Sam Alexander (Royal Marine)
Samuel Giles William Alexander | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 June 1982 Hammersmith, West London |
| Died | 27 May 2011 (aged 28) Helmand Province, Afghanistan |
| Buried | St. Mary's Churchyard, Bickleigh, South Hams District |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  Royal Marines |
| Years of service | 2006–2011 |
| Rank | Marine |
| Unit | 42 Commando |
| Battles / wars | War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Military Cross |
Samuel Giles William Alexander MC (16 June 1982 - 27 May 2011); also known as Sam Alexander was a Royal Marine awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in 2009 and killed on patrol in Afghanistan in 2011.[1]
Alexander was born in Hammersmith, West London, the son of Stuart Alexander, sports correspondent for The Independent Newspaper,[2] and his wife Serena Kirby, headmistress. He is the grandson of the English poet and non-fiction writer Angela Kirby.
Educated at St Paul's School, London.[3], he joined the Royal Marines in 2006 and was deployed to the War in Afghanistan in 2009 with Kilo Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines. Later that year, he was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery in charging down a group of insurgents with a pistol to provide cover for an injured colleague during Operation Herrick 9. The citation for his award said he carried out his brave actions "despite being completely exposed to heavy and accurate enemy fire".[4][5]
Alexander and his Lieutenant Ollie Augustin were killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on a patrol in 2011 in the Nad-e Ali District of Helmand Province during Operation Herrick 14.[6][7]
He received a funeral with full military honours on June 17, 2011 at the Minster Church of St Andrew's, Plymouth, and was buried at St. Mary's Churchyard, Bickleigh, South Hams District next to 42 Commando base at Bickleigh Barracks.[8][9]
He is survived by his wife Claire and son Leo, and is commemorated with an official plaque on Hammersmith Bridge.[10]
The deaths of Alexander and Lt. Augustin were later cited as mitigating reasons in September 2015 by Richard Drax, UK Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dorset, as part of a motion in the House of Commons to consider the case of Sergeant Alexander Blackman.[11] Blackman had mentored Lt. Augustin and also been deployed as part of Operation Herrick 14 where a number of colleagues had received severe injury or been killed including Alexander and Lt. Augustin. He was convicted in 2013 for murder of an injured Afghan combatant, also referred to as the 2011 Helmand Province incident. His conviction was subsequently overturned and reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to the stresses of war.[12]
See also
- British Forces casualties in Afghanistan since 2001
- Operation Herrick
- 2011 Helmand Province incident
References
- ^ Operations in Afghanistan: Lieutenant Oliver Richard Augustin and Marine Samuel Giles William Alexander MC killed in Afghanistan GOV.UK: Ministry of Defence, 29 May 2011
- ^ Was my son's death in Afghanistan a price worth paying? The Independent, Stuart Alexander, 30 May 2011
- ^ Remembering Marine Sam Alexander MC (1995-98) Old Pauline Club: St Paul's School, London
- ^ Operations in Afghanistan: Lieutenant Oliver Richard Augustin and Marine Samuel Giles William Alexander MC killed in Afghanistan GOV.UK: Ministry of Defence, 29 May 2011
- ^ Military Cross for Marine who charged at Taliban The Independent, Cahal Milmo, 11 September 2009
- ^ Royal Marine killed in Afghanistan was awarded Military Cross for bravery, The Telegraph, Murray Wardrop, 29 May 2011
- ^ Operations in Afghanistan: Lieutenant Oliver Richard Augustin and Marine Samuel Giles William Alexander MC killed in Afghanistan GOV.UK: Ministry of Defence, 29 May 2011
- ^ Funeral for Military Cross marine Sam Alexander, BBC News, 17 June 2011
- ^ Samuel Giles William Alexander , Find A Grave, 30 May 2011
- ^ A fallen hero remembered as UK troops leave Helmand Province MyLondon: News, Camilla Horrox, 27 October 2014
- ^ Sgt Alexander Blackman (Marine A) Hansard: Volume 599 - Column 339WH, 16 September 2015
- ^ Marine A: How six months of 'hell' led to killing of Taliban insurgent, Hayley Dixon, 28 March 2017