BONNEY, Alexander
| Service Number: | 629 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Lilydale, Victoria, Australia, 17 August 1887 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fireman |
| Died: | Perth, Western Australia, Australia, 10 September 1956, aged 69 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Boulder Goldfields First Enlistments WWI Roll of Honor, Moora St James Church WW1 Honour Roll, Moora WWI Honour Wall |
Biography contributed by Cherilyn McMeekin
Alexander was the eldest of 5 children. All but the youngest were born in Victoria. By 1902, when his youngest sister was born, the Bonney family had moved to Western Australia, settling initially on the southern coast.
In 1912, Alexander married Alice Barnsley, the eldest daughter of William and Alice Barnsley.
Alexander and Alice were living in South Dalwallinu, via Moora, when Alexander enlisted in 1914, aged 27. At the time, they had a 15-month-old son and a newborn daughter.
Having survived pneumonia in early 1915 - including 5 weeks in hospital - Alexander moved quickly up the ranks, being promoted to sergeant in the field in June 1916.
Tragically, Alice's brother William died at Gallipoli in 1915, aged 23. This must have made receiving the news in August 1916 that Alexander had been wounded even more distressing for Alice.
The severity of Alexander's shrapnel wounds to his shoulder meant he did not return to active service. He was recommended for discharge as permanently unfit for further military service in September 1916, and returned to Australia in October of that year. Alexander requested his discharge from the AIF in March 1917.
Alexander and Alice went on to have a further 6 children. All 3 of his sons served in WWII; his youngest daughter, Dorothy, was an aircraftwoman in WWII. Alexander enlisted in the AMF, aged 53, serving from 1940 to 1942 in Northam with the rank of corporal cook. His papers show his name as Alexandra.
Alexander died in 1956 aged 69. His wife Alice lived a further 12 years and died at the age of 79 in 1968.