Alexander Boyne Fotheringham was killed in action on this day in 1915

Alexander Boyne Fotheringham was born 26 April 1894 in Leith. His father, John Fotheringham, was a baker. His mother was Mary Ann (née Boyne). He had an older brother and sister. In 1901, he lived with his parents, older sister Isabella, his maternal grandmother Isabella Boyne, and a servant, at 34 Dudley Ave, In Leith.

He was educated initially at Bonnington Academy in Leith and then attended 
George Heriot's School in Edinburgh.

On leaving school, Alexander worked as a goods clerk at the Leith Walk branch of the Caledonian Railway until the outbreak of war. He had already joined the R.N.V.R. in July 1913 so was called up in August 1914.

On 16 August, Winston Churchill the First Lord of the Admiralty, decided to embody two more naval brigades with surplus men of the Naval Reserve, to join with the Marine Brigade to produce a composite Royal Naval Division. A few petty officers and ratings were transferred from the navy to provide a cadre and some officers were provided by the army but most of the recruits were reservists or men who had volunteered on the outbreak of war. The eight battalions were named after naval commanders, Drake, Benbow, Hawke, Collingwood, Nelson, Howe, Hood and Anson, later being numbered from 1st to 8th. Alexander was attached to the Anson Battalion.

The Royal Naval Division participated in the Siege of Antwerp on 6 October 1914. They were sent there in the hope of boosting Belgian morale. Despite Belgian resistance, the battle for Antwerp was effectively lost by the time the British sailors arrived. Most of the RND was withdrawn before the fall of Antwerp on 9 October although some crossed the Dutch frontier by mistake and were interned for the duration of the war.

In 1915, the RND was sent to Dardanelles and took part in landing at Cape Helles in April 1915.

A section of the RND conducted a feint attack on the northern side of the peninsula at Bulair. At dusk, landing craft carrying troops rowed ashore to deliberately avoid being spotted by the Turks, then returned to the ships under cover of darkness. Lieutenant Bernard Freyberg of the RND swam a mile from a small boat in the cold water to the Turkish coast to light flares so the Turks would believe the troops were bivouacked on the beaches. This was part of a successful diversionary manoeuvre to distract the Turks from the actual landings on April 25, 1915, on the south side of the peninsula at Cape Helles. The division then disembarked at Cape Helles.

In the following months, the RND brigades would participate in the attacks on the Turkish positions towards the Achi Baba hills above Cape Helles. Battles that became known as the Battles of Krithia.

Alexander was killed in action 6 May 1915 and is, today, commemorated on the Helles Memorial.

Leading Seaman Alexander Boyne Fotheringham, Royal Naval Division