By GARRY HOWE
AS THE Great War entered its final year the 39th Battalion, made up predominantly of Victorians from the Western District, had at its command a boy from Berwick.
The twice decorated Captain Alexander Thomas Paterson, the son of Mr and Mrs W. Paterson of Clyde Road, was appointed to the battalion with the rank of captain on 1 May 1916 and less than a month later had embarked for the battlefields of Europe.
He was promoted to major in the 11th Machine Gun Company in October 1917 and within months was heading up the 39th as a lieutenant-colonel at the relatively young age of 33.
Paterson had to assume temporary control as the most senior officer left standing during heavy fighting, which eventually led to his promotion as commanding officer of the battalion.
His courage and leadership were recognised on 25 April 1917 – the second anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli, when a Military Cross was gazetted in his name.
During the battle of Messines in Belgium, the 39th Battalion was gassed at Ploegsteert Wood and suffered heavy casualties. As the senior surviving officer, Paterson took command of the 120 remaining men and on 7 June led them in an assault that encountered difficulties.
His Military Cross citation read: “He reorganised and led his battalion with great dash and skill after it had been somewhat disorganised owing to the effect of enemy gas shells. He personally silenced an enemy machine-gun and was responsible for the capture of two others. His courage and fine example had an excellent effect on his men. He was wounded while supervising the consolidation of the line”.
After the war, the Distinguished Service Order was bestowed upon Leiutenant-Colonel Paterson in recognition of his gallant service as an infantry leader.
The DSO citation stated: “His leadership and ceaseless labour in the preservation and care of his men contributed very largely to the successful carrying out of the many operations of the unit while under his command”.
He returned to Melbourne in October 1919 and married Elizabeth Harrison in February the following year in Berwick, before settling in Malvern.
He remained a revered figure within the 39th, writing a book outlining the history of the battalion – The Thirty Ninth, published in 1934.
