Alfred George Plumer

Rank:

Private

Regimental number:

164327

Unit at enlistment:

84th Battalion

Force:

C.E.F.

Volunteered or conscripted:

Volunteered

Survived the war:

Yes

Wounded:

Yes

Cemetery:

Mount Hope Cemetery, Soldiers' Plot, Brantford, Ontario

Birth country:

England

Birth county:

Greater London

Birth city:

London

Address at enlistment:

Echo Place P.O., Brantford, Ontario

Next of kin address:

Echo Place P.O., Brantford, Ontario

Trade or calling:

Labourer

Religious denominations:

Church of England

Marital status:

Single

Age at enlistment:

Image gallery:

Letters and documents

BX September 14, 1917

75th Battalion “Rainmakers,” Always in Wet – Rain Follows Them

The 75th Battalion has earned the title of the “Rainmakers,” according to Pte. A.G. “Fred” Plumer, who wrote a most interesting letter to his mother, Mrs. Ellen Plumer, Echo Place. Pte. Plumer left Brantford with the 84th Battalion. He wrote:

I guess you have received the last letter I sent from France by this time. As I told you in my last letter I was not sure if I would make England with this wound. Well, I arrived in England two days after I sent that letter, and you can bet I was a happy boy when I landed. I could not tell you very much in my letter when I was in France, but I can tell you all I want to now. Gee, it feels good to be in a nice clean and soft bed once more. When I left England on May 4, I went to a training base. We had to work hard, but I had a good time then. I was there three weeks and then I went on a bomber’s course for another two weeks. I passed on that on June 5. I arrived at Vimy ridge. Our company went into the front line on June 7. The first night in, it rained, and you can bet I was muddy, it nearly always rains when the 75th moves anywhere (that is what the boys say). Well, on June 9 we went over the top on a bombing raid. There was something doing that night. I got though that safe. The next day I was lying in my dugout having a little rest. The Hun started shelling, and he dropped a coal box on the top of my bunk hole and buried me. I was not hurt, only shaken up a little. On June 11 we pulled out for a rest and you can bet we needed it. I think we had about five weeks out of the line, and were feeling in good shape for a scrap (and we got it). The next time we went into the trenches was in front of Lens (some place). That was sometime in July. I forget the date. The drive for Lens started on August 15. We were all told what we had to do, and what we had to take. We went over the top about 8.10. We had to go out in small parties. Our party went out first. We had to take a crater. It was a strong point. We took it and held it for five hours. The Huns made two counter-attacks on us, but we stuck to our post. There were about 19 of us out there. The corporal in charge of us was killed, so I had to take charge of them. We had a hot time of it out there. I never thought I would get out of it alive. When he found out he could not take it by force of men, he started shelling us. We had five men killed with one shell and about six of them were killed by snipes, and the rest of us were wounded, so you can see we had a hard time of it. I think out of the 19 that went over, there were five of us left, but you can bet your life we killed a few ourselves. I shot five, and I know some of my chums got some, and the rest of the boys made good. I was real glad to get into the hospital, and one night the sister came to my bed and said: “I believe you are going to Blighty tonight.” I nearly had a fit. When I arrived in England, I was sent to a hospital in Woolwich, seven miles from London. It is a swell place. The food is of the best, and plenty of it, and on Thursdays and Sundays it is visiting day, and people come in and see us, and give us all kinds of good things. Oh, yes, I am having a good time; you can see I am getting on fine. We are getting some fine weather over here. Well, I hope you all are in the very best of health. I hope you are having good weather. Give my love to everyone around Echo Place. I think I have told you all the news and I am feeling tired after writing all this, so good bye.

Fred

BX August 31, 1917

Private Alfred George Plummer of Echo Place, a member of the first overseas battalion of the Dufferin Rifles is wounded. He enlisted on September 10, 1915.

BX March 18, 1943

Workman Killed in Accident – Alfred G. Plumer, 48, War Veteran, Fatally Injured While at Work

Alfred G. Plumer, 48 was instantly killed late Wednesday, afternoon when his head was crushed beneath a motor trailer chassis under which he was working in the wheel room, Department 19 of the Cockshutt Plow Company.

The heavy chassis fell on the workman’s face and fractured the base of the skull. Death was instantaneous, according to Acting Coroner Dr. W.D. Wiley. Cause of the accident is as yet undetermined and an inquest will be held into the death Tuesday March 23. Mr. Plumer resided on Locks Road, Brantford Township.

He was born in England and came to Brantford 33 years ago. At the outbreak of the First Great War he enlisted in the 84th Battalion, later transferring to the 75th, with which battalion he spent more than two years in France, where he was wounded twice.

He was a member of the Cockshutt Veterans’ Association and had been an employee of the company for almost ten years.

He leaves besides his widow three sisters, Mrs. E. Partridge and Mrs. H. Bray, Brantford, and Miss Ada Long, London, England.

The body was removed to Beckett Funeral Home where funeral service will be held Saturday afternoon. Interment will take place in the Soldiers’ Plot of Mount Hope Cemetery.

BX March 22, 1943

The funeral of Alfred G. Plumer was conducted Saturday afternoon from the Beckett Funeral Home to the Soldiers’ Plot, Mount Hope Cemetery. The service was conducted by Rev. T.D. Painting, Holy Trinity Church. The solo “Nearer My God to Thee,” was sung by Mrs. W. Watkins, accompanied by Mrs. C. Gibson. The pallbearers were E. Gould, A. Walters and F. Singleton, all friends of the deceased, and W. Farnsworth, A. Tomlin and J. Farrington, fellow employees of the deceased at the Cockshutt Plow Company. The flower-bearers were Sergeant Harris, Russell Stevens, Roy Nowak, Fred Watty, A. Sharpe, L. Perley and E. Pierce. The large number of friends attending the funeral and many floral tributes evidenced the esteem in which Mr. Plumer was held. Interment was in Mount Hope Cemetery.