Alfred Wakely was born in Valetta, Malta on 9 February 1884, the son of Alfred and Eleanor Jane Wakely (née Fletcher). He joined the Royal Navy as an Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class on 25 October 1906. Following service in the battleship HMS SWIFTSURE, he joined submarines with a draft to the submarine depot ship HMS VULCAN on 27 October 1908.

By 30 September 1917, he had been advanced to Chief Engine Room Artificer Second Class and had served in the submarine support and depot ships HMS HEBE, HMS VULCAN, HMS ALECTO, HMS FORTH, HMS MAIDSTONE, and HMS PLATYPUS. He was then promoted to Artificer Engineer on 1 October 1917.

His appointment to HMS L55 as Engineering Officer was dated 12 October 1918. L55 was lost with all hands after coming under fire from the Russian destroyers GAVRIL and AZARD and encountering a minefield on 4 June 1919. There were no survivors.

The bodies of the crew of HMS L55 were recovered and returned to UK, after the Russians raised the wreck of the submarine in 1928. Alfred Wakely was buried in the Haslar Naval Cemetery in the HMS L55 Mass Grave on 7 September 1928.