Thank you to Jane Anthony for the following research.
Alexander Sadler, also known as Ernest, was one of the 11 children of Henry and Sarah Sadler. The children had a very large age range; their oldest son being born in 1870 and the youngest in 1895. Alexander, born in 1888, was one of the younger children. Henry was an agricultural labourer, the sons mostly worked on the land in either agriculture or gardening or in the lime works at Betchworth. Alexander would appear to be the exception as by 1911 he had already joined the army. He enlisted in London, probably because he joined the Coldstream Guards rather than one of the local regiments. In 1911 he was staying with the Ongley family in Reigate. In the late spring of 1914 he married Ada Hockley at Wandsworth. At the time of his death in 1916 his residence was given at Battersea, where his wife lived; although his widowed mother and many of his siblings were still living in the Brockham area.
From his regimental number it is likely that Alexander Sadler joined the Coldstream Guards sometime between 1907 and 1908 when he was about 20 years old. The Coldstream Guards was one of the first regiments to be deployed to France in 1914 but in 1915 the 3rd battalion was amalgamated with other elite regiments to become the 1st Guards Brigade, which in turn became the Guards Division. They took part in most of the major battles on the Western Front. Alexander Sadler was killed in action on 24th March 1916 aged 28. He was buried at the White House Cemetery at St Jean de Ypres. There are several cemeteries in this village including some German ones as the area changed hands several times during the war. In addition to those buried at the time, some casualties from smaller graveyards nearby were reinterred at this site.
| Born | Dorking | |
| Lived | Battersea | |
| Son of | Henry and Sarah Sadler of 37, Pudding Hole, Betchworth, Surrey | |
| Husband of | Ada Louisa Sadler of 63 Latchmere Road, Battersea Park Road, Battersea, London | |
| Enlisted | London | |
| Regiment | 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards | |
| Number | 7279 | |
| Date of Death | 24th March, 1916 | |
| Place of Death | Flanders | |
| Cause of Death | Killed in Action | |
| Age | 28 | |
| Cemetery | White House Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium |
