Alfred was born in July 1923 in Holborn, London to David and Rachel nee Camina and he had an older brother Michael. Their father worked as a cigarette distributor and in 1939 the family lived with Rachel’s family in Rhonda Grove, Stepney.

Alfred enlisted in 1940 and trained as a navigator. On 11 July 1945 he was the navigator on Hudson AM950 which crashed on landing at Djibouti. The aircraft caught fire killing Alfred and Pilot, Henry Brian James, 12945 and W/Op, Ernest Lowndes, 2214086.