PFC Edward Harold Alfred

Familial History

PFC Edward Harold Alfred was born 14 April 1923 in Mattoon, Coles County, Illinois to Gertrude Lee Bond and Edward Harland “Harley” Alfred. He died 27 November 1943 after his transport ship, HMT Rohna was sunk by German bombers off Algeria. His family resided in Montgomery County, Ohio prior to the war.

Gertrude Lee Bond was born 19 February 1895 to Olive S. Jacobsen and William E. Bond. She died 20 May 1995 in Humboldt and laid to rest in the Humboldt Township Cemetery, Humboldt Township, Coles County. The Memorial # was 198662983. Gertrude married Harley on Christmas Day 1919 in Coles County, Illinois.

Edward Harland “Harley” Alfred was born 8 July 1893 in Lerna, Coles County, to Emmaline “Emma” Borror and Edward C. Alfred. He died 17 February 1975 in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico and interred in the Santa Fe National Cemetery with Edward’s CENTOPATH. His Plot was V,0,2308G and the Memorial #17552038. Harley served his country as a SGT in the US Army during World War I.

The Alfred union produced 3 children composed of 1 daughter and 2 sons. Their names are listed in chronological order with corresponding birth and death dates: PFC Edward Harold Alfred; PVT Charles Robert Alfred (17 Jun e1926-29 May 2007); and Dorothy May Alfred Eastin (23 April 1929-30 November 2006).

PVT Charles Robert Alfred served his country in the US Army during World War II.

Service History:

PFC Edward Harold Alfred registered for the draft 27 June 1942 in Mattoon, Coles County. He was employed by the Fred Kuebue Manufacturing Company, 5’11” in height, and weighed 140 pounds. His father signed as the next of kin.

He enlisted in the US Army on 16 February 1943 in Peoria, Illinois. Edward had completed 1 year of college, was working as a store clerk, single, and without dependents. He died 6 months after he enlisted.

He was assigned to the US Army Air Corps. His Service Number was 36448909. He had completed training as an aircraft gunner, prior to his deployment. The US Hospital Admission Card Files indicated his boat was sunk by enemy actions.

The following information was condensed from HISTORY - 853rdAviationEngineers (853rdengineerbattalion.org): The Battalion boarded HMT Rohna 23 November 1943 and quartered in the aft decks 6 - 8 of the ship. The roll call listed 793 officers and men. After a complete day of boarding supplies and troops they departed at 1200 hours on the 24th. The ship was one of five in Convoy KMF-26 Annex. The troops continued to drill concerning boat stations, abandon ship, and other important tasks, during the voyage.

Around 1600 hours on the 26th, an “Alert” alarm sounded, and all troops were ordered below decks while the gun crews and fire-control details were ordered to their stations. Several German twin engine bombers were noted from the southwest and the escort vessels opened fire.

At 1700 hours, the HMT Rohna was hit by a Henschel Hs-293 radio-controlled missile. The He-177a was piloted by Hans Dochtermann and the bomb hit the ship at the water line and all power was lost. The 853rd were quartered near the impact site and due to the blast, fires, and exploding ammunition accounted for most of the dead.

The weather had become difficult, and the sea was producing 15-foot swells. Of the 16 lifeboats only 5 were successfully launched. At 1730 hours, LTC Frolich ordered “Abandon Ship”. The water was very cold, and hypothermia took the lives of many that had successfully escaped the sinking ship. USS Pioneer collected 606 survivors alone. Overall, 1,015 of the 2,000 personnel was lost. Over 100 crewmen also were casualties of the bombing.

For further information concerning the sinking and the US Classification as “Secret”, please open the following hyperlink. Rohna-Classified - TRSMA (rohnasurvivors.org).

PFC Edward Harold Alfred was memorialized in the North African American Cemetery, Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia. The Plot was the Tablets of the Missing-Army and the Memorial #56245282.

A CENTOPATH was erected in his honor in the Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe. Santa Fe County, New Mexico. The Plot was MA, 0, 10, and the Memorial # was 17552037.

Commendations:

Purple Heart

Stories Behind the Stars:

Thank you, PFC Edward Harold Alfred of the US Army Air Corps, for your sacrifice and service to our country.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars Project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII Fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen’ s name and read his/her story.

If you noticed anything missing in this profile, you can contact the author, Click on the author’s name located at the bottom of the story page next to the words “added by”.

The

author is Dr. Jack W. Chisum, and the email address is jchisum@q.com.

Resources:

HISTORY - 853rdAviationEngineers (853rdengineerbattalion.org)

HMT Rohna - Wikipedia

Casualties - TRSMA (rohnasurvivors.org)

Rohna Classified documentary — Rohna Attack Casualty Search

HISTORY - 853rdAviationEngineers (853rdengineerbattalion.org)

Hs-293 radio-controlled - Search (bing.com)

Edward H Alfred in American Battle Monuments Commission - Fold3

PFC Edward Harold Alfred (1923-1943) - Find a Grave Memorial

PFC Edward Harold Alfred (1923-1943) - Find a Grave Memorial

PFC Edward H. Alfred (militaryhallofhonor.com)

Pfc EDWARD H ALFRED - Service Member Profile (crmforce.mil)