Peterborough & The Great War

Biography

Alfred Hubert was born on 3 June 1898 in March, Cambridgeshire to parents Henry and Elizabeth Bond.   His father was a plumber and decorator.

The 1911 Census shows Alfred, aged 13 living at Broad Street, March, Cambridgeshire with his parents and siblings George Henry (23), Walter (22), Harold (17) and Phyliss (8).

Alfred joined up as a Boy Sailor on 7 October 1913 and signed on for 12 years’ service on 3 June 1916, his 18^th birthday.  He survived the war and left the Royal Navy on 15 June 1922, which is short of his 12 years commitment, but whether he bought himself out or was released early is not known.

When he passed through Peterborough East Station on 10 April 1917 he was serving on HMS Marlborough.  He attended the shore establishment HMS Fisgard which was used for the training of artificers and engineers for the Navy.  Alfred was awarded the Star, British War and Allied Victory medals.

The following excerpt was taken from www.worldwar1luton.com

“Alfred H Bond was a career sailor who joined the Royal Navy in 1913 at 15 years of age. As a boy, his main ambition was to join the Navy, but his father was insistent that he should continue his apprenticeship with the family plumbing and decorating firm. According to family legend, things came to a head, when, on a occasion of being served spotted dick for dinner, said to the effect: “I wouldn’t have to eat this….if I was in the Navy”. His father was furious, and Alfred, along with two friends, enlisted soon after. As a gunner on the battleship HMS Marlborough, he saw action at the Battle of Jutland, the ship taking torpedo damage but remaining operational. Two of his brothers, Harold and Walter, were killed in action in France, serving respectively with the 1st Cambridgeshire Regiment and 55 Squadron Royal Flying Corps. After hostilities ended, Alfred remained with the Marlborough, which in March 1919 (before the official peace with Germany) was ordered to the Crimea, to engage Russian revolutionary forces and provide safe passage to members of the Romanov royal family. Leaving the Navy in 1922, he rejoined the family firm, eventually taking over from his father, and commanded the March (Cambridgeshire) volunteer fire brigade during WWII and after. His grandson has worked for Luton Culture for the past 10 years.”

Alfred married Martha Minett at North Witchford, Cambridgeshire in 1924 and they had five children, Joyce (1924), Stella (1925), Margaret (1928), Henry (1933) and Raymond (1936).  In 1939, the family were living at 4 Harwel New Road, March.  Alfred was a master plumber and heating engineer.  He died in March in early 1977, aged 78.

Sadly he lost his two older brothers to the war, Harold died on 14 October 1916, aged 23 and Walter died on 10 May 1917, aged 28 at Le Cateau, Nord-pas-de-Calais.

We have been in contact with Andrew Bond, Alfred’s grandson.