Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
The second youngest child of Hurworth born bricklayer John Taylorson and his Yorkshire born wife Jane Spink, Alf was born in April 1893, and had one older sister, Frances Mary, and five brothers, Joseph, Richard, William, John and Arthur, all born in Wingate. Father John died when Alf was only 6 years old, and by 1911 when his older brothers were out of work Alf was working as a pony driver at the local coal mine.
Married to Annie Hogan at the end of 1913, he joined the 6th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment as Private 13597 and joined them in training at Grantham with other units of the 11th (Northern) Division, and in December 1914 the 6th became the Pioneer Battalion of the 11th Division. Moving to Witley and Frensham for final training in April 1915, at the end of May they were inspected by King George V. Leaving Avonmouth on 1st July 1915 for the Dardenelles they landed near Lala Baba at Sulva Bay on 7th August 1915.
Hoping to link with the ANZAC forces already there and drive back the armies of the Ottoman Empire, the landing was unsuccessful leading to the dismissal of the British Commander General Stopford.
On 21st August 1915 the largest single day attack launched by Allied troops in Gallipoli took place at Scimitar Hill, and it was after this action that Private Taylorson was reported missing in action.
Alfred Taylorson is remembered in Wingate on W121.02
