Vertue A F Cpl 1st Honourable Artillery Company
CORPORAL A. F. VERTUE
IST BATTALION HONOURABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY
ALAN FRANCIS VERTUE was the younger son of Alfred and Mina Grace Vertue, of Richmond, Surrey.
He entered the School in 1908. On leaving in 1913 he joined a firm of Stockbrokers and became a member of the H.A.C. He was sent to the Front with the 1st Battalion in September, 1914, and quickly gained his two stripes. He was wounded in the head at St. Eloi, on April 21st, never recovered consciousness, and died twenty-four hours later in hospital at La Clytte, and was buried there in a little cemetery set apart for British soldiers. Age 21.
The Officer Commanding wrote:-
“It will perhaps be some consolation to you to know that from the moment he first came under fire until the end, he never showed any sign of fear. He was always cheerful in the trenches and ready to do anything he might be asked. He was loved and respected by all who knew him, and his example to the men of his section was magnificent.”
The Platoon Commander wrote:-
“As an illustration of the devotion of his comrades practically everyone in the platoon volunteered to help to carry him down to the dressing station in daylight, in spite of the danger of the undertaking.”
Source : Memorials Of Rugbeians Who Fell In The Great War Vol 1