Private Alfred Townley Heming
Alf Heming, unfortunately, had a very short military career. He was born in Paris on October 9, 1878, but it is not clear how long he lived here. When he enlisted with the 120th City of Hamilton Battalion on November 22, 1915, he was living and working, as a steamship agent, in Hamilton. He was not married and identified as Church of England. He arrived in England but never had the opportunity to serve overseas.
While still stationed at the military base in Bramshott on October 14, 1916, Alf was in the hospital with appendicitis. He was discharged on December 22. Much more seriously, he returned to the Bramshott Military Hospital on February 28, 1917. At this time he had been transferred to the 2nd Reserve Battalion. He was diagnosed with anthrax, which he seems to have contracted from an infected shaving brush. He died the same day.
The British government, sometime earlier, had initiated a prosecution of a Montreal firm for supplying a shipment of infected brushes. Private Alfred Heming is buried in Petersfield Cemetery in Hampshire, England.