Taylor, Alfred Squire
Captain
Royal Army Medical Corps attached
10th/11th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
Killed in action on Tuesday 31 July 1917 (aged 28)
Buried:
Ypres Town Cemetery Extension, Belgium (Grave III. B. 21)
Commemorated:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Comber and District War Memorial
Campbell College Belfast
Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) War Memorial
Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) Book of Remembrance
Edinburgh University War Memorial
Edinburgh University Roll of Honour
Journey of Remembering Belfast Book of Honour
BIOGRAPHY
Alfred Squire Taylor was born on 6 July 1889 in Comber and he was a son of the Rev David Alexander Taylor DD and Dora Taylor (nee Brown).
In 1901 the Taylor family was living at 26 Malone Road, Belfast and in 1911 at Eastbourne, 32 Windsor Avenue North, Belfast.
The Rev Taylor was a Presbyterian Clergyman and he and Dora had four children:
David Robertson (born 26 October 1880 in Comber; died 8 November 1941)
Hugh Stowell Brown (born 21 June 1883 in The Manse, Comber)
Alice Sirett (born 11 July 1885 in Comber; died 5 July 1958)
Alfred Squire (born 6 July 1889 in Comber)
Alfred Squire Taylor was educated at Campbell College Belfast and he studied medicine at Queen’s University Belfast and at Edinburgh University. He graduated in 1914.
At Edinburgh, Alfred Squire Taylor was President of the University Union and Captain of the rugby 1st XV team in 1911/1912.
Alfred Squire Taylor played four times for Ireland between 1910 and 1912, once each against England (1910), Scotland (1910), Wales (1910) and France (1912).
During the Great War Alfred Squire Taylor served with the Royal Army Medical Corps attached to the 10th/11th Battalion Highland Light Infantry. He went to Mesopotamia on 18 March 1915, was invalided home and then went to France and Belgium.
Captain Alfred Squire Taylor was 28 when he was killed by a shell whilst dressing the wounds of an officer on 31 July 1917 at the beginning of the Third Battle of Ypres. He was buried in Ypres Town Cemetery Extension, Belgium and there is an inscription on his CWGC headstone:
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH
Captain Alfred Squire Taylor is commemorated on Comber and District War Memorial; on the QUB War Memorial; in the QUB Book of Remembrance (Page 52); on the Edinburgh University War Memorial; in the Edinburgh University Roll of Honour (Page 101) and in the Belfast Book of Honour (Page 618).
His mother, Dora Taylor, died on 26 December 1933 (aged 79) at Eastbourne, 32 Windsor Avenue North and his father, David Taylor, died on 8 October 1941 (aged 94) at Hillcrest, Greyabbey. Both were buried in Belfast City Cemetery.