8 medals a) Queens South African Medal with bars: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg b) 1914-15 Star c) British War Medal d) Victory Medal e) Canadian Volunteer Service Medal f) 1939-1945 War Medal g) Colonial Auxiliary Long Service Medal (George V) h) Colonial Auxiliary Officers Decoration.

Aleck Sinclair,  served in all three of Canada’s official wars – South Africa, WWI and WWII.

Private Aleck Sinclair of the 48th volunteered for South Africa with the first contingent in 1899 and served with 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry. Upon returning to Canada in 1901, he continued with the 48th, rising to sergeant.

In September 1914, Sergeant-Instructor Sinclair volunteered for service with the 15th Battalion (48th Highlanders) overseas.  He was commissioned and deployed overseas as a Lt platoon commander in N0.4 Coy through the battles of Festubert and St Julien.  In July 2015 he was appointed Captain to command No 1 Coy. 3-Jun-16  found him and his company in the assembly area near Zillebeke waiting to attack Mount Sorrel’s Observatory Ridge. Twenty four hours later, his company was decimated and he was evacuated having been wounded in one of the 15th Battalions bloodiest actions – 76 Highlanders killed and 177 were wounded.  Sinclair received shrapnel wounds in the back and neck, was then buried alive and unconscious by a second explosion until dug out of the debris.  He returned to Canada for convalescence. He was promoted to Major on 1-Oct-17 and employed within HQ No 2 Military District.

Maj Alek Sinclair continued to serve in the 48th Highlanders during the period between the two World Wars, retiring in 1938. With the advent of the Second World War he volunteered once again, serving until 1944 in a training capacity in the home battalion and shortly as Officer Commanding Bermuda Defense Forces.

He was named Chieftain, Clan Sinclair, in 1963 and was active in the St Andrews Society.