Schoolmaster at Gainsborough Grammar School before the First World War,

who died of wounds in German captivity in 1916.

Earlier this year the QEHS archive team received a request for further information from a family member of Alfred Hallam Petty.

Alfred Hallam Petty was born in Hull in 1889 and gained a BSc in Maths and Physics at Sheffield University in 1912. He served as a Schoolmaster at Gainsborough Grammar School sometime between 1912 and 1915. 

In September 1915 he was commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the 5^th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters and joined his unit in France in May 1916. On 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, he was severely wounded and captured by the Germans. He was taken to the German Military Hospital at St Quentin but sadly died of his wounds on 17 July 1916.

Alfred Hallam Petty is mentioned on our Roll of Honour, also on the new (2017) memorial plaque to the Old Boys who died in the two World Wars.

In response to the request, I was able to find his entry in our archive staff register, from his time here as a Mathematics Master. His appointment started on 17 September 1913, lasting until July 1915. He was paid the princely sum of £150 per annum!

With help from records at the Gainsborough Heritage Centre and Gainsborough News reports for the year 1916, I located a full page of Gainsborough News articles in Peter Bradshaw’s 3^rd book which (covers 1916 and) records “Gainsborough’s War Story”,  and also from “Through the pages of the Gainsborough News”.

Mr Riches, the family member of Alfred Hallam Petty was extremely grateful for all of the information provided (see the list below). He has used to complete a family history, which includes the story of 2nd Lieutenant Alfred Hallam Petty.  

My archive research discovered:

Profile of Alfred Hallam Petty

“Gainsborough’s War Story” Peter Bradshaw, 1916

“Through the pages of the Gainsborough News” Gainsborough News, 1916

As two of our Year 13 members now leave the archive team, we hope to find more archive investigators to join us when we return to school. Please contact me or Mrs McGrath if you are interested.

During the writing of this article we were sad to learn that Peter Bradshaw, well known Gainsborough Historian and supporter of the Heritage Centre, had passed away recently.

Mrs J Thorpe