Alexander Stevens - Link to Bo'ness
- Admin
- Feb 5
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 6
43489 Private, 12th Battalion Highland Light Infantry, 46th Infantry Brigade, 15th (Scottish) Division.
Age: 25
Date of death: 25.7.17
Buried: Menin Gate Memorial Panel 38
Family history: He was one of four sons and four daughters of the late Alexander and Marrion Steven who had lived at Forth Place, Bo’ness. Alexander married Janet in Bo’ness in 1915 and they lived with their daughter Winifred, born on 9 April 1917, at 10 Wardlaw Street, Edinburgh. Prior to joining the army in September 1914 he was employed by Griffiths and Oliver, ladies and gentlemen’s outfitters of Bo’ness, as a tailor. He enlisted in the 2/10th (Cyclist) Battalion, Royal Scots, a Territorial Battalion, and was given the service number 2198. They were used for coastal defence primarily patrolling East Lothian and the Berwickshire coasts and were known as the Trundling Tenth. Alexander volunteered for overseas service and went to France were he joined the 12th Battalion HLI and now had the service number 43489. He fought at the Battle of the Somme and at Arras in April 1917.
Action leading to his death
The Battalion was in the line at Potijze occupying the trenches at Cambridge Road.
On the 24 July they undertook a daylight trench raid of the German front line trenches and their reserve trenches known to the British as Iberia Trench, Iberia Support, and Iberia Reserve. This was a raid in strength with two Companies comprising 10 officers and 186 Other Ranks the objective of which was to ascertain the conditions of the enemy wire, trenches, and to take prisoners. The raid went ahead at 1pm and was to last 50 minutes and was supported by machine gun fire and a rolling barrage. They found the German wire presented no obstacle and the trenches badly damaged and poorly rivetted. The encountered two dugouts and each contained six men and they surrendered without a fight with one attempting to run away after being captured and he was shot and wounded and recaptured. They encountered light opposition on the right from the enemy throwing bombs (hand grenades) and on the left from distant machine gun fire. At the Stables and Eitel Fritz Farm they were found to be in a poor condition and the support line was smashed in and had two concrete bunkers one of which was badly damaged. They reached the Reserve Line, the final objective, at 1.10pm to find this also badly damaged and found two shelters holding 50 men who were taken prisoner. The raiding party withdrew at 1.25pm and were back in their own lines by 1.38pm. They took two officers and 77 Other Ranks prisoner. The Battalion casualties were 17 Other Ranks wounded, 3 missing and 1 killed. The casualties occurring between enemy front line and the Reserve trench. Alexander was amongst the missing and his body was not recovered.
Comments