Alexander Alfred
PASSFIELD
1919 - 1943
Early Life
ALEXANDER ALFRED PASSFIELD was born on the 12 October 1919, the only son of Alfred Edward and Emily Edith Passfield (née Richardson). He was born in Broomfield, Chelmsford and was baptised at All Saints, Rayne in Braintree, where his parents were married on the 29 November 1913.
Alexander had an older sister, Irene Alexandria, born 24 February 1916 and a younger sister, Joyce Edith, born 23 November 1921 at Little Waltham. The family lived at 208 Chatham Hall Lane, Little Waltham. He was employed when he left school, on a Mr Barnard’s farm as a farm worker.
BAPTISM ALEXANDER PASSFIELD
7 DECEMBER 1919 ALL SAINTS, RAYNE, BRAINTREE
Military Service
Alexander may have joined the Territorial Army initially and then enlisted in the Essex Regiment on the 13 June 1940, aged 20 years, Service No. 6024098.
He married Hilda Marjorie Brown, who was born on the 19 October 1919, in 1940 at Mildenhall in Suffolk, her home town. They lived at Russell Farm Cottage, Lakenheath, Suffolk.
Hilda and Alexander had two children, Gerald A. born 1942 and Gloria June, born 1943, both in Suffolk.
On the 25 January 1941 Alexander transferred to the Corps of Military Police, 4 Base Provost Company and was at some point transferred to Persia. His rank was Lance Corporal.
British and Indian troops from Iraq were used in the invasion of Syria in June and July 1941 and then Persia (now known as Iran), an independent sovereign country, was invaded in 1941. Persia and Iraq developed as a base for a supply route to Russia, through which millions of tonnes of aid flowed to support the Soviet forces.
In early 1943, the rapid German advances through southern Russia threatened Persia and Iraq, so to guard against German invasion, British forces were built up in Persia and Iraq. This threat subsided in early 1943, so British forces were gradually run down during the rest of the war.
Duties of the Military Police were various, including enforcing military discipline and law within the British Army, investigating crime committed by military personnel and against military establishments such as theft and looting), guarding POW’s, traffic control, route marking and providing security at vulnerable points. Through out WW2, men of the Corps of Military Police served wherever the British Army served.
ALEXANDER ALFRED PASSFIELD
Death and Memorial
Alexander was killed on the 28 August 1943. He was killed whilst on volunteer duty with the Persia and Iraq forces in a motorcycle accident. He was 23 years old.
He was buried in Tehran War Cemetery, Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran). Plot 1.C.9.
GRAVE ALEXANDER ALFRED PASSFIELD
Lance Corporal Alexander Alfred Passfield is remembered on the War Memorial in Great Waltham.
In 1949, Hilda married Albert Charles Wicks, a widower, at Littleport near Ely, in Cambridgeshire where she lived until she died in 2011.
Alexander was awarded the Defence Medal and War Medal.