Alfred Milton “Alf; Sanders” Saunders
Trooper · NZ #1329 · R Patrol · 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45, NZ War Service Medal
| Rank | Trooper |
|---|---|
| Service number | NZ #1329 |
| Patrol | R Patrol |
| Regiment | 2nd NZ Divisional Cavalry Regiment |
| Known as | “Alf; Sanders” |
| Born | 1917-09-28 |
| Died | 2015-01-27 |
| Honours | 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45, NZ War Service Medal |
| Record | https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C141101 |
What this roll records
DUPLICATE RECORD MERGED (2026). The roll held this man twice — once with his service number and once without it, under a variant spelling of the surname. The entry with no number could not be caught by the shared-number test that found the earlier duplicates, nor by the photograph test, because it had neither. It was found by asking whether the roll already held him with a number. This card is the survivor; the discarded entry read “Sanders, Alf”. BOTH ENTRIES ARE R PATROL. Alf is Alfred; Sanders is Saunders without the u.
Patrol R: "Tpr A.M. Saunders", R Patrol. Brendan O'Carroll, "The Long Range Desert Group in North Africa".
On the R Patrol Nominal Roll, 31 March 1941: Trooper Saunders A.N., 1329. Source: Brendan O'Carroll, 'R Patrol, Long Range Desert Group' (R Patrol Nominal Roll, 31 March 1941).
Signed 'W & R / Tar Fawi / 1329 / LRP' at the Picton LRDG reunion, Apr 2001: served in W and R Patrols, truck 'Tar Fawi', an original Long Range Patrol (LRP) member (signed copy of 'Kiwi Scorpions').
Born 28 September 1917 at Whakatane. Fisherman in civilian life. Later a farmer; member of the Richmond RSA. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
Full name Alfred Milton. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
FISHERMAN in civilian life. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
Embarkation detail from his Cenotaph record: he embarked as Trooper. This agrees with the rank held on this card. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph, record C141101.
Added from LRP Roll: Dvr R Patrol; returned to unit. Distinct from Edgar 'Sandy' Sanders (MM, T Patrol). Source: LRP Roll (Original LRP Nominal Roll as at 5 Dec 1940, Capt L H Browne).
See him in the full roll →Where this comes from
- AKA added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll (missing information).
- Honours & campaign medals from Online Cenotaph: 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45, NZ War Service Medal. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
- LRDG Nominal Roll, 28 Dec 1940 – Jan 1941 (courtesy Tarek el Mahdy)
- Additional sources (AWMM Online Cenotaph). Nominal Roll 2NZEF No. 1, p.160. Unit history: Loughnan, R. (1963). Divisional Cavalry. Also cited: Eulogy of Alfred Milton Saunders; family oral & written history, NZ birth certificate, military personnel file.
This page is part of the Long Range Desert Group roll of members at lrdgarchive.org. If you hold rights to anything on it and would like it credited differently, or taken down, please see Sources and Copyright. It will be dealt with promptly.
Not By Strength But By Guile