KNIGHT, Alexander Roy
| Service Number: | 798 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 August 1914, Claimed he was 21 years old, when in fact he was only 18. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Axedale, Victoria, Australia, 1896 |
| Home Town: | Bendigo, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Unemployed |
| Died: | Melbourne,Victoria, Australia, 14 July 1974, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne |
| Memorials: | Bendigo Great War Roll of Honor, Bendigo Marist Brothers College Great War Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 798, 7th Infantry Battalion, Claimed he was 21 years old, when in fact he was only 18. | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 798, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 798, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 798, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, GSW leg | |
| 8 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 798, 7th Infantry Battalion, The August Offensive - Lone Pine, Suvla Bay, Sari Bair, The Nek and Hill 60 - Gallipoli | |
| 8 Aug 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 798, 7th Infantry Battalion, Medically unfit (Pyrexia/Enteric). |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Larna Malone
Alexander Roy Knight was born in Axedale, the son of William & Martha Knight, of 199 Neale Street, Bendigo. He Declared his age to be 21, but he was actually aged 18. He had no previous military service and no occupation was provided. He was amongst the early volunteers for the Expeditionary Force, enlisting on 18.8.14. The following day he left Bendigo for the Broadmeadows Camp. He was allotted Service no. 798 and appointed to ‘G’ Company, 7th Battalion.
The 7th Battalion left Broadmeadows Camp on 18 October, 1914, and embarked for service overseas on board HMAT ‘Hororata’. Arriving in Egypt the battalion moved into camp at Mena, at the foot of the pyramids. (6/12/14)
In January, 1915, the Australian force was re-organized. In the 7th Battalion ‘G’ and ‘H’ Companies joined to form the new ‘D’ Company. This meant that all the men from Northern Victoria were together in one Company.
The 7th Battalion was part of the force which landed at Anzac Cove on 25th April, 1915. Alexander Roy Knight was Wounded at the Landing, sustaining a bullet wound to his leg. The Casualty List published in the Bendigo Advertiser, May 4th 1915, reported that A. R. Knight had been slightly wounded. In a cablegram sent by Lance-Corporal John Reed Taylor to his sister, he mentions Alexander Roy Knight as a fellow patient at Mena House, Egypt. [Bendigo Advertiser May 4, 1915]
Alexander Roy Knight Embarked to rejoin the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Anzac on 22/5/15. Very little information is known about Knight’s subsequent weeks until he rejoined the 7th Battalion at Lemnos on 4/11/15. The 7th Battalion had embarked for Lemnos on 13/9/1915. The health of the men was of great concern and it was hoped to improve this by an extended period of rest. The battalion returned to Anzac on 25/11/15.
In December preparations began for the evacuation of Anzac. The 7th Battalion was withdrawn on the night of December 19th. They embarked for Lemnos and then disembarked in Egypt on 6th January 1916. On 7/1/16 Alexander Roy Knight was diagnosed with Pyrexia Unknown Origin / Enteric. He RTA M.U. Enterica & thrombosis on 11/4/16.
“The First Lot. 7th Battalion. The first men of the Bendigo district to volunteer for service in the First World War.”: Larna Malone