ALEXANDER RUPERT HOULT
1893 – 4th July 1918
Alexander Rupert Hoult is the son of George Hoult and Alice Mary Hoult (Nee Hunt). They were
married in the Evesham district in the last quarter of 1890. Shortly, afterwards, they moved to
Penarth, and had five children: Muriel Alice, born about February 1891, Alexander Rupert (also
referred to as Rupert Alexander) born in the first quarter of 1893, Douglas George, born in the first
quarter of 1895, Percival Charles, born in the third quarter of 1897, Ernest Gordon, born in the last
quarter of 1899.
Sadly, Alice died in the last quarter of 1899. The cause of her death is not known but it may well
have been connected to the birth of Ernest. This left George with a young family to bring up and
later censuses show some of the children in the care of relatives in Penarth, or Bretforton in
Worcestershire, where Alice had relatives. The 1901 census shows George, Douglas and Alexander
Rupert at 59 Grove Terrace, Penarth and Percival living with his aunt and uncle, Grove Terrace
being in the ecclesiastical parish of All Saints. In 1911, Rupert is working as an assistant butcher,
and is boarding with the Prosser family at 34 Windsor Road, Penarth.
Rupert enlisted in Aberdare as a Gunner. He served in Territorial Force “A” Battery 331st Brigade,
the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery, with the rank of Gunner (service number
707235). The formation of the fourth New Army was approved in an Army Order issued in
November 1914 and the units of the 30th Division began to form forthwith. On 5th December, it
was decided that the infantry and artillery would be trained at Cannock Chase, whilst the engineers
and signal company would go to Buxton and Shrewsbury and the field ambulances to Llandridnod
Wells. Alexander would have been involved in the all the major conflicts in France & Flanders,
before suffering as a result of gassing.
(Gas Attack)