Major Alexander Henderson Rutherford

Major Alexander Henderson "Sandy" Rutherford was the commander of the 249th Field Company. Born in 1919, he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1940, and served with the 556th Field Company, being promoted to Captain in 1942. He joined the 249th Field Company on the 25th May 1943, and as a Major, commanded them from the 22nd August 1943 until the end of the Second World War, participating in the Normandy, Ardennes and Rhine Crossing campaigns. During this time he was awarded the following decorations: Chevalier of the Order of Leopold with palms First Class, Croix de Guerre (Belgium) with palms Second Class, and the US Silver Star. He had a brief spell in North Africa after the war, where he was recorded as playing rugby for Scotland against New Zealand at the Alamein Club in December 1945, before returning to the UK in the following year. He died in 1990. Copyright: Annette Scobie, and courtesy of Xavier Pradelles.