B SHORT

Alexander Charles Short was born in Bow, London in 1884 to Henry Alfred Snr & Elizabeth Short. He had 2 sister Beatrice & Florence and 2 brothers Henry Alfred Jr & Christopher.

 

In 1891, when Alexander was 6 years old, he lived with his mother, Father and eldest brother Henry at Cowley Street, Saint George East, London. At this time, he was a scholar. His Father was a Lighterman Barge, and his brother Henry, a Van Guard.

 

By 1901 Alexander’s mother Elizabeth had died and his father had married again to Rachel Hipkins. They are now living in Gladstone Place, Gravesend, Kent. They lived alone with none of the children.

 

By 1911 Alexander was 26 and lived in Birch Grove, Tirphil with Mathew & Mary Davies and their 3-year-old daughter. He was now a colliery timberman. At this time, he was stated as single, but he lived 3 doors away from his future wife Rosina Jones, 17, who lived with her father Isaac Jones.

 

Alexander Charles Short married Rosina Jones 2nd March 1914. They had 2 boys, Henry Alfred “Harry” Short & Alexander Charles “Jackie” Short.

 

Alexander enlisted for War in Bargoed, under the alias of Barnard. He served with the South Wales Borderers 1st Battalion as private 8421. He was Killed in Action November 4th, 1914. He is remembered with Honour as A.C Barnard. YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL Panel 22.

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“My grandfather’s name appears on the memorial in Troedrhiwfuwch as Barnard Short. He sighed himself in the army as Alexander/Alfred Charles Barnard, but his name was Alexander Charles Short. The reason for this is as we understand it, he was born and brought up in East London a cockney after his mother died when he was young his father remarried and he couldn’t get along with his stepmother, so at the age of fourteen he ran away and joined the army after lying about his age his father then traced him and was discharged as underage and taken back home. After a while he ran away again to South Wales to make it more difficult to be traced. He met my grandmother and married they had two sons Alexander Short & my father Henry Alfred Short. The war started and he enlisted but when waiting in the queue he noticed a grocery cart with the name Barnard so as not to get found by his father he enlisted as Alexander Charles Barnard. This is the place where Short became Barnard his name is on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres Belgium”. – Kim Davies, Granddaughter

 

 

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