Alexander Renwick was a goalkeeper who played in Brisbane before and after the war. Newspaper reports before the war listed him as “D. Renwick”, while after the war he was referred to as either “D” or “A. D.” Renwick when playing for the Thistle club.
Renwick had originally enlisted in August 1914 and was allocated to the 9th Battalion but was medically discharged in mid-September. Instead, he worked as a motor mechanic and played soccer for Brisbane City. Renwick was between the sticks when his City side beat an AIF team 4-2 in early October 1915. He successfully enlisted three weeks later and started a lengthy period of training in Brisbane. He went on to play soccer for an AIF team in April 1916, beating a Brisbane select eleven 2-1.
Renwick was allocated to the 4th Pioneer Battalion though it is unclear if he served in France. He spent much of 1917 training in Fovant and Hurdcott and was still in England according to the only entry in his military record for 1918. He rose to the rank of Sergeant, and continued to serve in England, now attached to the 6th Battalion, into 1919.
His service in was recognised on 28 August 1919 when a War Office Communique stated: “Brought to the notice of Secretary of State for War for valuable service rendered in connection with the war.” While the exact nature of this cannot be determined, the communique resulted in Renwick being eligible for an extra 15 days of disembarkation leave.
He finally started for back to Australia in December 1919. Back in Brisbane. Renwick was briefly seen keeping goals for Thistle in 1920 but was regularly listed as the starting goalkeeper for the club in 1922. His Thistle teammates included other returned soldiers such as James Love and William McBride. In 1923, Renwick was seen at club functions, including providing entertainment for the visiting New Zealand side on 5 June, but was not obviously a member of the playing side.
Renwick married Emily Paddison in 1932, and they had children. He died at the age of 86 in 1977.