The video for this story about Syrian-born New Zealand soldier Rizk Alexander screened on Newshub on 23 April 2017.
Originally from the Mount Lebanon area then part of the Ottoman province of Syria, Rizk Alexander had only been in New Zealand for three years when he decided to join the war effort. Very few Ottoman subjects joined the New Zealand forces during the war. From a Lebanese Christian family, Rizk had enlisted in the hope of being able to fight against the Ottomans at either Gallipoli or in the Middle East, but he was instead sent to the Western Front. He proved himself in the fighting but suffered gas poisoning which ended his war service and led to his death in 1924, aged just 27.
Primary Sources
Further Information
- Rizk Alexander's record on the Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph
- Capture of Messines Ridge (NZHistory)
Produced and directed by Anna Cottrell, AC Productions for MediaWorks Newshub. Made with the support of NZ On Air. See full video credits here (pdf)
