of St. Paul’s was noteworthy. He agitated from early in his canonical career for the structural and financial needs of the cathedral, articulating and responding to environmental threats to the very fabric of the building, built on shallow foundations above treacherous sand ("We must have wet sand!" cried Canon Alexander fervently [in 1930]. "We must have wet sand!"). His dedication to the central role of the cathedral in the faith of England is clear in his lectures and publications about St. Paul’s, including The Safety of St. Paul’s (1927), and about its architect, Christopher Wren. Alexander’s strengthening and protecting the structure of the Cathedral helped it survive the German bombings of World War II, as was recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1944. Even before the war he had been awarded several honors. Alexander married in 1891 Lily Redfern, who died at their home, 2, Amen Court, on December 17, 1937. See also List of English-language poets References Sources: "The Oxford Magazine," May 25, 1887; J. Jeffery Franklin, “The Life of the Buddha in Victorian England,” "English Literary History," 72 (2005), 941; TIME, April 28, 1930; "The Times," February 5, 1948, p. 6 (obituary); "The New York Times," February 5, 1948, p. 23 (obituary); "Who’s Who 1906"; "The Times," January 27, 1944, p. 2. English poets 1866 births 1948 deaths English male poets