Rev A P Le Maistre
Priest-in-Charge 1912-1915

Alexander Philip Le Maistre was born on 21st December 1860 on Jersey in the Channel Islands. He was one of twelve children of Rev George John Le Maistre and his wife Augusta. One of Alexander's siblings went on to become a barrister, another became a landscape artist who exhibited at the Royal Academy, and another was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 2nd Punjab (Simla) Volunteer Rifles who went on to become a businessman in Calcutta.

Rev G J Le Maistre was priested at Winchester in 1854, and from, 1856 spent 18 years as Headmaster and Chaplain at St Aubin's School in Jersey. He and his family then moved to England where he was Second Master at Reading School for 6 years, and then from 1879 to 1888 was Assistant Master at Brighton College after which he retired and moved back to Jersey.

While in England, Alexander Philip, after studying at Lincoln College, Oxford and Leeds Clergy School, became a curate at Leamington Priors, Warwick, in 1886. Five years later he was appointed as a Minor Canon and Sacristan at Peterborough Cathedral. During this time, he married France Pratt in 1898.  Two years later, Frances' sister, Jessie, married Charles De la Cour Le Maistre, a younger brother of Alexander Philip. Charles was an engineer who served as director of the British Standards Institute and played a key role in the establishment of international engineering standards. After his period at the cathedral, Alexander Philip served as Vicar of Harrigworth in Northamptonshire from 1896 to 1910 (including four years as Rural Dean of Oundle). The 1901 Census for St John's Vicarage, Harringhworth shows the residents as Rev A P Le Maistre, his wife Frances, a servant a cook and John Cannon, whose details read "Tramp no occupation".

After 25 years as a priest, Rev A P Le Maistre took a 2-year break from clergy positions. In 1912, he resumed clerical duties and became a curate in the parish of Basingstoke and took on the responsibility for the "temporary" All Saints' Church. The Hampshire Observer of 2nd November 1912 reported on the previous day's All Saints' Patronal Festival (ten years since the dedication of the "temporary" church) and noted that Rev Le Maistre was the celebrant at a choral celebration of Holy Communion at 6:30AM with 40 communicants. In its 1st January 1916 issue, the Observer reviews local events of the previous year, commenting that "In Church circles the most important event has been the laying of the foundation stone of the new church of All Saints'...". The article also records that "Owing to ill-health the Rev A P Le Maistre was compelled to relinquish the charge of the temporary church of All Saints' some three months ago, and his place was taken by Rev J F Fuller, who had for a year been in charge of the Reading Road Mission." It was also noted that Rev Le Maistre retained his connection with All Saints', with both he and Rev Alexander Titley Hall (who paid for the new church's construction) referred to as "honorary assistants".

Rev Le Maistre left Basingstoke in 1919 and two years later was an Assistant Chaplain at Holy Trinity Church in Nice, France (today described on its website as “A centre of Christian worship for English-speakers on the French Riviera for over 200 years”). This placement continues into 1922. after which there is another two-year break until Rev Le Maistre is licensed to officiate at the church of St John the Evangelist in Bournemouth. He ended this position in 1926, which was the year his wife died. His remaining years were spent at Bexhill-on-Sea where he passed away in 1933.

[Side Note: Rev Le Maistre was not the only priest at All Saints' who originated from the Channel Islands. Rev Peter Murphy (All Saints' Team Vicar 1972-1981) was born on Guernsey in 1940 but was evacuated from there at less than four weeks old to escape the occupation of the Islands by the forces of Nazi Germany.]