Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Benjamin Anderson a Leather Merchant, born 1846 in Leeds, Yorkshire and his wife Sarah M., born 1848 in Douglas, Isle of Man. Alexander Douglas was born in 1887 in Leicester, his siblings were Willie T., born 1877 in London, Florence, born 1879 in Leicester and Harry R., born 1880 in Leicester, in 1891 the family home was at Monaville, Knighton Drive, Knighton, Leicester. In March 1901 Aexander was a Schoolboy and the family home was at The Cottage, Elms Road, Leicester. In April 1911 Alexander was employed in the family business as a Leather Merchant and was residing at Tower Road, Kingswood, Bristol, Gloucestershire. The Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys published a Roll of Honour on the 31st January 1920 in which an entry appeared showing that he had been a pupil at the school from 1899 to 1902.