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Son of John and Barbara Davies of Dumaresq Street, Hamilton, NSW formerly of Maitland Road, Hamilton, NSW

Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

He previously worked as a Grocer

Alexander John Davies served at the Landing at Anzac and was wounded in action, a gunshot wound to the thigh. He was evacuated to Alexandria in Egypt aboard the Clan McGillivray and must have written the following account from there, which appeared in the Goulburn Evening Penny Post 17 June 1915.

Private A. J. Davies, who was wounded at the Dardanelles, writing to his parents at Hamilton, says that after the third brigade, to which he was attached, had landed and begun their charge on the Turkish position "going up the hill was awful. For less than half an hour," he says, "we had the Turks on the run, and our chaps captured a machine gun and lots of ammunition. We pushed them farther back, but by this time lots of our chaps were getting hit. The Turks are not much as rifle shots, but they had a great number of snipers hidden in the high brushwood. We came across some wounded Turks, and one of them shot one of our chaps from behind. He got short shrift, being bayoneted in half a dozen places in as many seconds. By this time, we were nearly a mile inland, and then came the worst part of the battle. The Turks had come back with reinforcements and a howitzer battery, and they pelted us with shrapnel. The transports were arriving by the dozen, and pouring in boatloads of reinforcements for us. The Turkish howitzer never ceased all the morning, and kept going for the best part of the afternoon. At about 4 o'clock Major Robertson (Major Sydney Beresford Robertson) was shot through the lungs, and died almost at once. I was on my way towards the right ridge of the firing line when I got one in the right thigh. I was half way back from the firing line when one of my signal flags was knocked out of my hand. The scene on the beach was remarkable. Doctors, A.M.C. men, and stretcher bearers were attending to the wounded at top speed, and every now and then was heard the whizz of a shrapnel shell as it went past. The wounded were being picked up and sent on to hospital ships as quickly as they could be got away. With about 100 others I was put on a large punt, and towed to the transport, which was converted into a hospital ship. There were about 900 wounded, 'some dying on board, and the cries of them were pitiful."

Alexander was discharged from hospital in Egypt and went back to Gallipoli to re-join the 9th Battalion on the 21 May 1915. He was again evacuated from Gallipoli and admitted to the 1st A.G.H. in Heliopolis on the 9 July 1915 with severe gastro enteritis. He died the next day, officially, “died of disease”, and from his service file, gastro enteritis, dysentery or enteric.

From Gary Mitchell, Sandgate Cemetery
 
An Original Anzac memorialised at Sandgate Cemetery.

On the 10th July 1915, Private Alexander John Davies, 9th Battalion (Reg No-276), grocer and accountant (Sturt, Ogilvie and Co, Suva), from "Glenross", Maitland Road, Hamilton, New South Wales, died from gastroenteritis at the 1st Australian General Hospital, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt, age 26. Chaplain D. Stewart officiated.

Born at Wickham, New South Wales on the 6th April 1889 as DAVIS to John B R (died 18.11.1915, age 56) and Barbara Jane Davies (died 6.5.1944, age 79) of 37 Dumaresq Street, Hamilton East, New South Wales, Alex enlisted on the 24th August 1914 at Brisbane, Queensland.

Wounded in action - 25.4.1915 (GSW right thigh).
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article137197175 - Alexander reported wounded, Queensland Casualty list, 9th Battalion.

Admitted to hospital 9.7.1915 (gastroenteritis, dangerously ill).

Alex is resting at the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt. Plot B Grave 324.

Mr. Davies’s name has been inscribed on the Hamilton (Gregson Park) War Memorial, Wickham Superior Public School Roll of Honour, Newcastle Central Methodist Mission Roll of Honour, Newcastle (Brown Street) Congregational Church Roll of Honour, Hamilton Presbyterian Church (Scots Kirk) Roll of Honour and The Capt. Clarence Smith Jeffries (V.C.) and Pte. William Matthew Currey (V.C.) Memorial Wall. Name not inscribed on the Hamilton Municipal District Roll of Honor.

Place of Association – Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.

I have placed poppies at the Davies memorialised gravesite in remembrance of their son’s service and supreme sacrifice for God, King & Country. PRESBYTERIAN-15SE. 38.

Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks.

Alexander John Davies served at the Landing at Anzac and was wounded in action, a gunshot wound to the thigh. He was evacuated to Alexandria in Egypt aboard the Clan McGillivray and must have written the following account from there, which appeared in the Goulburn Evening Penny Post 17 June 1915.
Private A. J. Davies, who was wounded at the Dardanelles, writing to his parents at Hamilton, says that after the third brigade, to which he was attached, had landed and begun their charge on the Turkish position "going up the hill was awful. For less than half an hour," he says, "we had the Turks on the run, and our chaps captured a machine gun and lots of ammunition. We pushed them farther back, but by this time lots of our chaps were getting hit. The Turks are not much as rifle shots, but they had a great number of snipers hidden in the high brushwood. We came across some wounded Turks, and one of them shot one of our chaps from behind. He got short shrift, being bayoneted in half a dozen places in as many seconds. By this time, we were nearly a mile inland, and then came the worst part of the battle. The Turks had come back with reinforcements and a howitzer battery, and they pelted us with shrapnel. The transports were arriving by the dozen, and pouring in boatloads of reinforcements for us. The Turkish howitzer never ceased all the morning, and kept going for the best part of the afternoon. At about 4 o'clock Major Robertson (Major Sydney Beresford Robertson) was shot through the lungs, and died almost at once. I was on my way towards the right ridge of the firing line when I got one in the right thigh. I was half way back from the firing line when one of my signal flags was knocked out of my hand. The scene on the beach was remarkable. Doctors, A.M.C. men, and stretcher bearers were attending to the wounded at top speed, and every now and then was heard the whizz of a shrapnel shell as it went past. The wounded were being picked up and sent on to hospital ships as quickly as they could be got away. With about 100 others I was put on a large punt, and towed to the transport, which was converted into a hospital ship. There were about 900 wounded, "some dying on board, and the cries of them were pitiful."

Alexander was discharged from hospital in Egypt and went back to Gallipoli to re-join the 9th Battalion on the 21st May 1915. He was again evacuated from Gallipoli and admitted to the 1st A.G.H. in Heliopolis on the 9th July 1915 with severe gastro enteritis. He died the next day, officially, "died of disease", and from his service file, gastro enteritis, dysentery or enteric.

Contact with descendants would be greatly appreciated.

For more detail, see “Forever Remembered “
http://www.commemoratingwarheroes.com/cemetery-main-search/

Lest We Forget.