Private Henry James Alexander
| Date of Birth | c. 1891 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 24 |
| Date of Death | 13 August 1915 |
| Service Number | 11739 / 13390 |
| Military Service | 2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment |
| Merton Address | |
| Local Memorial | Mitcham War Memorial |
Additional Information
Henry was born c.1893 in Gravesend in Kent. He was the son of plasterer William Alexander and his wife, Sabine. The couple had nine other children, two of whom died in childhood. By 1901 the family was living in Ifield Road, Streatham. Henry’s brother, Charles, was following in his father’s footsteps as a plasterer. His sister, Rezia was an incandescent mantle maker – fashioning fabric covers which were treated with metal nitrates to create a rigid fire-proof cover for the gas lamps which lit many Victorian homes.
By 1911 the Alexander family had moved to 12 Himley Road, Tooting and Henry had found employment as a fishmonger. Several of his siblings had now moved elsewhere but two of his sisters were still living with their parents. His older sister Annie was working as a domestic servant and the youngest child, Agnes, was helping her mother in the family home.
With the outbreak of war, Henry enlisted as a private in the 2nd battalion, Hampshire Regiment. After spending the first few months of the war training in Romsey and Warwickshire, the battalion sailed from Avonmouth bound for Gallipoli. Their vessel, His Majesty’s troop ship Royal Edward, had been part of the Egyptian mail service. It was later used to transport troops from Canada to Europe, in addition to a brief stint as an internment ship off Southend. The ship sailed for Gallipoli on 28 July 2015, carrying 1,367 servicemen intended as reinforcements for the besieged British 29th Infantry.
On 13 August Royal Edward was spotted by the German submarine UB-14 off the island of Kandaloussa. The ship was torpedoed and sank in less than six minutes. The nearby hospital ship, Soudan managed to rescue 440 men over a period of six hours. A further 220 were saved by two French destroyers and some trawlers but 935 men were drowned, including Henry Alexander. Ironically the losses were higher as the ship had just completed a boat drill and many of the men were below decks, stowing away their equipment.
Like many of his comrades, Henry’s body was never found. He is commemorated on the Helles memorial at the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. At the time of Henry’s death, his parents were living at 6 Norfolk Road in Colliers Wood and this may explain why his name also appears on the Mitcham war memorial.