L/Cpl 29203 Valentine Alexander

• Age: 26
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• D.O.W Tuesday 30th April 1918
• Commemorated at: Lijssenthoek M C Poperinghe
  Panel Ref: XXVIII.E.12

Valentine Alexander was born September quarter 1891 at presumably 27 Holme Street, Toxteth, Liverpool to compositor George Matthew Alexander and his wife Catherine Barbara Robinson (nee Valentine)  both of whom were originally from Dundee, Scotland. They married in St Andrew's Church, Dundee in 1886. They had 6 children, three boys and three girls, Valentine was the third of the six children.

On the 1891 Census the family are living at 27 Holme Street, Toxteth, Liverpool. His father George M. is a 28 year od print compositor born in Scotland, his mother Catherine V. is 30 also born in Scotland. They have two children; Ann Sturrock aged 3 and George 2. Both children were born in Liverpool

Two children born after the 1891 Census sadly died prior to the 1901 Census. William Valentine Alexander died aged 2 in 1895, Robennie Helen Alexander also died aged 2 in 1897.

The 1901 Census show Valentine aged 9 and his family living at 57 Corney Street off Smithdown Road Wavertree, Liverpool 7. His father George is a 38 year old compositor, whilst his mother Kate is 40 years of age. His siblings are recorded as; Annie 13, George 12, Nellie 3 all born in Liverpool. 

In 1907 when he was only 16 his mother Catherine (Kate) died aged 47. She was buried at Walton Park, Liverpool on 22nd November 1907. 

The 1911 Census shows Valentine as a 19 year old labourer living at 23 Underley Street, off Smithdown Road, Wavertree. His widowed father George Matthew is a 47 compositor, Val has siblings George Matthew, a 22 year old cabinet maker, Helen aged 13, and a housekeeper Emily Johnson 29.

His father, George passed away aged 51 in 1914 at the Walton Infirmary.

Valentine enlisted in Liverpool as Private 29203 into the 18th (Pals) Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment. He was aged 23 upon enlistment. He is later promoted to Lance Corporal and on 22nd December 1915 shipped to France.

He took part in the fighting at the Somme in 1916, and at Arras and Passchendaele in 1917.

On 29th April 1918 The Battle of the Scherpenberg commenced as part of the Lys Battles also known as the Fourth Battle of Ypres. The battalion diary records:

"The 18th went into the line on the right ...... Just after 3 a.m.a bombardment of exceptional intensity and violence was opened by the enemy.........to a depth of over a mile.
All Telephone wires were cut........ despite the savage hail of shell ......when the enemy advanced the King's men gave him a warm Reception, about 20 Boche occupied one of our posts........... Lewis Gun and Rifle fire eventually forced the Enemy to abandon his attempt to capture the trenches of the 18th King's. But throughout the day shell Fire was heavy"

Between 27th April 1918 and 2 May 1918 the 18th Btn had 1 Officer and 23 other Ranks Killed in Action and 71 wounded.

Val, aged 26, was one of those statistics dying of his wounds on 30th April 1918.

His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on 14th May 1918:

Lance-cpl Valentine (Val) Alexander (26) died of wounds, was a salesman with E. A. Clarke, Stanley -st, and lived with his sister at 38 Talbot-rd, Wavertree. Son of late Mr G Alexander, many years connected with "Echo".   

It was said of the bravery of the British Army in April 1918:

"In the Lys Battles it is well to remember that a Total of 25 British Divisions were employed against a force of 42 German Divisions!
 The British Soldier had never fought more grandly than on the Lys in April 1918"

Val now rests at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium, XXVIII.E.12 where his headstone bears the epitaph:

“DEAR IS THE PLACE WHERE OUR BROTHER IS LAID SWEET HIS MEMORY THAT WILL NEVER FADE”

During the First World War, the village of Lijssenthoek was situated on the main communication line between the Allied military bases in the rear and the Ypres battlefields. Close to the Front, but out of the extreme range of most German field artillery, it became a natural place to establish casualty clearing stations. The cemetery was first used by the French 15th Hopital D'Evacuation and in June 1915, it began to be used by casualty clearing stations of the Commonwealth forces.

From April to August 1918, the casualty clearing stations fell back before the German advance and field ambulances (including a French ambulance) took their places.

The cemetery contains 9,901 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 24 being unidentified. There are 883 war graves of other nationalities, mostly French and German, 11 of these are unidentified. There is 1 Non World War burial here.

The only concentration burials were 24 added to Plot XXXI in 1920 from isolated positions near Poperinghe and 17 added to Plot XXXII from St. Denijs Churchyard in 1981.

Eight of the headstones are Special Memorials to men known to be buried in this cemetery, these are located together alongside Plot 32 near the Stone of Remembrance.

The cemetery, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, is the second largest Commonwealth cemetery in Belgium.

His pay of £8:15s was sent on 18 August 1918 to his sister Helen (recorded as Ellen) and a War Gratuity of £14 was also sent to her in September 1919.

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

Grateful thanks are extended to Joe Devereux for permission to use the photograph now shown on this site.