Alexander Family

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- Miscellaneous notes and correspondence

- Family Tree by Dick & Ann Muir

- Further miscellaneous notes

Phil Wood kindly contacted the Virtual Museum (Mar 2012) with these additional notes found whilst researching his War Memorial records: From the NWN 29th November 1917 p8, "Local War Notes":

"Mr and Mrs F W H Alexander of Templeton Cottage, Hungerford, have been bereaved of their youngest son, Thomas Henry, aged 19, who was killed on October 30th.

He joined the Artists' Rifles in October, 1915, and was trained at Romford and Pirbright, going to France in May, 1917. He had volunteered to take a message from the battlefield to the medical aid post, and the enemy were heavily shelling the road he had to travel.

He was struck on the head by a piece of shell and death was instantaneous. His officer has written, speaking of the excellent work he had done during the attack. Another son is serving in the Navy (Marine Artillery).

(Thomas Alexander is not on any of the Hungerford memorials but is commemorated in Kintbury. I did wonder if he was related to the Constable.)"

Malcolm Camp, Tom Alexander's great nephew, kindly contacted the Virtual Museum in Nov 2012 with this additional information, and the adjacent photographs):

"My great-uncle was Tom Alexander, killed aged 19 in Paschaendale France in 1917.

I am not sure how long the family lived in Hungerford. Prior to World War I they lived in Dudley, where my great-grandfather Frederick William Randle Alexander was a head gardener."

Photo Gallery:

florence and tom alexander

tom alexander 1917

- Tom Alexander 1917 - Tom Alexander, aged 19 yrs [Kindly sent by Malcolm Camp].

- Florence and Tom Alexander - Tom Alexander (left, aged 7-8 yrs) with his family in Dudley. [Kindly sent by Malcolm Camp] I thought you might like a photo of Tom taken when he was 19 before leaving for France, and one of his family in Dudley when he was about 7 or 8 years old on the left.

Two generations have been named after Tom and his loss was felt through the generations. He was a popular young man - articled to be an architect in London. He was a clever, creative person.

On October 1917 the Artists' Rifles were engaged in a full frontal attack on two concrete German machine gun emplacements. They waded thigh deep toward them at 7.30am under withering fire. Then the Germans launched a concentrated artillery attack on the Artists' position. My great-uncle was sent with a message to alert senior ranks of the position but he was killed.

The attack failed with the loss of half the men about 300. The following night under cover of darkness the machine guns and Germans inside were captured without loss by one lieutenant and 10 other ranks."

Kathleen Partington kindly contacted the Virtual Museum (Oct 2013) to add that Thomas Henry Alexander is commemorated on a grave stone in Leyton Parish Church along with his aunt and grand parents.