Able Seaman Alfred Bernard Tappenden was born on 14 March 1887 in Streatham, Surrey, the youngest of the nine children of George Frederick Tappenden (1844-1930) and Fanny Mary Tappenden née Ongley (1884-1904).
In the 1891 census he is shown as living at 98 Livingstone Road, South Croydon, Surrey, with his parents and four siblings: George William Tappenden (1875-1925), Lily Tappenden (b.1878), Lewis Charles Tappenden (1882-1918) and Ellen Elizabeth Tappenden (1885-1927). His father was described a bricklayer's labourer. On 21 February 1898 both he and his sister, Ellen Elizabeth Tappenden were baptised at All Saints Church, Battlebridge Lane, Merstham, Redhill, RH1 3LH where the baptismal register shows the family residing at Brookside, Albury Road, Merstham and his father's occupation was recorded as a brickmaker. The 1901 census shows him living at 88 Albury Road, Merstham, with his parents and three siblings, Lily, Lewis and Ellen. His father was now listed as a confectioner & tobacconist.
Educated at Merstham Board School he joined the Royal Navy on 15 October 1902, service number 223171/Ch, and was rated as Boy Class 2 serving on HMS Impregnable, a training ship at Devonport, Plymouth, Devon. He was made a Boy Class 1 on 20 July 1903. On 14 March 1905, his eighteenth birthday, whilst serving on HMS Prince of Wales, he signed on for twelve years service and was rated as an Ordinary Seaman. He was promoted to Able Seaman on 16 May 1906 and served on a number of Royal Navy ships.
On 7 November 1908 he married Frances Sophia Knell (1887-1974) in Lewisham, Kent and they had three children: Edward George Tappenden (1909-1999), Alfred Tappenden (1910-1969) and Dorothy Ada Tappenden (1914-2004).
At the time of the 1911 census he was aboard HMS Mosquito, a torpedo boat destroyer that was moored at No.2 Buoy, Parkeston, Ramsey, Tendring, Harwich, Essex, whilst his wife and two sons were recorded at 34 Leahurst Road, Lewisham.
He was transferred to HMS Undaunted when it was commissioned in 1914 and took part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28 August 1914, an action with German Torpedo boats resulting in the sinking of four German ships on 17 October 1914, the Cuxhaven Raid on 25 December 1914 and the Battle of Dogger Bank on 25 January 1915.
He was killed, aged 29 years, on 23 January 1917 when he and Petty Officer Herbert Charles Stretch (1882-1917) suffered multiple injuries whilst helping to remove an unexploded shell from an iced-up gun. He was buried on 30 January 1917 in Plot D, Grave 3183 in the Ladywell Cemetery, Ladywell Road, London, SE13 7HY where he is commemorated on their Screen Wall.
He was posthumously awarded the 1914 Star, the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal and is also commemorated in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s website.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
