Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

ALFRED EDWIN EAST; 1918 -1944 Alfred was born in Berkhamsted on 31st January 1918. His parents, Alfred and Rose had married in 1915, quite late in life. His father was 45 years of age and his mother was 31 when they married. Apart from Alfred, Alfred senior and Rose only had one other child, George who was born on 23rd July 1923. The electoral rolls tell us that through the 1920’s and up to and including 1930 the family was living at 10 Kings Road, but by the time of the 1939 Register they were living at 14 Charles Street. Alfred was 21 at the time the 1939 Register was compiled and his occupation is noted in the Register as that of Stock Exchange clerk. As a single young man Alfred ought to have served in the Armed Forces during World War II. Earlier in 1939, in anticipation of the coming war, the Military Training Act had been passed which required all men aged 20 and 21 years to undergo 6 months military training and later that year, with the outbreak of war in September, the National Services (Armed Forces) Act provided that all men between 18 and 41 years of age were liable to subscription. Single men were called up first before married men. Those who were medically unfit were exempt from service as were others in key industries such as bakery, farming, medicine and engineering. Conscientious objectors had to appear before a tribunal to argue their reasons for refusing to join-up. If their cases were not dismissed, they were granted one of several categories of exemption, and were given non-combatant jobs. There is no record that Alfred served in the armed forces and it is probable that he was medically unfit for service. We know he died just over 4 years later on 31st January 1944 at the age of 25. He died at home in Charles Street. His death certificate reveals that the primary causes of his death were infective endiocarditis, old rheumatism and carditis. Rheumatic fever, although treatable today by antibiotics, can develop after throat infections and causes painful joints and heart problems and shortness of breath. It can cause damage to the heart valves – carditis- which may not become apparent for a long time after the onset of the rheumatic fever. It would appear that Alfred at some time earlier in his life may have suffered from rheumatic fever which rendered him unfit for military service and which also caused the heart damage from which he was to die in 1944. He died without leaving a will, his estate being valued at £207 13s 1d.