He was 21 years old, and a private in the 1/5th Battalion, The Manchester Regiment, British Army during the Battle of the Selle in the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 20 October 1918 at Marou, France, during the attack, four runners had been killed in attempting to deliver a message to the supporting company and Private Wilkinson volunteered for the duty.

He succeeded in delivering the message although the journey involved exposure to extremely heavy machine-gun and shell fire for 600 yards.

Wilkinson was killed in incident in a laboratory at Bickershaw Colliery, Leigh where he died from carbon monoxide poisoning https://victoriacrossonline.co.uk/alfred-robert-wilkinson-vc/.

A mural featuring Wilkinson has been painted on a house on Twist Lane, Leigh, situated between Dorothy Grove and Arthur Street.