Henderson, Alexander

Alexander was born in 1895 in Cowley, Oxfordshire. He was baptised at St James Church, Cowley on 3rd February 1895.  Alexander was the youngest of nine children. He had two brothers George and William and six sisters Jane, Harriet, Mary (who died in 1911 aged 28), Margaret, Ann and Isabella.

Alexander’s father, George, was a career soldier and in 1901 he was a quartermaster sergeant and the family were based at the Cowley Military Barracks.

By 1911 George was living with his wife Harriet and three youngest daughters at 20 Guy’s Cliffe Terrace and he was an army pensioner superintending clerk. George died in 1913 aged 62. Harriet died in Warwick in 1949 aged 91.

All three sons followed in their father’s footsteps and joined the 1st Battalion, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. In 1911 Alexander, aged 16, was a ‘boy’ soldier serving with his brothers George, 18 years his senior and William 9 years older in India. George was a colour sergeant and William a corporal. Both survived the war and when William married in 1919 he was a company sergeant major.