FAMILY LIFE

Alexander Lindsey Eden McNaught was born in Bega in 1892, son of Alexander & Ellen Caroline (Grant) McNaught. He was one of 7 children, with at least 11 step brothers & sisters from his father’s previous two marriages. His brother, Cyril, also enlisted in WWI. There is no record of when the McNaught family moved to Murwillumbah but they settled in Uki.

APPLICATION

He was single bridge builder, eager to do his bit. He travelled to Brisbane on 18^th February 1916 to complete his application which showed his next of kin as his mother, Ellen, of Smith Creek, Uki

His medical showed he was 22 years 6 months old, 5ft 7 ½ inches tall (1.71m), weighed 133 lbs (60kgs), with a fresh complexion, blue eyes & brown hair.  His eyesight was good. The Examining Medical Officer stated that Alexander “can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service.”  On the second page of the Attestation Paper, he made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Alexander Lindsey Eden McNaught, swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … SO HELP ME, GOD.” 

Alexander was Presbyterian.  He had a scar on his right thumb. He was enlisted as a private into the 11th Australian Depot Unit of Supply with no service number issued

TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA

As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, they trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 36 feet by 22 feet (10.97 x 6.7 metres). Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together

Now training for the new recruits began. Firstly, the men received their vaccinations for smallpox, rabies & plague, then a recruit had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service. It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave

Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas. The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.

This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training would take several months

The recruits were issued with their uniform: a khaki woollen jacket, heavy cord breeches and the famous slouch hat – turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge. A soldier’s equipment also included a dixie (mess tin), water bottle, mug, .303 Lee-Enfield rifle and bayonet.

HOSPITALISED MEASLES MARCH 1916

While in the training camp Alexander caught measles. Measles is a very contagious viral illness. It is best known for its characteristic red blotchy rash. Measles can be very serious. The measles virus attacked the respiratory epithelium but the real risk was that the compromised pulmonary defences of the immunosuppressed soldier would succumb to a secondary infection when respiratory bacteria descended into the lungs to cause pneumonia, which it did with William.  There were no antibiotics in WWI so doctors focused on managing symptoms and preventing complications through measures like bed rest which was crucial to allow the body to conserve energy and fight the infection, oxygen therapy which helped patients breathe easier & managing complications by focusing on treating complications like secondary bacterial infections. Unfortunately, Alexander also caught pneumonia, which is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus

Without antibiotics, bacterial pneumonia had very high fatality rates, especially in overcrowded military hospitals.

DEATH

Alexander was not able to fight both these diseases and died on 22^nd March 1916 in the Enoggera Army Hospital

FOR HIS SERVICE

His memorial scroll & memorial plaque were sent to his father on 28^th March 1923.  He was buried in the Murwillumbah Old Cemetery. His is one of three war graves [WWI] there but Murwillumbah Old Cemetery has been turned into a park. The graves were private family graves and maintained by the families. The headstones of the war casualties were removed and they are now commemorated on a plaque

If you have any additional information about this individual, we invite you to email us at rsl@msmc.org.au.