Dancer, Alfred Christoper
It is not often that we have to record in the same issue of the Review that a past student has been decorated and also has fallen on the field. This is the case with Captain Dancer. At the beginning of the war he joined the Surrey Yeomanry and saw service with them in Egypt and the Dardanelles. Recommended for a Commission he was trained in Egypt and then gazetted to the Dorset Regiment, with whom he returned to the Dardanelles. Later he was sent to France where he saw a considerable amount of fighting. In September 1916, he was awarded the M.C. The official account of the award described how “he established and maintained communications throughout the operations with great courage and skill. On one occasion he himself killed several snipers. He set a splendid example to his men.” In the following October he was given his second “star,” and in June, 1917, was raised to the rank of acting Captain, which rank he retained until he fell in action at Poelcapelle on 4th October, 1917. King’s College Review, 1918
Biographical
| Surname(s) | Dancer |
|---|---|
| First name(s) | Alfred Christopher |
| Date of birth | 1893 |
| Place of birth | Leighton Buzzard Registration District |
| College | King's College London and/or King's College London Hospital |
| Dates at college | 1913- |
| Dept / course | Evening Dept. Arts and Science |
| Military unit | Dorsetshire Regiment, 5th Battn. |
| Date enlisted | Gazetted 12 September 1915 |
| War / conflict | World War One (1914-1918) |
| Campaigns | Egypt; Dardanelles; France |
| Decorations / medals | M.C. and star |
| Date of death | 04/10/1917 |
| Rank at death | Captain |
| Place of death | Poelcapelle |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Commemoration(s) | Added to King's College War Memorial in 2012; Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium; St. Leonard's, Heath & Reach, Great Brickhill Memorial, Bucks |
| Sources | King’s College London Archives; Commonwealth War Graves Commission |