Alfred Hurrell was born in the Devon village of Ugborough, in the autumn of 1885. He was the second of eleven children – of which five did not survive childhood – to Agricultural labourer Frank Hurrell and his wife, Hannah.

Soon after Alfred was born, the family moved to the village of Modbury, four miles to the south-west. Frank has found work on Hockenbridge Farm, on the edge of the village and, when he finished his schooling, Alfred also started working there, initially living in.

By the time of the 1911 census, Alfred was back living with his parents, on Galpin Street, Modbury. They shared their home with three of Alfred’s siblings, and his sister Jane’s two children.

When war broke out, Alfred was among the first to enlist. Full details of his military service have been lost, but it is clear from what remains that he had joined up by September 1914. Private Hurrell was attached to the 11th (Reserve) Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, and seems to have remained in the county for his training.

The only other document relating to Alfred is his entry on the Army Register of Soldiers’ Effects. This confirms that he passed away on 16th February 1915 in Paignton, Devon. He was 29 years of age.

The body of Alfred Hurrell was laid to rest in Paignton Cemetery, not far from where he had breathed his last. It is unclear why he was buried there, rather than being brought back to Modbury.

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