Frank Alexander was the younger brother of Albert Roland Tattersfield. His mother was Annie Lane Tattersfield, nee Hall.
Quoting again from The National Roll of the Great War:- “Tattersfield, F.A., Pte., 25th London Rgt. (Cyclist). Joining in March 1916, he was transferred to the 17th London Regt. (Rifles), and drafted to France in the following October. He was employed on special duties at Le Havre for a time, but afterwards joined his unit in the Ypres salient, and was present at the Messines engagement. Later he was gassed while serving at Bourlon Wood. Subsequently transferred to the M.G.C. he was in action in the Retreat and afterwards in the Advance at Cambrai. He holds the General Service and Victory Medals, and was demobilised in January 1919. 19, Matham Grove, East Dulwich, S.E.22.”
Frank Alexander died on holiday, at Alacio, Italy, at an unknown date.
Header Image: It would appear that Frank Alexander received a very tough billet in the First World War, even by the terrible standards of the times. His first few months, with the 25th London Cyclist Battalion, may have been the worst of it. It has been said that the first British casuality of the war was a cyclist, and certainly cyclists were very exposed to enemy fire by virtue of their roles as scouts and messengers. This image captures a moment when several military cyclists came under a heavy shelling attack. WWI but location unknown. Creative Commons / National Library of Scotland.