| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | REL45709 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Heraldry |
| Physical description | Bronze |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London |
| Date made | c 1921 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
Next of kin plaque : Lieutenant Alexander Logan Nathan Maxwell-Moffat, 2nd Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment
Description
Bronze next of kin plaque, showing on the obverse, Britannia holding a laurel wreath, the British lion, dolphins, a spray of oak leaves and the words 'HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR' around the edge. Beneath the main figures, the British lion defeats the German eagle. The initials 'ECP', for the designer Edward Carter Preston appear above the lion's right forepaw. A raised rectangle above the lion's head bears the name 'ALEXANDER LOGAN NATHAN MAXWELL-MOFFAT'.
History / Summary
Born in Jersey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom in 1889 Alexander Logan Nathan Maxwell-Moffat was the son of Scottish born and trained Doctor Robert Maxwell-Moffat and his wife Mary. Educated at Victoria College he was a keen officer cadet.
Maxwell-Moffat entered the army through his militia service, being gazetted a second lieutenant in the 2nd (East) Battalion of the Royal Militia Island of Jersey in 1910, the year his father died. He was posted to the West Yorkshire Regiment at the end of the year and joined his regiment in India where he transferred to the 2nd Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment at the end of 1911. He was promoted lieutenant in February 1914, and for a time was Brigade Signalling Officer at Poonah.
During the First World War Maxwell-Moffat was wounded on 17 November 1914, near Sahil in Mesopotamia, while serving with the Indian Expeditionary Force in the Persian Gulf. He died on 21 November, aged 24 years. He is buried in the Basra War Cemetery. His commanding officer wrote: 'He was a most promising young officer. He was severely wounded while most gallantly bringing up the machine guns (of which he had charge) to the front, under a heavy fire, to assist his sorely pressed comrades.'
Maxwell-Moffat's widowed mother, Mary Ellen Maxwell-Moffat, emigrated to Australia after 1914 and some time before 1918, where she lived initially at Port Augusta, South Australia, before settling in Melbourne. This commemorative plaque was sent to her in Australia.