Alexander Williamson

Private Alexander Williamson

39077 Private

2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment, 88th Brigade, 29th Division

Age: 34

Date of Death: 29.9.18

Buried: Haringhe (Bandagehem) Military Cemetery III.C.5

Family history: Son of George and Alison Williamson, Carriden, Bo’ness. He had eight sisters, Henrietta, Alison, Mary, Catherine, Margaret, Helen, Davidina and Julia, and two brothers, Andrew and William. He also had a half-brother George and half-sister Agnes, from his father’s first marriage, his wife dying.

Employed as a miner at Kinneil Coal Company, Alexander was married to Elizabeth (after his death Elizabeth remarried) and they had five children, Elizabeth, George, Henry, Alexander, and James. They had moved from Bo’ness and were living at 135 Baldridgeburn, Dunfermline when Alexander enlisted in the Army Ordnance Corps in 1915. He was then transferred to the 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment.

The action leading to his death

The Battalion was involved in what became known as the Final Breakout, Battle of Ypres 28 September to 2 October 1918. On the 28 September they were in support of the assaulting Brigades and moved forward along the Menin Road and reached Gheluvelt were they came under machine gun fire. The Battalion now took the lead and made good the ridge Oude-Kruiseecke and towards night fall they were held up by enemy sniping and machine gun fire.

Trench map showing the location of the action

Battalion casualties were Other Ranks 4 killed, 27 wounded and 3 missing. Alexander was one of the wounded and died of his wounds on 29 September at the Casualty Clearing Station at Haringhe.

Medals

The British War Medal, Victory Medal

Private Alexander Williamson, Hampshire Regiment, Medal Index Card

Headstone

Private Alexander Williamson is shown as 24. Alexander was 34 years old when he died.

Private Alexander Williamson. Authors image