CLINGAN, Alexander Stanley
| Service Number: | 3168 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Waterloo, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, November 1893 |
| Home Town: | Newtown (NSW), Inner West, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | St Peters, Newtown, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway Worker |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery Plot III, Row E, Grave No 8 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Newtown Superior Public School Great War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3168 | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Oct 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3168, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Oct 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3168, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Warilda, Sydney | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3168, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3168 awm_unit: 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Alexander Stanley CLINGAN, (Service Number 3168) was born in November 1893. He was working in the Railways before he joined the AIF on 8th August 1915 at the age of 21. He was born in Waterloo, Sydney, and listed his mother as his next of kin because his father had died. He was in Tel-el-Kebir in early 1916. On 7th February 1916 Alexander was in trouble after being absent from a parade. He was then transferred to the 53rd Battalion on 13rd February 1916.
On 13th May 1916, he was in trouble again after neglecting to obey orders. This resulted in him being given 14 days Field Punishment No. 2. On 21st May 1916, he returned from Detention at Ferry Post. On 19th July 1916, he embarked to join the British Expeditionary Force from Alexandria (Egypt). He disembarked at Marseille (France) on 28th June 1916.
He was reported missing in action in France on 19th July 1916. A letter was sent to his mother, inquiring as to whether she had heard anything from him, but she had not. In her letter, she mentioned his presence at the Battle of Fromelles, so it is possible that it was in this battle that he died. She reported that his mates saw him ‘go over on that date [the 19th of July] but did not see him again’.
On 13th March 1917, an Identification Disc was received from Germany by the Administrative Headquarters in London. It was reported that ‘no particulars were afforded except that solider is deceased’. He was recorded as killed in action in France on 19th July 1916. His mother received the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal on his behalf.
Alexander Clingan’s remains were identified in a mass grave at Pheasant Wood in 2009. After DNA analysis his body was identified and his remains re-interred in an identified grave in the new Pheasant Wood Cemetery.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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