Alfred Gould was born in Wandsworth, London, on 21 April 1895 as evidenced by birth and school registrations, and census records.  He was one of six surviving children of Alfred George Gould, a plasterer as well as a grocer and provision dealer, and his wife Harriet Phoebe (née Sawyer). The family moved from Wandsworth to Thornton Heath in about 1896.  In the 1911 census, Alfred (junior) is described as a fishmonger’s assistant.

He joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class at Portsmouth on 5 October 1912, claiming a date of birth of 21 April 1894 and stating his previous occupation as plumber’s mate.  After time in the Stokers’ training ship HMS RENOWN and the light cruiser HMS LIVERPOOL, he joined HMS DREADNOUGHT in July 1913 and was rated Stoker 1st class in November.

He joined HMS DOLPHIN on 9 December 1916 and early in the new year moved to HMS MAIDSTONE, by then principal depot ship for the Ninth Submarine Flotilla at Harwich comprising around eighteen E-class boats.  He was assigned to HMS E45 which had been commissioned the previous August.   His service record states that he died from general peritonitis on 20 October 1917 at Shotley sick quarters.  He is buried at Shotley (St Mary) Churchyard.

He left a widow, Ada Elizabeth (née Shepherd), to whom he had been married just over a month.