Cleland, Alexander

1755 Corporal Alexander Cleland - 10th Light Horse Regiment

Alexander Cleland was born in Lanarkshire Scotland in 1884 to Agnes Cleland. He was educated in Scotland and after leaving school he took up work with horses.

Alexander arrived in Western Australia in the 1900's and took up residence in the South Fremantle/Coogee region. He worked for the next few years as a farmer and horse driver.

On the 24th July 1915 Alexander enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording Alex's physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 8 inches;

Weight - 160lbs;

Chest Measurement - 35-37 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Flaxen.

After his successful enlistment Alex was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp and was assigned to No.20 Training Depot. He requested to go into the Light Horse and was then sent to the 3rd Double Squadron on the 16th August 1915. Alex passed his riding tests and was then assigned to the 11th Reinforcements to the 10th Light Horse Regiment.

He trained with this group in WA for the next few months. On the 1st November 1915 Alex and his group received their embarkation orders and entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Benalla. The ship then set sail for Egypt, reaching there at the end of the month. 

Alex and his group would have been expecting to be sent on to Gallipoli, but with plans in place to evacuated the Dardanelles they were instead retained in Egypt. Alex joined the 10th Light Horse Regiment when they returned to Egypt in January 1916.

Alex was then sent to hospital for a few weeks with influenza but then rejoined his unit when he had recovered. Alex then served with the 10th Light Horse from February to June 1916. He suffered a sprain and was then sent to hospital for a few weeks. Alex rejoined the 10th Light Horse at the end of June 1916.

Alex then served with the 10th Light Horse at the Battle of Romani in August 1916 and then Magdhaba in December 1916 and Rafa in January 1917. After the Rafa action Alex was promoted to Lance Corporal and then remained with the Regiment till August 1917, seeing action at Gaza in April 1917.

Alex spent five days in hospital in August 1917, then returned to the Regiment. He had another visit to hospital on October 12th 1917 but returned to his unit eight days later. Alex then served with the 10th Light Horse in their operations around Beersheba in October 1917 and then the capture of Jerusalem the following month.

In January 1918 the unit was involved in the capture of Jericho and Alex was shortly after promoted to the rank of Corporal. He then served with this unit for the next few months through the Jordan Valley and Es Salt.

On the 19th May 1918 Alex was sent to hospital suffering from sandfly fever. He was sent to the 31st General Hospital at Abbassia. He had a few weeks there and then in the Convalescent Camp and then rejoined the 10th Light Horse Regiment on the 21st June 1918.

He remained with his unit for a month and was then evacuated sick again on the 20th July 1918. He was sent to the 26th Stationary Hospital and remained under medical care till the 24th September 1918. He was then sent to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade Training Regiment.

Alex would remain here till the Armistice. On the 19th November 1918 he then rejoined the 10th Light Horse Regiment. He remained with the regiment for the next five months. On the 6th April 1919 he was then sent to the AIF Camp at Zaggazig for a medical assessment before returning to his unit.

Alex had applied for an extended period of leave to the UK and on the 9th May 1919 he was sent to the AIF details camp to await a transport ship. On the 10th June 1919 Alex left Egypt abord the transport ship Ellenga and departed for England. He was then able to visit family and freinds in Scotland and England.

Alex then remined in the UK until the 22nd September 1919 when he boarded a transport ship Port Sydney back to Australia, arriving at Fremantle on the 4th November 1919.

Alex was discharged from the AIF on the 3rd January 1920. He then returned to Coogee South Fremantle.

In Perth in 1921 he married Grace Marianna Wilhelmina Short and they moved to Bunbury where Alex found work as a Ship's Chandler and was also working for the Bunbury Providoring Company.

In 1921 a daughter Nancy was born, and the family then moved back to South Fremantle in 1923 where their second daughter Margaret was born. They then headed back to Bunbury. Another daughter Grace would soon join the family.

In 1924 Alex found work at Perenjori as the Roads Board secretary. Perenjori is 348 kilometres north of Perth in the northern wheatbelt. Alex and his family were here through the years of the Second World War.

Alex died on the 21st January 1949 at Perenjori. His body was brought back to Perth and he was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.