Alexander Lee Rowan enlisted at Cootamundra, NSW, where he was working as a miner. He was forty-six, was relatively old to enlist, but lied about his age, using his brother William's or sister Hnerietta's birth date . He claimed to be a widower, but this was a falsehood: he had married Rosey May Hughes in 1900, but the marriage had ended and Rosey remarried in 1908.

Alex gave his next of kin as his sister, Henrietta Rowan, then living at 165 Gipps St., East Melbourne, and later at Hotham House, in Hotham St., East Melbourne. He enlisted on 5 June, 1916, and, following training,  embarked from Sydney on the HMAT Ceramic A40 on 6 October that year. The recruits arrived in England on 11 November, 1916, and were sent to the 1st Training Battalion at Larkhill, before leaving for France on 13 March, 1917, as one of the 21st Reinforcements, 2nd Battalion.

Once in France, Alex Rowan was taken on strength with the 2nd Battalion on 4 April, 1917. They were engaged in the fighting on the Hindenburg line, the line that marked the German strategic withdrawal to a stronger position. The line sretched from Arras in the north to St. Quentin further south, then from St. Quentin to Noyen. Given an opportunity to attack the retreating forces, French troops had not been allowed to do more than launch a first attack. The German troops destroyed everything behind them and then entrenched themselves strongly in pre-prepared defensive positions. In July, the 2nd Battalion moved to attack Ypres, the third battle for this area, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, which was won on 6 November.

In August, Alex Rowan was shipped back to England as medically unfit. He was transferred to a non-fighting position at the No.1 Command Depot at Perham, a convalescent camp, and classified C3. In September, he was in Weymouth at the No. 2 Command Depot. He stayed there a month before being sent back to Australia on 18 October, 1917, on board the Beltana A72 .

Alex Rowan disembarked in Melbourne on 10 January,1919. He wa  discharged from the army on 15 January, declared medically unfit on the grounds of disability, rheumatism and age and awarded a pension of 15/- per fortnight. He was then living at 175 Hoddle St., East Melbourne. On 26 March, this pension was doubled, increased to 30/- per fortnight. He was now at 175 Hotham St., East Melbourne, home of his brother Clement. From 1919-1930, he lived at Trentham and worked there with his brother William, also a miner. In the Depreeion years, he moved to Nagambie, to try his luck as a farm labourer, then after 1935, he moved to 14 Oak Street Hawthorn, where he reamined until his death.

Alexander Lee Rowan died on 21 February, 1943. at the Caulfield Military Hospital. aged 74. He was buried on 22 February 1943 at Springvale Cemetery.