The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (1502) Lance Corporal Hubert De Vere Alexander, 4th Field Company Australian Engineers, First World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on (1502) Lance Corporal Hubert De Vere Alexander, 4th Field Company Australian Engineers, First World War.

1502 Lance Corporal Hubert De Vere Alexander, 4th Field Company Australian Engineers
KIA 17 August 1918
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 1 May 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Lance Corporal Hubert De Vere Alexander.

Hubert Alexander, a New South Welshman working in the Western Australian mines, enlisted in October 1914, aged 27. His mining background saw him placed in the 4th Field Company Australian Engineers and sent to Gallipoli. There he stayed until a severe infection in his arm led to several months in hospital in England. He was later awarded a Serbian Gold Medal for his services on Gallipoli.

Alexander went on to serve in France on the Western Front. He was promoted on at least one occasion, but at his own request soon reverted to the base rank of sapper. Alexander's speech impediment was probably the reason for his reluctance to accept promotion or command in any capacity. He had expressed concerns to an officer that this problem would prevent him from being able to give orders effectively.

He continued to struggle with his health, and was hospitalised for extended periods suffering from dysentery and influenza. When out of hospital he served his unit with distinction, setting "a wonderfully high standard of courage and moral pluck under the most adverse conditions". His peers described him as a "very clever man ... a fine mate and a good fellow".

Alexander was tireless in his efforts to collect souvenirs for a future war museum. He was known to carry trophies "over many miles of shockingly bad paths and roads", and at one stage the 4th Field Company Engineers could boast of the "finest collection of any technical unit in the AIF". A small number of these trophies made their way to the Australian War Memorial's collection, where they still exist today.

In August 1918 Hubert Alexander, having finally accepted the rank of lance corporal, and his mate Sapper Alfred Stevens were surveying a light railway level on the Somme. A shell burst next to the two men as they were standing side by side. Alfred Stevens was unhurt, but a large splinter of shell hit Alexander in the side. Despite Stevens' attempts to bind up the wound and fetch help, the medical officer later reported that he must have been killed instantly.

Alexander's death came as a blow to the men in his unit, who held him in high esteem, but also to his family, in which he had been the only surviving son of eight children.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 60,000 others from the First World War. There is no photograph in the Memorial's collection to display beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Lance Corporal Hubert de Vere Alexander, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.