| Rank | Major, Lt. Col |
| Unit # | 67th, 54th |
| Resident | Blenheim |
The son of Alfred Carey and Phoebe (Brown). As a result of his father dying at an early age, Alfred (known as A.B.) spent most of his youth living with his grandfather and other relatives in Palmyra, Rondeau and Blenheim.
Alfred graduated from the Civil Engineering program at the University of Wisconsin. In 1898, he joined the 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment and went with that unit to Puerto Rico during the Spanish American War.
In 1898 at the age of 17, A.B. enlisted in the British Army and served in South Africa during the Boer War, becoming the youngest Corporal in his regiment. The Rimmington Guides stated that a British colonial raised a mounted infantry unit, numbering up to 200 units used for reconnaissance.
Returning to Canada in 1902, he enrolled in the Royal Military College. He moved to Vancouver and took a position as a Collector of Customs. In 1913, he completed the Jordan River Hydro Dam, north of Victoria, BC, Canada. At the outbreak of the Great War in 1914 (Attestation: 1/09/1915 at Victoria, BC to 67th Battalion), he raised the 67th Overseas Battalion and went with that unit to England. He was later given command of the 102nd Battalion during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and was wounded for the first time during this battle. After a period in hospital, he rejoined the 102nd and with that unit took part in the capture of Vimy Ridge in April of 1917.
After Vimy, Carey, now a Lt. Colonel, took command of the 54th Kootenay Battalion. He was mentioned in dispatches five times by the end of the war. He had a reputation as a fine front line officer. He was severely wounded twice during this time, but was twice awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), as well as being invested as a Companion of St. Michael & St. George (CMG).
Lt. Col Carey returned to Canada following the war and married a Belgium lady that he met overseas named Irma Suzanne Hortense. They settled in Vancouver. It was there that he became deputy port customs collector and was an energetic and popular manager when he wasn’t chasing rum runners operating out of US ports. Unfortunately, like so many veterans, his war injuries caught up with him and he died 23rd March, 1923 at the age of 41. His wife later returned to Belgium.
Through out the war, A.B. kept in touch with his Kent County relatives. He was often concerned about the welfare of his men he often asked his relatives if they could send parcels of food for his ‘runners’. In a letter to a cousin, he wrote: “They are just boys and carry messages… day and night through gunfire and everything else. They are the cheeriest, bravest little crowd you ever saw and never murmur when they have to go… I dote on them and make a great deal of them.” Small wonder that Lt. Col Carey was popular with his men.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
| Awards | DSC, CMG |
| Sources | Library Archives of Canada, RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 1484 - 26, Picture - http://www.54thbattalioncef.ca/images/carey1.jpg |
| Birthplace | 03/06/1881 at Blenheim, ON. |
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