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War Memorial
Australia

3792 Alexander James LEAMEY was born at Mount Gambier on 12 August 1896. He was enrolled at Mount Gambier High School on 15 October 1910 by his father, David Francis Leamey, a labourer, of John Street, Mount Gambier. He left school on 15 December 1911.

He enlisted in Adelaide on 12 August 1915 (18, grocer’s assistant, single, Church of England) naming his mother, Elizabeth Margaret Leamey of Mount Gambier, as his next of kin. He embarked from Adelaide on the ‘Malwa’ on 2 December 1915 as a reinforcement for the 10th Battalion and arrived in Egypt about a month later, embarking again at Alexandria in Egypt on 29 March 1916 and disembarking at Marseilles in France on 4 April.

He was detailed to a Machine Gun School in France on 30 June 1916 and then transferred to the 3rd Machine Gun Company on 2 August 1916. He was wounded (shrapnel wound head) on 12 April 1917 (apparently the only casualty that day according to the unit war diary) and evacuated to England on 16 April. He was discharged to furlough from 21 May to 5 June and returned to France on 18 October, re-joining his unit on 22 October. In 1918 his unit became  part of the 1st Machine Gun Battalion. He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 23 June 1918, went on leave to Paris from 12 to 22 October 1918. He left England for return to Australia on 2 March 1919 on the ‘Derbyshire’, disembarked on 20 April, was welcomed home at Yahl in May and was discharged on 12 June.

- Completed by Mount Carmel College

During August 12th, 1896, in Mount Gambier, South Australia, Alexander James (Jim) Lamey was born, age of enlistment states that he was born during May 1895 to ensure enlistment was possible to join the war effort. Alexander’s family consisted of two legal parents/guardians (David Francis Walsh-Lamey and Elizabeth Margaret Edwards) and four siblings (Alexander James Lamey, David Francis Lamey, George William Lamey and Charles Sydney Lamey). In the early years of Alexander’s life, he was enrolled into Mount Gambier High School by David Francis Walsh-Lamey (a labourer of John Street, Mount Gambier) on the 15th of October 1910. Alexander dropped out from Mount Gambier High School on the 15th of December 1911 and became a grocer’s assistant.

On the 12th of August 1915, Alexander enlisted with the status of being 18, single, grocers assistant, Church of England. He named his, Mother Elizabeth Margaret Lamey of Mount Gambier as next of kin. The embarkment took place on the 2nd of December 1915 from Adeliade, heading toward Egypt as a part of the 10th Battalion reinforcements aboard the ‘Malwa’, currently ranked as private, service number 3792, badge number 74156, Subbranch: Marion. A month later, the 10th battalion reinforcements arrived in Egypt.

Before the arrival of the 10th Battalion reinforcements, original intentions of sending infantry into England were to provide training grounds in Sailsbury plain, Wiltshire. However, during transporting the 22nd Battalion, England proposed various concerns in the training grounds due to overcrowding troops and insufficient supplies. The fleet was conveniently crossing through the Suez Canal and would deal with training in Egypt in winter. The 22nd was then issued to set up camp at Mena, approximately 16km from the capital of Cairo on the outskirts of the city. When Alexander arrived at Mena camp, training undoubtedly went underway, only it lasted for a couple of months as the Gallipoli campaign had commenced. Training regime consisted of basic drills, advancing lines of men, marching with heavy gear and superiors teaching. Sights of men marching up and down sand dunes and men squatting with rifles around one man speaking was commonplace, especially since training lasted 8 hours per day for six days a week with soldiers taking leave in between. Soldiers often overstayed their leave which was often overlooked by their commanding officers. Beyond the rudimentary old British army training, little modern trench warfare tactics ever made their way into Egypt with most soldiers being accustomed to older trench warfare and Australian/New Zealand forces having little experience on the battlefield. Alexander embarked from Alexandria in Egypt on the 29th of March 1916 and disembarked in Marseilles, France on the 4th of April.

30th of June 1916 he was detailed to a Machine Gun School which produced soldiers who received training due to lack of capable machine gun soldiers, loss of infantry and the adoption of Chauchat and Hotchkiss machine guns. This was mostly in the British forces, however suggesting that French forces pursued the creation of more machine gunners. Alexander then transferred over to the 3rd Machine Gun Company on the 2nd of August. On the 12th of April 1917, Alexander was wounded with a piece of shrapnel flying into his head during a particular training routine.

This led to his evacuation on the 16th of April to England where medical attention would be received. He was discharged on furlough from the 21st of May to the 5th of June and returned to France on 18 October, re-joining his unit on 22 October. In 1918 his unit became part of the 1st Machine Gun Battalion comprised of Machine Gun Battalion companies 1,2,3 and 21. Larger machine gun battalions combining forces of independent companies proved effective with limited resources spread among the companies.

Tactics throughout WW1 significantly changed with dispersed rapid fire and direct fire proving to be just as efficient at disrupting enemy lines and supply chains. The increased firepower in battalions were the final evolution stages of the war, noting that British forces aligned with Australian and New Zealand Army Corps as part of reorganising structural integrity. This was necessary to improve communication, maintenance, ammunition, firing capacity, strength, training and to further better the morality through numbers. The 1st Machine Gun Battalion was the result of this reorganisation as a directed result of the German Counteroffensive, specifically the Kaiserschlacht (Spring Offensive) meaning Kaiser battle.
This was a final push to break the stalemate between the Entente (Allies) and Central powers. This resulted in Hundred Days Offensive to end WW1. The 1st Machine Gun Battalion fought first in the battle of Amiens (August 8-11, 1918), battle of Mont St. Quentin (Late August 1918), Advance to the Hindenburg Line (September 1918) and Battle of Beauvoir (October 1918). The 1st Machine Gun Battalion provided support under dynamic battlefield pressure with consistent barrages of heavy machine gun fire and a suppressive show of evolutionary tactics developed over the course of WW1. They demonstrated the persevering ability to rapidly adapt in the direction of advancing German forces despite numerous casualties.
Alexander was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 23rd of June 1918 likely for reliability and valour during the various battles and was granted leave to Paris from the 12th to the 22nd of October. The 1st Machine gun battalion and the Allies continued to push further through the Central Powers counteroffensive and eventually forced surrender upon them, thus ending WW1 on the 11th of November 1918 with Allies victorious.

Alexander had showcased a variety of skills during his time in the war effort. Perseverance was present during the various operations and learning curves formed undoubtedly from the substantial number of encounters and environmental changes including the surroundings, several instances of defeats, retreats, and advances on both sides, travelling as well as the interjection between switching battalions. Adapting to surroundings on a dime is necessary to survive throughout battling and controlling the outcome of the situation with limited tools at hand especially since split second actions would have costed Alexander his life. The vast majority of people came from different countries and continents which was unfamiliar terrain and had to be overcome in order to concentrate on learning everything he could about survival. Persevering through not only the physical strength required to survive long but the psychological exhaustion of seeing his comrades regularly deal with incessant training, wounds that would never heal and even walk on death’s doorstep. Stepping over the other corpses not out of pity, but respect as the dead would want Alexander to keep going, to win the war and to survive the great war. Perseverance means to keep going and to trudge into tomorrow even when there seems to be no hope left.

The psychological terrors would have haunted Alexander, long after the war had ended including PTSD, shell shock and undoubtedly scars from taking shrapnel wound to the head. Persevering was not optional for Alexander; it was required of him, and he delivered the best to honour his family. Despite all of this holding him back, Alexander pursued the noble efforts of the ANZACs to uphold the values of what it truly means to be an Australian.

Alexander without a doubt had to provide support to his comrades of any kind – this would include bystanders and innocent people caught up in the war. Supporting and lifting up the people around influenced the outcomes of everyone around him which helped prolong the cycle. All of Alexander’s mates showed respect, valour, and Alexander returned the favour. This is mateship; showing equality, friendship, and loyalty to one another which was highly respected and especially encouraged within the ANZACs ranks which they were known for, similar to how the rats of Tobruk were known for digging trenches in an ongoing siege. Alexander’s mateship had an effect during the various battles and prolonging training endured undoubtedly presenting himself as a worthy ANZAC soldier. This can be shown through trusting each other with tasks and support with the embodiment of mateship being the loyalty, comradery, and trust. Undoubtedly, in almost alien territory with unfamiliar languages and soldiers, Alexander must have shown mateship through the interactions and trusting in his fellow soldiers to help win the war. Alexander’s legacy is proof of the survival instincts instilled and the bonding needed to progress further into a peaceful future.

He left England for return to Australia on 2 March 1919 on the ‘Derbyshire’, disembarked on 20 April, was welcomed home at Yahl in May and was discharged on 12 June. He left England for return to Australia on 2 March 1919 on the ‘Derbyshire’, disembarked on 20 April, was welcomed home at Yahl in May and was discharged on 12 June. Alexander James Lamey then died on the 18th of February 1976 at the age of seventy-nine and was buried with his wife, Gladys Lillian Lamey.

Bibliography:

armement reglementaire francais les FM et mitrailleuses. [no date]. Available at: http://armesfrancaises.free.fr/FM%20Chauchat.html [Accessed: 18 August 2025].
Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History. [no date]. Available at: https://vwma.org.au/ [Accessed: 18 August 2025].
Details. [no date]. Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=169484 [Accessed: 18 August 2025].
FamilySearch.org. [no date]. Available at: https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/KN4N-YL5/alexander-james-lamey-1896-1976?utm [Accessed: 18 August 2025].
Lance Corporal Alexander James Lamey. [no date]. Available at: //www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10757716 [Accessed: 18 August 2025].
Training Camps: Egypt. 2017. Available at: https://anzac-22nd-battalion.com/training-camps-egypt/ [Accessed: 18 August 2025].
Trove. [no date]. Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/208438485?keyword=Alexander%20James%20Lamey [Accessed: 18 August 2025].