WORNER, Alexander
(Service number 14725)
The building was opened on 22 October 1923. It still stands today (2019) in the Geraldine Domain. (Courtesy of K Close and P McAuliffe )
| First Rank | Sergeant | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 14/07/1890 | Place of Birth | Geraldine, NZ |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 11 January 1916 | Age | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Charles Street, Blenheim, New Zealand | ||
| Occupation | Butcher | ||
| Previous Military Experience | 12th (Nelson) Regiment | ||
| Marital Status | Married | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs A. Warner (wife), Charles Street, Blenheim, New Zealand | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 5th Reinforcements 4th Battalion, H Company | ||
| Date | 26 June 1916 | ||
| Transport | Tahiti or Maunganui | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, New Zealand | Destination | Devonport, England |
| Other Units Served With | 12 Company, 2 Battalion, Canterbruy Infantry Regiment (CIR) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Infantry Regiment | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Western European 1916-1917 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
London Gazette, 28 December 1917, p13575, Rec No 1171: "Operations opposite Warneton - 13th June 1917. For gallantry and devotion to duty. During the advance on the night of the 13th/14th June, this non-commissioned officer led his platoon with great bravery, rushing and capturing an enemy Machine Gun. When the platoons had lost touch during the night, Sergeant Warner under heavy fire, reorganised his men and got them back into the correct positions. He set a fine example of personal bravery to his men."
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 12 October 1917 | Age | 27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Ypres, Belgium | ||
| Cause | Killed in action | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Tyne Cot Memorial, Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | On Memorial wall, Timaru; Geraldine War Memorial; Geraldine Hockey Club Memorial Pavilion plaque; Marlborough War memorial (Blenheim); Roll of Honour (Marlborough) | ||
Biographical Notes
Alexander was the son of Frederick William and Florence May Worner (nee Helem), born on 14 July 1890 (despite his service records recording his year of birth as 1891). He was one of nine children. Alexander later married Elizabeth Jane Worner of Dunbeath Street, Blenheim.
Alexander enlisted on the same day as his 17-year-old brother, Alfred, who also gave a false date of birth and enlisted under the surname Helem. Both brother's stories feature in Josh Scadden's book "Broken Branches: New Zealand Families Who Lost Three Or More Children in the Great War" (Fair Dinkum Publications, 2018).
Two of his brothers, Alfred and George Worner, also served in the war and all three were killed in action.
Sources
Cenotaph (12 August 2013); SCroll submission by K Close, 23 July 2025
External Links
Related Documents
Researched and Written by
Tony Rippin (South Canterbury Museum)
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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