Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Ernest Wright Alexander, (2 October 1870 – 25 August 1934) was a
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
officer and an English recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and
Commonwealth forces.
Military career
Alexander was trained at the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst
The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...
and commissioned into the
Royal Field Artillery as a
second lieutenant on 27 July 1889. He was promoted to
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
on 27 July 1892, and to
captain on 26 December 1899.
Action at Elouges
At the age of 43, as a
major in the 119th Battery
Royal Field Artillery during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry. On 24 August 1914, during the
action of Elouges
The action of Elouges on 24 August 1914 was fought during the First World War. Following the Battle of Mons the British Expeditionary Force was withdrawing, closely followed by the advancing German Army. The British 5th Division was assisted ...
in Belgium, when the flank guard was attacked by a German corps, Alexander handled his battery against overwhelming odds with such conspicuous success that all his guns were saved notwithstanding that they had to be withdrawn by hand by himself and volunteers led by a Captain (
Francis Octavus Grenfell) of the 9th Lancers. This enabled the retirement of the 5th Division to be carried out without serious loss. Subsequently, Major Alexander rescued a wounded man under heavy fire.
He later attained the rank of
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
. His medal group is on display at the
Ashcroft Gallery in the
Imperial War Museum, London.
Death
Alexander died in his 64th year on 25 August 1934 at
Kingsbridge
Kingsbridge is a market town and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population at the ab ...
,
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
, his body was buried at
Putney Vale Cemetery
Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium in southwest London is located in Putney Vale, surrounded by Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park. It is located within of parkland. The cemetery was opened in 1891 and the crematorium in 1938 ...
.
References
Further reading
*
Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross
List of Irish Victoria Cross recipients lists all recipients of the Victoria Cross (post-nominal letters "VC") born on the island of Ireland, together with the date and place of their VC action. The Victoria Cross is the highest war honour of ...
(Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
*
Monuments to Courage
David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 3 ...
(David Harvey, 1999)
*
The Register of the Victoria Cross
''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fo ...
(This England, 1997)
*
VCs of the First World War - 1914
''VCs of the First World War'' is a series of books that list the Victoria Cross recipients of the First World War. The series consists of 13 books written by four different authors, first published under the label Sutton Publishing Limited, part ...
(Gerald Gliddon, 1994)
*Liverpool VCs (James Murphy, Pen and Sword Books, 2008)
External links
Liverpool Echo''(S.W. London)''
(Sold at auction)''
Lot information from the auction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Ernest Wright
1870 births
1934 deaths
British Army major generals
British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross
Royal Artillery officers
British Army generals of World War I
Burials at Putney Vale Cemetery
People educated at Harrow School
Victoria Cross awardees from Liverpool
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Grand Officers of the Order of Aviz
Knights of the Military Order of Savoy
Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross