Current Information:

Born-Brixton

After the opening battles of the war at Mons on 23rd August, 1914 and Le Cateau on 26th August, the British Army (BEF), in conjunction with the French Army, began a retreat that took them all the way back to the River Marne, 200 miles to the south. With the Germans in hot pursuit they were forced to fight a series of rear guard actions as they fell back in extremely hot weather. The Great Retreat, as it became known, came to an end on 5th September, 1914 when the allied forces attacked along the River Marne and drove the Germans back to the River Aisne.

Alfred Hodge lost his life on 10th September when the 3rd Division, including its Army Service Corps attachment had re-crossed the River Marne and were heading for the Aisne and having to deal with the German rearguard as they did so.