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On the 27th of February 1940, Alfred BARTLETT posts a letter to L/Cpl
J.C. ALLEN member of the British Expedition Force in France. Alfred
BARTELL himself is at that time member of the 11ème Régiment Etranger d’Infanterie of the French Foreign Legion. His location
is coded as Secteur Postal 193. The letter arrives
the 3rd of March at Field Post Office No 27.
More than 50 years later the cover is sold in a stampcollectorshop
in Amsterdam,
The Netherlands. Historical research until now revealed part of the history
behind this cover.
Alfred BARTLETT is born on the 19th of January 1898 in London
England.
On the 15th of January 1931, close to his 33rd birthday he joins the Foreign
Legion for a period of five years in Dunkerque. His
N° matricule is 31/78.333. On the 23rd of
January he arrives in Algeria
and 4 days later he becomes a member of the 1st Régiment
Etranger d’Infanterie
(1°REI). At the end of the 1931, the 17th of December he is send to Morocco were
he joins the 3rd Régiment Etranger
d’Infanterie one day later. The 23rd of July 1933
he is awarded the Médaille coloniale
avec agrafe "Maroc"
brevet no 503091.
Nearly 2 and half years later, in July 1934 he is send back to Algeria and
is placed in the Depot Company. He remains there until the 22nd of March 1935
and is than assigned to the 1°REI again. Three months later he is again
assigned to the Depot Company to remain there for only one week to join the
4th Régiment Etranger d’Infanterie in Morocco.
On the 15th of January 1936 his five years are completed but he extents his
contract for another 2 years.
Starting from the 17th of March 1936 there in an interruption of his service
of 6 months. His whereabouts in that period of time are unclear. At the end
of August 1936 he becomes a member of the 2nd Régiment
Etranger d’Infanterie
again in Morocco.
Two and a half years, after he re-enlisted, he leaves the Legion.
Alfred BARTLETT apparently regrets his decision almost immediately and joins
at the same day, the 15th of July 1938 the Foreign Legion again for a period
of five years, again in Dunkerque.
This time it takes several months before he arrives in Algeria i.e.
the 1st of October.
He is assigned to the Depot Company a few days later and remains there until
the 15th of December 1939 when he is assigned to the 11ème Régiment Etranger d’Infanterie, at that date he is what is called "Aux
Armées" i.e
mobilised.
It is in this period that he writes his letter.
When the armistice and the cease-fire between France with Germany went into
effect on the 25th of June 1940, Alfred BARTLETT remains in France
until the end of December, he is than send to Algeria again and becomes a
member of the 1°REI again. Two months later he is send to Morocco were
he serves the 3rd Régiment Etranger
d’Infanterie.
On the 28th of December 1942 the Régiment in mobelised, Alfred BARTLETT is again "Aux Armées".
The 18th of January he disappears during the fighting north of the réservoir de l'OUED -KEBIR (Tunisia). The
Legion expects him to be taken prisoner by the German or Italian forces.
Alfred BARTLETT dies on the 2nd of February 1943 in the military
hospital of Caerta Italy at the age of 45 years.
Years later his in entitled to the Médaille commémorative française de la
guerre 39/45,
avec - barrettes "Afrique" et
"Engage volontaire" and the "Certificat de bonne conduite".
If you know more about Alfred Bartlett or L/Cpl J.C. ALLEN please contact me.
NLLegioen@hotmail.com
L/Cpl J.C. ALLEN
2320475, J Section
3rd Company Guards Brigade
B.E.F.
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