MATHIESON, Alexander Victor 58005
Twin brother of William Alfred Mathieson (63365) and cousin of William Harper Mathieson (61337). Alexander (Alex or Sandy) was the eldest twin son of George and Mary Frances Mathieson, then of Limehills in Southland. Alex and his twin brother left school at 12 and worked in a flaxmill then in a contract cartage business run by their father.
When the twins joined up in 1917 they resolved to stick together at all costs, but the army had other ideas. Alex was placed in the 16th Waikato company and Bill in the 6th Hauraki (the same company as my great-uncle Colin Matheson). Alex had the usual close shaves while at the front line, but survived the war and returned to farming and contracting around Southland. He married Mabel Twemlow and they had four children (Ian Alexander, Muriel Deluen, George Hamilton and Ewen Malcolm). For much of his life Alex was an enthusiastic member of pipe bands around Southland. He died in 1979 aged 83.
Source: South Ardoyne to Southland; history of John and Isabella Mathieson and descendants.