Lieutenant Derrick Vionnee ALEXANDER (85314)
155th Light Antiaircraft Battery, 52nd (East Lancashire) Light Antiaircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery

Date of birth: 1st July 1919
Date of death: 26th April 1941

Killed in action aged 21
Commemorated on the Athens Memorial Face 2
He was born at Great Crosby, Lancashire on the 1st of July 1919, the only son of Frederick Vionnee Alexander, civil engineer for Liverpool Corporation, and Ina Florence Limrick (nee Keene) of Blakey House, Colne, Lancashire.

He was educated at Charney Hall, Grange-over-Sands, and at the King's School Canterbury from September 1933 to July 1937, where he was in School House and was a King's Scholar and a monitor. He was also stroke of the School IV, and Captain of Boats in 1936 and 1937.

On the outbreak of war he was a Lieutenant in the 155th Battery, 52nd Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, known as the "Burnley Boys", and he landed in France with them on the 20th of September 1939.

While serving in France he wrote the following which was published in the Cantuarian in December 1939:-

"I expect it will come as something of a surprise to you to hear that I am already in France. This regiment has been the second Territorial Army unit to arrive over here, the first beating us to it by two days."

During the Battle of France the regiment was credited with the destruction of 102 enemy aircraft before they were evacuated back to the UK at the end of May.

In October 1940 the 155th Battery disembarked in Egypt where it was attached to the 4th Royal Horse Artillery, fighting with them up to the battle for El Agheila. In March 1941 they sailed for Greece to rejoin the rest of their regiment.

His unit became part of "W" Force which was put together following the German invasion of Greece on the 6th of April 1941 and on the 21st of April they were deployed along the Molos to Longos road.

On the 26th of April 1941 the battery was situated near Corinth and Derrick Alexander's troop was overwhelmed by German paratroopers while the rest of his unit was able to escape to Crete.

He is commemorated on the war memorial at Charney Hall School and on the memorial at Colne.
School House

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