Alec was born on 18 June 1921 in Stepney, London to Judah and Fanny nee Weinstein and he had an older brother Joseph. In 1939 the family lived at 34 Durward Street, Stepney and Judah and Joseph worked as boot and shoe clickers and Alec was a book keeper.

Alec enlisted at Cardington in 1940 and joined 211 Squadron. In January 1942, 211 Squadron was sent to the Far East to operate from Sumatra and Java against the Japanese. The squadron suffered heavy casualties, losing ten aircraft and 19 aircrew killed or missing during operations from 6 February to 21 February 1942. By the first week of March, Allied forces were withdrawing from Java but only 87 of 211 Squadron’s personnel were evacuated before the surrender on 8 March 1942. At least 340 personnel of the squadron were taken prisoner by the Japanese, of whom 179 died in captivity. Alec was one of these men and he was a prisoner of war at Jesselton and Sandakan camps in Borneo. Alec died on 1 June 1945 while a prisoner of war at Sandakan Number 2 Camp, where he had been moved to during the Sandakan ‘death marches.’ He was reported by the Japanese authorities to have succumbed to acute enteritis. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial.

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