Alexander Donald

Personal Information
Date of Birth	unknown
Place of Birth	Dunedin, New Zealand
Death	4 Jan 1949
Place of Death	?????????????
Age at Enlistment	39 years, 3 months
Description	5' 5½" (1.66m) tall; weight 145 lbs (65.8 kg); fresh complexion, blue eyes, light brown hair
Occupation	brickmaker
Religion	Presbyterian
Address	Armadale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Brother Mr Robert Donald
Military Information
Reg Number	4184
Date of Enlistment	13 Sep 1915
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	11th Battalion, 13th Reinforcement, transferred to 51st Battalion D Company / 13th Brigade, 4th Division
Date of Embarkation	17 Jan 1916 - Feb 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A30 Borda
Date of Return	10 Sep 1917 - 4 Nov 1917
Ship Returned On	HMAT A38 Ulysses
Fate	Wounded in Action 14/16 Aug 1916 at Mouquet Farm Wounded in Action 9 Jun 1917 at Messines Returned to Australia
Monument	Armadale (West Armadale panel)
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

1903-1907 Electoral Roll entries list brickmaker Alexander living at 'Marrivale Dairy' in Bayswater with father Alex snr. In 1910 they have joined with Robert at Beechboro road West Guildford as dairy farmers. At time of his enlistment Alexander was living with his dairy farmer brother Robert at "Wongong".

War Service

A fortnight after entering Blackboy Hill camp, Alex was allocated to the 13th reinforcement draft for the 11th Battalion, and travelled with it to Egypt.

He was transferred to the 51st Battalion as it was being raised at Serapeum on the Suez Canal, and travelled with them on HMT Ivernia from Alexandria to Marseilles, arriving in France on 11 Jun 1916.

Alex was one of 302 casualties suffered by the 51st Battalion at Mouquet Farm, receiving a GSW to his left shoulder. Within days he was embarked on the HMHS Panama in Le Havre for England where he was admitted to the 1st London General Hospital in Camberwell with GSWs to his left shoulder and hip.

In December he was fit enough to be transferred to No 4 camp at Perham Downs before returning to France aboard HMT Princess Victoria from Folkestone.

He rejoined the 51st Battalion in a rear location in the Somme Valley on 27 Feb 1917.

The second time he was wounded it was a GSW to his left hand, received during the battle for Messines Ridge in Belgium where, although his battalion had only a minor role in the attack, D Company in which Alex served, was attached to the 52nd Battalion who had a more substantial role. This time Alex was one of the 107 casualties suffered by the 51st Battalion on he day of the battle.

Embarked on HMHS St Patrick, on arrival in England he was admitted to the Military Hospital in Kent. When recovered sufficiently, he was repatriated home early on account of his debility. Discharged at the 5th Military District on 23 Nov 1917.

Post War

The 1920 Post Office Directory has him as a dairy farmer in Armadale, the 1925 electoral roll as a labourer in Prospect road, Armadale, while in 1935 he is farming at Mokine near Clackline.