Sergeant Alfred Atkinson VC

On 18 Feb 1900, at the battle of Paardeberg, Sergeant Atkinson went out 7 times under heavy and close fire to fetch water for the wounded. At the 7th attempt he was shot in the head and died 3 days later on 21 Feb 1900.
Alfred Atkinson was born on 6 Feb 1874, in Leeds. He was the son of Farrier-Major James Atkinson, an artilleryman in the Crimean War who served in H Battery, 4th Brigade RA. Alfred enlisted in the 19th Regiment and rose to the rank of sergeant before the 1st Battalion went out to South Africa in 1899. His courage at Paardeberg earned him the VC which was awarded posthumously and gazetted on 8 Aug 1902. The medal was posted to his father 3 months earlier on 30 April 1902. Alfred was buried in an unmarked grave in Gruisbank Cemetery, Paardeberg. His name is inscribed on the memorial at the cemetery.

Regimental Details | Soldiers