Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Husband of Sarah May Pruth Leverington (Maiden name was Barker) and father to Shirley Leverington, Joseph John Leverington was a 29 year old labourer when he was assigned to fight in WW1 apart of the 32nd Battalion, 5th Reinforcement. His service number was 2654 and rank was private. Joseph was born on the 2nd of September 1886 at Payneham, Adelaide South Australia.

- [RSL & AWN]                                                                                                            

Joseph’s family (wife and daughter) and himself lived in Cook Street, Payneham and were Methodists. He was described as a rather small fellow at approximately 5’3’’.  Joseph was weighed at 106 pounds and had a chest measurement of 31.33 inches. He was described to have a dark completion, dark hair and hazel eyes.

-       [ARCIVES]

Joseph enlisted on the 13th of December 1915 and he embarked from Adelaide on the HMAT Geelong A2 to begin training at Suez Harbour. He was relocated three months later on the 25th of March 1916, and travelled on the HMAT A9 Shropshire. He was transferred from the 8th Trng Reinforcements for the 32nd Battalion to the 12th Trng as Reinforcements to the 48th Battalion. After months of training Joseph embarked on H.D.S Brightin at Calsis for England Mountains.

-       [RSL & ARCIVES]

On the 10th of September 1916 he proceeded overseas to join the unit in France. James Strugnell saw Joseph at about mid-day crawling along a captured trench during the attack at Bullecourt on April 11th 1917.

The First Battle of Bullecourt (village in northern France), 11th April 1917, was an attack on German trenches east of the trenches of Bullecourt. It was one of several villages to be heavily fortified and incorporated into the defences of the Hindenburg Line in 1917. The attack was attempting to surprise the Germans as without artillery support and the tanks in which were supposed to support the attacking Australian Infantry, either broke down or were quickly destroyed. This attack was poorly planned, impulsively executed and the battle resulted in disaster with over 3,300 casualties.

The troops then had to evacuate that trench and it is believed that it was then that Joseph was made prisoner. Germany took him as a prisoner of war with a grenade wound in the right thigh and back which had been dressed. Leslie Clarence Barker was his brother-in-law and a driver in WW1 whose unit number was 2779. Leslie said that several boys of his unit told him that half of Joseph’s knee was blown off. Joseph was a prisoner of war for Germany, Poland and France from 1917 to very early 1918. He was repatriated from Holland and arrived in England on the 8th of January 1918. He was then quickly transferred to the 2nd Aux Hospital on the 11th of January and then the Aux Hospital Southall on the 21st. During his time at the hospital, his right leg was amputated, as the grenade injury was too severe. On the 24th of January 1918 he was discharged from Hospital and according to the officer in charge, was also later discharged from service on the 10th of March.

-       [RED CROSS RECORDS & WW1 ESTERN FRONT AWN]

On returning home Joseph was awarded with the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.  At the age of 70 he feel ill and on the 25th of September he passed away (not long after his 71st birthday). He is buried at the Kadina Cemetery, South Australia.

 -       [ARCIVES]