Alfred was born on the 21st November 1891 at Skerton, Lancaster and was the youngest son of Mr W H (Harry) and Mary Ann Freeman. He had three brothers (William H Jnr, Alfred, and Herbert Charles) and one sister- Alice May.

In 1911, he lived at 68 Broadway, Skerton and was employed as a labourer at Lune Mills (oil cloth manufacturer). He emigrated to Winnipeg with his family in 1913 and was employed in the Canadian Pacific Railroad shops as a silver Cleaner. His address in 1915 was 14 Inkster avenue Winnipeg.

The family returned to the UK and the address of his parents in 1916 was 17, Owen Road, Skerton (where they remained) He had served for five years as a Territorial in 5th TF Battalion Kings Own in the UK and was also in the active militia –the Canadian equivalent of the TF- in the 79th Cameron Highlanders of Canada.

Alfred enlisted for overseas service on the 15 January 1915 in Winnipeg (he gave his religion as spiritualist) and became a Private in the 3rd Canadian (Scottish) Contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He was posted to the 61st Battalion - serving as 420943, the 43rd Battalion and then to 17th (reserve) Battalion of the CEF . He returned to England in late September 1915 with the 17th CEF and on 2 November 1915 married Miss Mary Alice Hornby (given as York in his records!) of 3, The Crescent Galgate.

Alfred was sent to France on 19 January 1916, being taken on strength with the 16th Battalion on 29 January. He was in hospital with Bronchitis from 12 March 1916 and returned to his unit at the end of that month. Alfred served for several months in the trenches and when out of the line was an Officers servant. He also took part in the fighting around Ypres where several lost positions were retaken - his obituary reports that “he was in the Bayonet charges and got a batch of prisoners, who he supplied with Cigarettes, and in return received a present of a knife”

According to a letter received from his Brother in law, H Stephenson (CAMC), Alfred went up to his Battalion (16th Canadian Infantry (Canadian Scottish) on the 7th August and found they had just come down for a rest…a Mortar shell must have hit the position (see the unit war diary below [not included]) as the letter states that “Alf was buried for 3 hours before he could be got out…he was evacuated to no 17 Casualty clearing station and then to hospital….an operation was performed but Alf collapsed and died” in spite of being looked after by what the letter describes as “the best doctor in France” in Number 3 Canadian Clearing Hospital at 1 pm on the 9th August 1916 - two days after his wounds were received.. His wounds were stated to be in the abdomen, left arm and thighs. Alfred’s Officer said of him “he was one of the best servants he had ever had and was always ready to do his duty”. [Alfred’s Elder brother -QMS W H Freeman -was with the Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment at Oswestry at the time of his death].

Alfred’s Obituary is in the Lancaster Guardian date 12 August 1916 page 6, and also in the edition of 19 August 1916 page 8.