Charles Stewart Alexander

Born 1 Apr 1895 - Died 23 Aug 1970

Service number: WWI 32495 AWMM
WWII N/N AWMM
Also known as: —
Armed force / branch: Army AWMM
Last rank: Inter War Lieutenant/Military AWMM
War: World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM

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Charles Stewart Alexander — C.S. Alexander behind. C.S. Alexander Album, Alexander, Charles Stewart, 1895-1970, photographer,1916-1918, PH-ALB-404 loose 29. Image has no known copyright restrictions. No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Wars and conflicts

War: World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
Campaign: 1914-1919 AWMM Western Front AWMM
Armed force / branch: Army AWMM
Service number: WWI 32495 AWMM
WWII N/N AWMM
Military service: Second Lieutenant, 4th (Waikato) Mounted Rifles (? - 1916). AWMM
Auckland Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion AWMM
Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers: —

Military decorations

Medals and Awards: Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) AWMM
Citation for Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM): "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in an attack. He led a small party on his own initiative to fill a gap between his company and another unit. He rushed a pill-box which was inflicting casualties on two battalions and captured thirty prisoners and three machine guns. He showed the greatest initiative and courage throughout." (London Gazette, 26 November 1917) AWMM
British War Medal (1914-1920) AWMM
Victory Medal AWMM

Training and Enlistment

Military training: —
Branch Trade Proficiency: —
Enlistment: WW1 25 Jul 1916 AWMM
Age 21 AWMM
Farmer/Civilian AWMM
Age on enlistment: —
Occupation before enlistment: —

Embarkations

Embarkation details: WW1 13 Feb 1917-02 May 1917 AWMM
HMNZT 77 AWMM Vessel was Mokoia AWMM Sergeant AWMM 22nd Reinforcements, E Company AWMM New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM

Medical history

Medical notes: Hospital Diseases , Wounds, WWI AWMM
Wounded on 28 March 1918. Admitted to 1st Canadian General Hospital, France. Transferred to St George's Hospital, London, England, on 1 April 1918. Discharged to Codford on 14 September 1918. AWMM

Last known rank

Last rank: Inter War 17 Sept 1919 AWMM Lieutenant/Military AWMM
Last rank: —

Biographical information

Charles Stewart Alexander was born at Mangapiko, Waikato, on 1 April 1895, the son of Charles Monrath Alexander. Before World War I he farmed approximately 500 acres at Pokuru, near Te Awamutu. Prior to his overseas service, he served with the 4th (Waikato) Mounted Rifles, Territorial Force, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in November 1914.

Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira holds Alexander’s correspondence in Charles Stewart Alexander – Letters to cousin Amy Reid, 1916–1918 (MS-1992-70). The twelve surviving letters, individually numbered MS-1992-70-1 to MS-1992-70-12, document his training, voyage overseas and service on the Western Front. They were made accessible through Pou Kanohi New Zealand at War. The Museum also holds his wartime photograph album (PH-ALB-404).

Alexander enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on 25 July 1916. While training at Trentham Military Camp, he wrote regularly to his cousin Amy Reid about military routines and the importance of receiving news from home. He described letters as “the only connecting link with the outside world” (MS-1992-70-2).

In a later letter from Trentham, Alexander reflected on the reasons for serving. He wrote that it was “not a case of Honour or Glory for they are not worth a rap but it is a plain case of Duty that must be done” (MS-1992-70-3).

Alexander embarked as a sergeant with E Company, 22nd Reinforcements, aboard HMNZT 77 Mokoia on 13 February 1917. His letters written aboard the ship describe the long voyage, encounters at sea and his reflections on war as a test of character (MS-1992-70-5; MS-1992-70-6).

After further training in England, Alexander joined the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Infantry Regiment on the Western Front. In a letter dated 10 July 1917, he described seeing the Messines battlefield and the devastation caused by artillery. After observing cultivated fields damaged by shellfire, he wrote that he “realised for the first time the awfulness of war” (MS-1992-70-7).

Alexander’s letters record the rain, mud, bombardments and casualties experienced during trench warfare. In August 1917 he wrote that, when he returned home, his “one desire will be to utterly & absolutely forget many things” he had witnessed. He also expressed admiration for the endurance and cheerfulness of the soldiers around him despite conditions that were sometimes beyond description (MS-1992-70-8).

Shortly before the fighting at Passchendaele, Alexander described his feelings as a mixture of curiosity and eagerness, while recognising that he was only a “small cog” within a much larger military organisation (MS-1992-70-9).

On 4 October 1917, during the attack at Gravenstafel, Alexander displayed conspicuous gallantry when he led a small party to close a gap between his company and a neighbouring unit. He then rushed a German pillbox that was causing casualties to two battalions, capturing 30 prisoners and three machine guns. For his courage, initiative and leadership he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

Writing on 3 November 1917, Alexander reflected on the inadequacy of published accounts of the fighting. He believed that newspaper reports would provide a glowing description, but wrote that even a correspondent’s pen could not give Amy a true idea of events and that “writing is too inadequate to describe it all” (MS-1992-70-10). The same letter describes his thoughts before an attack, the violence of the fighting and his intervention to prevent an enraged New Zealand soldier from killing a young German prisoner.

In December 1917 Alexander described the bitter cold, the fighting around the ridges near Passchendaele and the bombardment preceding the attack of 4 October. He also recorded some of the most disturbing sights he had witnessed in Flanders and expressed hope that future Christmases would be spent at home (MS-1992-70-11).

An undated letter written from France contrasts the beauty of the countryside with the effects of war. Alexander described French civilians continuing to work despite nearby gunfire, the mental strain experienced by soldiers and the loss of approximately 40 men from a company of 120. He also recalled helping French women stook wheat and assisting an elderly farmer (MS-1992-70-12).

Alexander was wounded on 28 March 1918 and admitted to No. 1 Canadian General Hospital in France. He was transferred to St George’s Hospital in London on 1 April. Following his recovery, he returned to New Zealand and was appointed lieutenant on 17 September 1919. He received the Distinguished Conduct Medal, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

During World War II, Alexander again served in the New Zealand Military Forces, although he did not embark for overseas service.

After World War I he returned to farming and became prominent in the Waikato dairying industry and local government. He served as a director of the Kakepuku Dairy Company and later as a director and chairman of the Te Awamutu Dairy Company. He was a Waipa County councillor for 23 years, including ten years as deputy chairman, and represented the council on the Waikato Valley Authority. He also served on the Te Awamutu Electric Power Board and held senior positions within the National Party organisation.

Alexander founded the Pokuru Golf Club. The Stewart Alexander Golf and Country Club was later named in recognition of his long association with and contribution to the Pokuru district.

Charles Stewart Alexander died on 23 August 1970, aged 75, and was buried at Birkenhead-Glenfield Cemetery, Auckland. AWMM

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Charles Stewart Alexander