HOUSTON, Alexander
| Service Number: | 2172 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Torrensville, South Australia, 8 April 1882 |
| Home Town: | Torrensville, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Thebarton Protestant School, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Sawyer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 5 November 1916, aged 34 years |
| Cemetery: |
AIF Burial Ground, Grass Lane, Flers, France AIF Burial Ground, Flers, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Glenelg and District WW1 & WW2 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 31 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2172, 27th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 2172, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2172, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Adelaide | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 2172, 27th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Alexander Houston's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Glenunga International High School
Name: Alexander Houston
Birthdate: The 8th of April 1882
Service No.: 2172
Enlistment Date: The 31st of March 1915
Fate: Killed in action
Rank: Private
The reason why Alexander Houston went to war is unknown. It might have had something to do with friends joining the Allies. When he was killed a man wrote about him and his death, and wrote that the soldiers in the trenches nicknamed him Alec
It was first assumed that due to the fact that he was reported missing before reported dead, there were no eyewitnesses to his death. But it was later reported that he was killed in action. And on closer inspection of the letter of his death, it was said that he was killed by a shell in a direct hit on his head. Unfortunately, Houston never saw the end of the war. He died before the end.
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