Alfred Burt CB CMG DSO* AM

b. 18/04/1875 London.  d. 26/02/1949 Chertsey, Surrey.

DATE OF AM ACTION: 30/06/1918 Belloy-sur-Somme, France.

Alfred Burt
CB CMG DSO* AM

Alfred was the son of F. J. Burt of Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, and he was educated at Oundle School and in Germany at Heidelberg. He joined the Artists Volunteers in 1894, before transferring to the 3rd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, where he was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in 1896. He served in the Boer War and was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal with five clasps, and the King’s South Africa Medal with two clasps. Either side of his Albert Medal action, he was awarded the DSO and Bar. At the end of the Great War, he became Chief of the Military Mission to Latvia and Lithuania, before he retired as Brigadier General in 1920. He never married, and died in Chertsey, Surrey on 26th February 1949.

 

AM CITATION:

On the 30th June 1918 a Corporal of the Royal Air Force, who had been lowered by a rope into a crater caused by a bomb which had been dropped by a hostile aeroplane, was overcome by carbon monoxide gas, which had accumulated in large quantities in the crater. Endeavours were made to haul him out, but his head became caught, and Private Johnson volunteered to descend and re-adjust the rope, which he did successfully, and the Corporal was rescued, but Johnson was himself overcome. Driver Horn at once put on his respirator and lowered himself to the rescue, but was likewise overcome. Sergeant Brooks then volunteered to attempt to rescue both men, but was also overcome by the gas; fortunately he was hauled out. At this stage. Bngadier-General Burt refused to permit anyone else’to descend, but did so himself, and succeeded in dragging one of the unconscious men some way towards the rope; he, however, became unconscious and had to be pulled out. There can be no doubt that all knew the risk that they were running, and willingly incurred it in the hope of saving life

 

BURIAL LOCATION: CHERTSEY CEMETERY, CHERTSEY, SURREY.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: PRIVATELY HELD.

Acknowledgement:

Allan Stanistreet – Image of Alfred Burt CB CMG DSO* AM.