Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec)
Raws
Male
Australia
1883-09-21
Manchester, England
1916-08-22
Near Pozieres, Somme, Picardy, France
From https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/354901:
John Alexander (Alec) Raws was the son of a vicar, the Reverend John Garrard Raws of Gwenholme, No. 76 Cheltenham Street in Malvern, a southern suburb of Adelaide. He and his brother Robert (Goldy) had been born in the United Kingdom in 1883 and 1886 respectively and after emigrating to Australia with the family in 1894, the boys had been educated at Adelaide’s Prince Alfred College.
Both brothers later moved to Melbourne; Alec was a journalist and his brother was a warehouseman. He and his brother both enlisted in Melbourne. It appears that Goldy was the first to enlist although there is no enlistment date recorded, but he embarked in May 1915. Alec enlisted in June 1915 but did not embark until March 1916. Because they enlisted in Melbourne, neither appear on the Adelaide National War Memorial.
Alec’s brother, Goldy Raws served in the 22nd Battalion. Alec’s Battalion was part of the 2nd Division and after a period in the line near Armentières the 1st 2nd and 4th Divisions moved south to the Somme during June/July of 1916. The Australian Imperial Force’s contribution began on 23rd July at Pozières. Over the next five weeks, the AIF would suffer over 23,000 casualties, of whom over 5,000 were killed. Both of the Raws brothers were among the dead: Goldy was killed in action on 28 July near Pozières, and "Alec" on 23 August near Mouquet Farm.
Alec was a journalist, which is reflected in his writing, much of which has survived his brief but violent combat experience – about one month in all. His is among the most vivid of accounts of the fighting at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm, and all the while it is laced with a sense of impending doom.
1904 - 1914
0
10
4
Round 1
Samuel Percival England 1 *
Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec) Raws
6-4
6-4
2-6
ret.
Round 1
Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec) Raws 1 *
bye
Quarterfinals
Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec) Raws 1 *
Charles Richard Cowling
6-3
6-4
3-0
ret.
Semifinals
Justin Leyden O'Dea 1 *
Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec) Raws
7-5
6-0
3-0
ret.
Round 1
Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec) Raws 1 *
bye
Round 2
Norman Brookes 1 *
Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec) Raws
6-1
6-1
6-2
Round 1
Royston Calder (Roy) Whitelaw 1 *
Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec) Raws
2-6,
6-4,
6-4,
1-2,
ret.
Round 1
Arthur O'Hara Wood 1 *
Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec) Raws
6-0
6-3
6-2
Round 1
Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec) Raws 1 *
bye
Quarterfinals
James Dickson Cramond 1 *
Second Lieutenant John Alexander (Alec) Raws
6-1
6-8
6-3
6-0