounded through circumstances beyond his control. I feel privileged to have been the son he never had. The first born of his youngest daughter of six girls. Grandad was my only role model. I stupidly asked him once at an early age how many Germans had he killed. Nonchalantly he answered. "More than you will ever see" It's only at sixty-four that I realise the enormity of that answer. May it never happen again.

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    Mark Bery, Secretary Streatham Society

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