Alexander Cheyne came from the Mintlaw region of Buchan. He joined the 4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders at the beginning of the war and was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant in the 5th Battalion on 2nd October 1915.    He received his orders for the Front on 2nd June 1916 while stationed at Ripon, and sailed for France on board the S.S. Caesarea arriving at Le Harve on 9th June 1916. He was eventually assigned to C Company, number 10 platoon.  In September 1916 he was offered, and accepted,  the position of assistant adjutant.  One of his duties was to write up the Battalion War Diary, which he did until December 1916.  He appears in the Battalion's War Diary for November 1916  on a list of officers and men who did not go into action at Beaumont Hamel, in December 1916 as going on leave and in September 1917 as being sick on leave. In July 1917 he was promoted to Lieutenant.  He again appears in the War Diary for April 1918 as being one of a number of officers returning from leave following the big German attacks and he is listed as one of the officers of the Battalion who was wounded during that month.  

His personal diary covering the period 31st May to 21st November 1916 is held in the Liddle Collection at Leeds University. It is an interesting collection personal details such as letters received and sent, religious quotations, and details of fellow officers and casualties in his platoon. Contact me for further details