Royal Scots, Service no. 3056527
Born: 20th October 1920
Story
Alexander was born in Edinburgh, and enlisted in The Royal Scots, and transferred to the Royal Engineers. Alexander was part of the 1st Army that landed in Western Africa, before advancing East to meet up with the 8th Army, led by Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery. This campaign was known as Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) and was the successful endeavour to defeat Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Corps, a battle which Churchill credited as being the turning point during the War.
Alexander later admitted to falling asleep riding a motorcycle across the North African desert not long after Operation Torch. On Christmas Day 1942, Alexander was on board the MS Saturnia, pictured below, an Italian ship, which was used in February 1942 to repatriate Italian civilians who had been interned in the East African colonies which were then in British hands. Alexander was on the second repatriation mission from East Africa to Brindisi, which arrived on the 12th January 1943.
Alexander served again with Bernard Law Montgomery during Operation Husky (9 July-17 August 1943), in which he used explosive Bangalore Torpedoes to clear obstacles which were facing Allied troops landing in Sicily. Below: Bernard Montgomery talking to Royal Engineers working on a road near Catania, 2nd August 1943:
Alexander also worked on bomb disposing, but as an Engineer, his main role was erecting Bailey Bridges (Royal Engineers pictured below constructing a Bailey Bridge). He also relayed that he had served in Crete, pursuing retreating Germans, which gave him no time to take in the Island scenery.
Alexander had an eventful army career, and at one point was demoted for punching an officer. His son Alec has seen a poem written about Alexander and two of his mates, also sergeants, that referred to them as ‘the menaces three’. He recovered his Sergeant rank though.
On 25th January 1945, Alexander married Annie Thompson Smith at 17 Northfields Farm Road, Edinburgh. Annie worked for the NAAFI (Navy, Army, and Air Force Institutes):
Alexander transferred to the army reserves on 1st March 1946, and the couple went on to live at 247 Gibson Lane, Kippax after the War, with Alexander working as a mechanic for Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Co. Ltd, a civil engineering company, which merged in 1982 to become Amec, and by the time he retired, Alexander was on the board of directors. After retirement, the couple moved back to Scotland, as they used to go there on holidays each year. Despite Alexander travelling extensively around the World, both during the War and with his job, Annie never travelled abroad, and in fact never owned a passport.
Annie, who was born in Gourock on 1st August 1922, passed away in Elgin on 22nd July 2001, whilst Alexander passed away on 27th February 2002, also in Elgin. Their son Alec Angus still lives in Kippax, after serving with the RAF from 1966 to 1973, and has been heavily involved in the Kippax British Legion for many years, and is Chair of the Kippax Commemoration Event Group.
Kippax Roll of Honour 