Alfred Ablett (August 3, 1830 - March 12, 1897) was a British soldier who was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy available to British and Commonwealth forces, for heroism during the Crimean War.
Ablett was born in Suffolk in 1830. He had seven siblings, two sisters and five brothers. Ablett decided to serve his company, and in February 1850 he joined the British Army, specifically the Grenadier Guards 3rd Battalion. At the time of his enlistment he was nineteen years old.
In the 1850s Ablett was deployed to the Ottoman-controlled Crimean Peninsular to defend it from an invasion by Russia. He served in most of the war's major battles, including the battle of Alma, the battle of Inkerman, the battle of Balaclava, and the siege of Sebastopol. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery at some point, but it is unknown what he received it for.
On 2 September 1855, Ablett was one of the many British soldiers besieging the Russian base at Sebastopol. While Ablett was crouched in one of the trenches, a live shell landed among some highly explosive boxes of ammunition and gunpowder and began burning. Disregarding the high likelihood of death if the shell detonated, Ablett picked it up and threw it clear of the trench, where it exploded harmlessly. His superior officer witnessed the event and recommended him for the Victoria Cross, which was presented to him on 26 June 1857 after the end of the war.
Ablett died at his home in London on 12 March 1897.