Robert Alfred's Story.
Although the above was his real name, he was better known locally as Alfred Clarke as he was the nephew and adopted son of Mr & Mrs W Clarke of 174 Newbridge Lane, Stockport. Arthur Culverwell had married Ellen Clarke in 1892 at St Mark's Church, Bredbury and the couple later lived at 1 Barratt's Yard, Lancashire Hill. Alfred was born in 1900 and local records suggest he was probably the couple's third child. The 1911 census shows Robert age 10 living with the Clarke family at 35 Tamworth Street, Stockport.
After he left school, he went to work as a "doffer" at Reynold's cotton mill on Newbridge Lane until he enlisted, clearly underage, into the army. The local press reported that he had been overseas for two years when he died which would have made him just 15 when he joined up. He died, from wounds he'd received inaction, at an army base hospital on the Channel coast.