Pte 57388 Donald Alexander

• Age: 21
• From: Tradeston, Lanark
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Friday 22nd March 1918
• Commemorated at: Pozieres Memorial
  Panel Ref: P21-23

Donald McCrae* Alexander was born in 1897 at Tradeston, Lanarkshire, Scotland, to Donald Alexander and his wife Margaret Ann known as Maggie (nee McCrae or McKay*; the Canadian marriage certificate of his brother William shows his mother’s name as Margaret Ann McKay.), they lived in Glasgow. Tradeston is an area of Glasgow on the south bank of the Clyde opposite the city centre. His parents, both born in Caithness, married in about 1893. Donald had older brothers Kenneth and William, both born in Irvine, Ayrshire, and a younger brother John, also born in Glasgow.  

At the time of the 1901 census the family is living at 69 Cathcart Street, Glasgow. His father is 29, a shoemaker, his mother, Maggie A., is 27.  Kenneth is 6, William 5, Donald is 4, and John one month old.  They have a boarder, John Anderson, 41. 

As the 1911 Scotland census is not available, further family details are not known, except for possibly two younger children Andrew and Eliza.

Donald enlisted in about July 1915 when he joined the Lowland Divisional Cyclist Company as Private 1050. He transferred to the 20th Bn King’s Liverpool Regiment, and later posted to the 19th Bn K.L.R., possibly when the 20th was disbanded in February 1918. 

Donald was initially declared Missing and his death later assumed, for official purposes, as having occurred on 22nd March 1918.

He was one of those killed in action during the opening phase of the German Spring Offensive, Operation Michael on 22nd March 1918, aged 21. His body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial at Panel 21-23.

The POZIERES MEMORIAL relates to the period of crisis in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918.

The cemetery and memorial were designed by W.H. Cowlishaw, with sculpture by Laurence A. Turner. The memorial was unveiled by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien on 4 August 1930.

The battalion diary details the events of the 22nd March 1918 as follows: 

22^nd  GERMAINE – HAM- MOYENCOURT

The battalion moved up accordingly being in position at 6:30 a.m. About 3pm the enemy attacked the left of our position and advanced on our left flank towards FLUQUIERES. At 4:30 pm an attack was launched on our front and the enemy forced his way through on our right. The remainder of the Battalion was forced to retire to south of FLUQUIERES. During this engagement the Battalion lost 11 Officers and About 21 O.R. The order was given to retire to the defences at HAM. The Battalion by this time was very weak, and passing through the 20^th Division took up positions in HAM, as ordered, getting into position at 2am.

His father, Donald, was paid the due sum of back pay of £23:5s:5d on 21 November 1919. His Mother Maggie of 87 Weir Street, Glasgow was paid the dependants pension and a War Gratuity of £15. 

His father died in 1930, aged 59.  It is not known when his mother died. 

Donald is commemorated on Scotland’s National War Memorial.

We currently have no further information on Donald McCrae Alexander, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.