Année de naissance: 1890

Lieu de naissance: Burwood, New South Wales, Australia

Profession: Boucher

Pays: Australia

Force armée: Australian Imperial Force

Rang: Sergeant

Numéro de service: 7877

Incorporation date: 2/11/1915

Incorporation nom de lieu: National Park, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

Unités:  —  Australian Field Artillery, 5th Bde. Ammunition Col.  (Dernière unité connue)

Date de décès: 23/07/1917

Lieu de décès: Hill 60, Belgique

Cause du décès: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Âge: 27

British War Medal Médaille

Victory Medal Médaille

Sergeant Alexander Stuart served in the Ammunition Column of the Australian Field Artillery 5th Brigade, part of the 2nd Australian Division Artillery. He enlisted on the 2nd of November 1915 and was assigned as a driver to the Ammunition Column of the Australian Field Artillery 5th Brigade. On the 10th of March 1916 he was promoted to bomber and on the 20th of November 1916 he was promoted to Corporal. On the 1st of June of 1917 he was promoted to Sergeant.
At the start of the month July, the 5th Brigade of the Australian Field Artillery was in Northern-France. On the 6th of July 1917 it received orders to prepare for a move to the Ypres area on the 9th of July. The Brigade arrived in the Ypres area on the 17th of July. It camped in the village of Dikkebus, just southwest of the city of Ypres. On July the 18th the Brigade received instructions to take up positions near “Spoilbank” at the Ypres-Comines Canal. The Brigade would participate in the preliminary shelling of German positions in anticipation of the Third Battle of Ypres, which would erupt in full force on the 31st of July 1917.
The whole Brigade was taken in to action on July the 20th 1917. However the Batteries were shelled by the Germans on arrival, but the Brigade suffered no casualties. New Battery positions were selected, in anticipation of the impending offensive. Thus the Batteries of the Australian Field Artillery 5th Brigade moved to the vicinity of Larch Wood and Hill 60 on the 22nd of July. The Batteries took up positions on the forward slope of Hill 60. However this meant that the Batteries were in full view of the Germans. Although the gun pits and ammunition dumps were carefully camouflaged, the positions were regularly shelled by the German artillery.
Sergeant Alexander Stuart of the Ammunition Column of the Australian Field Artillery 5th Brigade was killed in action by German shelling on the 23rd of July 1917. He likely died while supplying the Batteries of the Australian Field Artillery 5th Brigade, on the eastern slope of Hill 60. He was buried on Hill 60, near the place where he fell. But the grave got lost in the later duration of the offensive. Sergeant Alexander Stuart is now remembered on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial.

5th Australian Divisional Ammunition Column, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 13/78/14). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources utilisées

First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, STUART A). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx. Sources utilisées

Headquarters, 5th Australian Field Artillery Brigade, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 13/33/20). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources utilisées

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1601407

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=593175b8-d2bf-421a-8ec6-160484aaa2ee

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7597555

The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=291116