Pte. Oswald Alexander 187th Batt. June 25th, 1917

Pte. Oswald Lynn Alexander    883652

Oswald Lynn Alexander was born in Warsaw, Ontario on April 21, 1898.  His birth records list his father as J.L Alexander and mother as Alice Lynn.   By 1911, Oswald was living with his mother and step father, John Davie, in Crossfield, Alberta.

Oswald Alexander's full Military Service Record
is Available at Library & Archives Canada

Oswald Alexander enlisted into the 187^th Battalion in the town of Crossfield, Alberta on July 17^th 1916.  He was single, listed his occupation as farmer and indicated that he had no previous military experience.  He was 18 years old, stood 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighed 147 lbs.,  had a fresh complexion, with brown hair and eyes.  He listed his religion as Presbyterian.

Upon arriving in Seaford training camp in England on December 26^th 1916, the 187^th Battalion was broken up and its ranks reassigned to other units.  Also at this time Pte. Alexander was beset by a case of the mumps which had him hospitalized for 51 days.  Upon recovery he spent some time in two Canadian reserve battalions 21^st reserve & 187^th reserve) stationed in England, and was later transferred to the 50^th Battalion (Alberta Regiment) and joined them in France on May 22^nd 1917.  On June 25, a little over one month landing in France, Pte. Alexander, was killed by an enemy shell hitting the dugout which he was occupying in the front lines. He was buried in a grave behind the lines where he fell, 1 ½ miles South-southwest of Lens, France.  After the War his body was recovered and relocated to La Chaudière Military Cemetery, in Vimy, France.  Pte. Oswald Alexander is commemorated on the Dummer Township Cenotaph in Warsaw, Ontario.

Sources:

Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Births and Stillbirths – 1869-1913. MS 929, reels 1-245. Toronto, Ontario,

Canada: Archives of Ontario.

Canada. "Census returns for 1916 Census of Prairie Provinces." Statistics of Canada Fonds, Record Group 31-C-1.

LAC microfilm T-21925 to T-21956. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.

Canada. "Soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918)." Record Group 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 4930 - 35.

Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.

War Graves Registry: Circumstances of Death Records. Record Group 150, 1992–1993/314, Boxes 145–238. Library

and Archives Canada. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

War Graves Registry: Circumstances of Death Records; (RG150, 1992-1993/314, Boxes 39-144); Library and Archives

Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.

Library and Archives Canada. Census of Canada, 1911. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada,

2007.  Series RG31-C-1. Statistics Canada Fonds. Microfilm reels T-20326 to T-20460.a