Pte
Alexander Sandison McLeod
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 18/02/1898 |
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Place of birth: Wick, Caithness, Scotland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Day laborer |
Army information
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Country: Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 241552 |
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Enlistment place: Golspie, Sutherland, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Seaforth Highlanders, 1/6th Bn. (Morayshire) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 31/07/1917 |
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Place of death: Maison du Rasta, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 19 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 38 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 24/01/1921 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 24/01/1921 |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Alexander Sandison was born in February 1898. He was the first child of Isabella Sandison and Donald McLeod of Wick, Caithness, Scotland. Alexander, like his father, worked as a farm labourer before he joined the army in Golspie, Sutherlandshire. By the summer of 1917 he served with the 1/6th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders (Morayshire), part of the 152nd Brigade, of the 51st (Highland) Division.
On 31 July 1917 the 1/6th Seaforths participated in the opening stage of the Battle of Passchendaele. After the 1/5th Seaforth Highlanders and 1/8th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders had captured the first objective, the 1/6th Seaforths and 1/6th Gordon Highlanders advanced towards the second and third objectives. At the second objective the Seaforths captured Macdonald’s Farm and Wood with the help of a tank and a platoon of the Gordons. The advance continued without resistance till they were forced to dig in at Ferdinand Farm, when they came under heavy fire from positions on the other bank of the Steenbeek stream. Between 3 and 4 p.m. a German counter-attack was checked and taking advantage of the chaotic situation the Seaforths crossed the Steenbeek. Once they had secured a bridgehead opposite Ferdinand Farm, the Seaforths were able to establish posts at Maison du Rasta and Maison du Bulgare. Further German counter-attacks however forced the troops on the Seaforths’ flanks to retreat to the western bank. With their flanks up in the air the Battalion had no choice then to withdraw to the Steenbeek.
Though the attack had been a success, casualties were high. 41 men were killed outright, 177 men were wounded and 21 men went missing. Alexander was killed during the attack on Ferdinand Farm, Maison du Rasta and Maison du Bulgare. Alexander, barely 19 years-old, has no known grave and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
On 31 July 1917 the 1/6th Seaforths participated in the opening stage of the Battle of Passchendaele. After the 1/5th Seaforth Highlanders and 1/8th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders had captured the first objective, the 1/6th Seaforths and 1/6th Gordon Highlanders advanced towards the second and third objectives. At the second objective the Seaforths captured Macdonald’s Farm and Wood with the help of a tank and a platoon of the Gordons. The advance continued without resistance till they were forced to dig in at Ferdinand Farm, when they came under heavy fire from positions on the other bank of the Steenbeek stream. Between 3 and 4 p.m. a German counter-attack was checked and taking advantage of the chaotic situation the Seaforths crossed the Steenbeek. Once they had secured a bridgehead opposite Ferdinand Farm, the Seaforths were able to establish posts at Maison du Rasta and Maison du Bulgare. Further German counter-attacks however forced the troops on the Seaforths’ flanks to retreat to the western bank. With their flanks up in the air the Battalion had no choice then to withdraw to the Steenbeek.
Though the attack had been a success, casualties were high. 41 men were killed outright, 177 men were wounded and 21 men went missing. Alexander was killed during the attack on Ferdinand Farm, Maison du Rasta and Maison du Bulgare. Alexander, barely 19 years-old, has no known grave and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
Sources 6
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"Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Uniform, 2018, pg. 30-31. Sources used |
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"The History of the fifty first (Highland) Division 1914 -1918", Bewsher F.W., Edinburgh, William Blackwood and Sons, 1921, pg. 205-215. Sources used |
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Further reference |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1622232/mcleod,-alexander/ Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
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War Diary Seaforth Highlanders, 1/6th Bn. (Morayshire) http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |