On the Loos Memorial, France is the name of 101013 Sapper Alexander English, serving with the 225th Field Company (Stockton on Tees)  Royal Engineers who died 04/07/1916.

The son of George and Elizabeth English, of 8, Jameson Road, Norton, Stockton on Tees.

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Tyneside born naval architect George English and his Liverpool born wife Elizabeth (nee Anderson) had married in Belfast in 1892 whilst he was working in the naval dockyards there.  Their first three children were all born in Northern Ireland, Winifred in 1894, Alexander in December 1896 and George in 1901.  Charles was born in Middlesbrough in 1909 when the family had returned to England, and the census two years later shows the family living in Jameson Road, Norton, where the older boys were at school.

The 225th Field Company was raised at Marton Hall, Yorkshire in 1915, but it is not known when Alexander enlisted.

The service record of Lt .L.K. Scott  of 225th contains a statement from Sapper J.C. Oxley as to the fate of a working party that included Sapper English.  It states: “in the first week of July at Festubert, the infantry were ordered to drive the enemy out of his first line, and hold him in the second for an hour to enable us RE’s to demolish the machine gun emplacements.  Sixteen of us went out on the job with Mr Scott and Sergeant Myers.  The enemy were not held long enough and we had to come away with the job unfinished.  Mr Scott, Sergeant Myers, Sapper English and one other did not come back.  I cannot say what became of them, whether prisoners or not”

Alexander English died on 4th July 1916, his body was never recovered and he is remembered on the Loos Memorial.

Acknowledgements: Rev. David Youngson

Alexander English is remembered in Norton on N68.02 and at Stockton in S138.18 page 16.