Alfred Benjamin was born at Danbury 12th May 1914 and baptised 28th June at All Saints Church, East Hanningfield . He was the son of Alfred Henry Thorogood and his wife Edith Ellen nee Carter. At the time the family was living at Pear Tree Farm, Danbury and Alfred senior described himself as an engine drivers mate, presumably on the land. Alfred and Edith had married at All Saints on 24th October 1910 and they were living at The Tye in East Hanningfield at the time of the 1911 census when father had been employed as a labourer.
By 1921 Alfred senior was employed by an agricultural engineer, Mr Spooner of Great Baddow as a Steam Plough Driver. The couple by then were living at Fultons Cottage, Bicknacre and as well as Benjamin they also had Ronald aged nearly four and Joyce aged eighteen months.
Unfortunately on 20th August 1930 whilst out using the steam equipment, with others, to plough a field at Little Grange Farm, Hazeleigh, Woodham Mortimer Alfred senior fell from the machinery and was crushed to death by one of the wheels. An inquest was held when evidence of identity was given by his son Arthur. At the inquest he was described as a lively man and rather venturesome. A verdict of accidental death was given. He was subsequently buried, aged forty seven, in All Saints Churchyard, East Hanningfield.
Ben, in January 1932, appeared in the local papers for two motoring offences, one for riding his motorcycle without lights for which he was fined thirty shillings and the second for riding a motorcycle with a pillion passenger for whom he was not insured. He was found guilty, fined ten shillings and banned from driving for a month.
Towards the end of February 1935 Ben appeared in court in Chelmsford charged with being an absentee from his regiment. The commanding officer of the regiment, the 3rd Hussars, reported to the police who apprehended him at Eve’s Corner, Danbury with his mother. He told the police officer that he was worried about his mother who had written to him to say that she was ill. He was arrested and taken to Chelmsford Police Station. He later confirmed to the magistrate that his mother was ill. It transpired that he had only just joined the army and did not even have his uniform. The Justice asked him “Do you like the Army?” to which he replied “No, Sir” to which the Justice replied “I think you will like the Army if you make up your mind to do so” He was remanded to await a military escort. In 1935 the 3rd Battalion Kings Own Hussars were based at Tidworth and by this time were in the process of converting from cavalry to a mechanised unit.
At some stage Ben joined the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary’s Own) and fought during the Battle of France as part of the 1st Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. Eventually on 2nd June 1940 the division was evacuated from Dunkirk and returned to Britain.
Ben, later transferred to the Inns of Court Regiment which, between the wars, had been an officer training unit. In 1940 it reformed into an armoured car unit under 9 Armoured Division. Following the Fall of France there was a need to inject more experienced soldiers into the regiment and officers, NCO s and other ranks were transferred to the regiment from 13th/18th Hussars and 3rd Royal Tank Regiment including Ben.
From 1943 until D. Day the regiment came under direct command of 1 Corps, the assault formation of 21 Army Group. The men of the regiment would have undergone intensive training preparing for the planned invasion of Europe. “C” Squadron, of which Alfred was a member, was to land in the first wave of the invasion. The Squadron embarked at Portsmouth on 4th June 1944 and landed on the morning of 6th June, D Day on Juno Beach near Graye-sur-Mer with the 3rd Canadian Division thirty minutes after the assault infantry.
The squadron was the only true armoured car unit, equipped with Daimler armoured and scout cars, ashore at the time and they were tasked to move quickly inland with the Royal Engineers Demolition Squad with the task of blowing up bridges on the River Orne to prevent the Germans moving reinforcements, particularly the 21st Panzer Division, into the area.
Quite early on the squadron came under fire from American planes resulting in some losses of men and vehicles. The squadron was unable to achieve its goal and no bridges were destroyed. Subsequently they reverted to their role as a reconnaissance unit.
Trooper 555105 Alfred Benjamin Thorogood C Squadron Inns of Court Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, died on 27th July 1944 and is buried in the Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy.
He is also remembered in East Hanningfield Churchyard where his wife Margaret (nee Coles) whom he had married in 1941 laid a commemorative tablet on his father’s grave. It states that he died of wounds. Margaret was from Finedon in Northamptonshire. She married Leslie F Butlin in July 1946.
Ben’s mother, by 1939, was living at Mimosa in Lodge Road, Woodham Ferrers with Henry Ernest Mann a gardener whom she had married at Burnham on Crouch in late 1937.