Wattle Grove, Gilgandra, NSW
414
1st Light Horse Regiment, C Squadron
Served at Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine
Returned to Australia December 1918
Corporal Alexander Lithgow
According to his service record, Alexander Lithgow was a 22 year old farmer of Gilgandra when he enlisted on August 22, 1914. He was one of the first in the district to enlist. He lived at Wattle Grove, Gilgandra NSW with his father, John. His previous service was with the 7th Light Horse for 1 year. The local Light Horse counted as previous service. The medical examination described him as 6’ tall, 12 stone with a fair complexion, blue eyes, sandy hair and no distinctive marks noted.
Alex trained at Roseberry with the 1st Light Horse and embarked from Sydney on the ‘Star of Victorial’ on October 19, 1914 joining the first convoy from Albany Western Australia bound for Egypt. After training at Mena Camp they left for Gallipoli May 9, 1915. Alexander fought with the 1st Light Horse C Company and experienced the horrors of trench fighting on Gallipoli at Pope’ Hill and No 1 Outpost. He left Gallipoli for Mudros on the Hospital Transport ‘Caledonia’ on November 10, 1915, returning to Alexandria December 26, 1915.
He rejoined the 1st Light Horse Regiment in January 1916 and was involved in protecting the Nile Valley from bands of pro-Turkish Senussi Arabs from January to May 1915. On May 14, the 1st Light Horse took part in defending the Suez Canal. They played a significant role in turning back the Turkish advance on the canal at the battle of Romani on 4 August 1916. He would have been involved in pursuing the Turks from the Sinai and up into Palestine.
Alex was assigned to the Australian Army Service Corps with the Australian Mounted Divisional Train in August 1917 and promoted to Corporal. The Army Service Corps was responsible for the transport and provision of troops, supplies and rations other than machinery or ammunition; this included the delivery of mail to the troops.
He commenced his return to Australia from Cairo on HMAT ‘Port Darwin’ on November 15, 1918. He arrived at Sydney December 26, 1918 and was discharged on February 24, 1919.
Alexander was issued the 1914/15 Star, the British War medal and the Victory Medal.
Gilgandra Shire Council presented him with a Certificate of Appreciation which was framed and has hung in his home since then.
