WORKING NOTES

Born 2/12/1894, Swansea. Parents - Alexander Ernest & Eliza Jane

- Bapt 16 Jan 1895, Christ Church, Swansea. Add-73 Argyle St. Dads Occ-Wagon Builder. DOB 2/12/1894

1901 - 73 Argyle St, Swansea. 6yo. W parents & 5 sibs

1911 - 31 Nicholl St, Swansea. 16yo. Occ-Clerk, Ship Broker. W parents, 2 sibs and sis-in-law

1914 - ROH Cambria Daily Leader, 9/9/1914. MESSRS ARTHUR ANDREWS & CO. A Buckland (Welsh Howitzer Brigade)

1918 - Married Eva Amelia Buxton, 25 Jun 1918, St James, Swansea. Occ-Soldier. Add-31 Nicholl St. Amelia from Bungay, Suffolk where 2nd Line was based.

1921 - Gower Rd, Sketty. 26y7m. Occ-Clerk, A Andrews & Co Ltd. Ship Owners, Brokers & Coal Exporters. W wife Eva & Denis Henry (1920)

1939 - 10 Gower Rd, Swansea. DOB 2/12/1894. Occ-Road Transport Accounts Clerk. W wife, Eva A & Denis (1920)

1961 - Admitted New York w Canadian Citizenship. Add-114 Bimbrook Rd, Scarboro, Ontario. W Denis & Fam

19 - Died aged

Alex Buckland enlisted in the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade in the lead-up to the Great War. Unfortunately, his service record was destroyed during the Blitz, and very few official records have survived. However, thanks to a series of photographs and pictures preserved by his family, it is still possible to piece together aspects of his service.

A. Buckland was a pre-war Territorial soldier, enlisting as a Driver in the 1st Glamorgan Battery. The first record mentioning him appears in an article about the 1st Glamorgan Battery’s Annual Dinner in the Cambria Daily Leader from February 1914:

"Major Trevor Gregor's annual dinner to the 1st Glamorgan Battery of the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade which was given at the Swansea Drill Hall last night was a highly successful event, about 140 members of the battery and guests were present....

His prizes for the best gun layer, gunner and driver, were won by Shoeing-smith Frost, Bombadier Savage, and Driver Buckland respectively."

- Cambria Daily Leader, 25 February 1914 (WNO)

Dvr Buckland would have been on his way to Summer Camp when war was declared and would have quickly returned to Swansea. As a Territorial, he would have been embodied for War Service on 6 August 1914 and moved with the Brigade to Shrewsbury immediately after. At the start of September, he would have moved to Northampton and just before Christmas 1914, he would have moved to Cambridge.

A surviving postcard, treasured by his family, also confirms that he was in Cambridge for Christmas 1914:

25 Dec 1914: Dear Mother,

Just a few lines to let you know I arrived in Cambridge alright. I’m in a very comfortable billet. I am still quite well. I have written to [??] and sent him a box of raisonettes. You can tell Alice she can send me Christmas pudding addressed: A. Buckland, Norwich St, Cambridge.

It is likely that Dvr Buckland moved, with the Brigade, to Bedford in May 1915 and at some point during 1915, he transferred to the 2nd Line. The next surviving record, from late December 1915, indicates that he acted as a witness at a Court Martial in St Neots, where the 2nd Line was based. This document lists his rank as Corporal.

The 2nd Line remained in the Bedford/St Neots area until November 1916, when they moved to Norfolk. Several surviving photos indicate that Cpl Buckland was stationed in Bungay, where the 343rd Brigade was based at this time.

His granddaughter provided additional information:

"He told me stories that he was like an assistant to one of the higher-ups."

This, along with several references to HQRA in surviving documents, suggests that Cpl Buckland may have been transferred to the Headquarters of the 68th (2nd Welsh) Division Royal Artillery, where he likely used his civilian skills as a clerk. His granddaughter shared an amusing story from this time:

”He loved the story of when he was at some kind of mess hall.. there was one officer that he thought was a loud mouth .. Friendly guy but loud. Certain things were rare to eat and when my grandfather saw they had lettuce hearts he was very excited. He took his knife and cut it in half.. inside he saw a big fat juicy slug. So he closed up the lettuce and put it back on his plate. Just when this other officer came up to him and said “ Hi Alex not going to eat that.” The man grabbed it before my grandfather could talk and stuck it in him mouth and ate it. Slug and all. This made my grandfather laugh his head off.“

It is reasonable to assume that Corporal A. Buckland ended the war in Norfolk. His granddaughter also shared one final anecdote about his horse, Blotten:

"The Blotten story was that they were running out of horses. They usually used black or bay horses, but these were becoming harder to find. Blotten was a white horse with black blotches. My grandfather was very impressed with him—strong and brave. After the war, the horses were returned to their original owners. My grandfather and his new wife went to the farm where Blotten lived. My grandfather called him, and Blotten came running to him, so happy to see him. That was a story that gave him joy. They were partners and had forged a bond."