BARTLETT, Leslie Thomas
| Other Name: | BARTLETT, Edward Allan - True Name |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | 7210 |
| Enlisted: | 23 January 1917, Sydney, N.S.W. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 35th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Locksley, New South Wales, Australia, 8 May 1899 |
| Home Town: | Tarana, Lithgow, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Tarana Public School, New South Wales |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, 27 February 1968, aged 68 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Tarana War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Jan 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, 7210, Sydney, N.S.W. | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Feb 1917: | Involvement Private, 7210, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: RMS Osterley embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 10 Feb 1917: | Embarked Private, 7210, 1st Infantry Battalion, RMS Osterley, Sydney | |
| 28 Apr 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 62nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Sep 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 35th Infantry Battalion, In the field, France | |
| 8 Aug 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 7210, 35th Infantry Battalion, GSW left shoulder | |
| 4 Jul 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 7210, 35th Infantry Battalion, RTA per Wiltshire, disembarked Melbourne 19-08-1919. | |
| 27 Sep 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 7210, 35th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Karen Standen
Leslie Thomas Bartlett was actually Edward Allan Bartlett (NSW B 14612/1899). He was the seventh son of Nathaniel Bartlett and Annie Bartlett (nee Mullins). While he was commonly known as 'Allan,' he chose to enlist under his older brother’s name, Leslie Thomas Bartlett. This was done with the knowledge of his family as his mother, Annie, referred to him as 'Pte. L. T. Bartlett.' in all correspondence with the army. It can only be assumed the deception was created as Allan was only 17 years and eight months old when he enlisted. By taking on his brother’s persona he gained an additional two years.
In 1918, his mother Annie made an appeal through the Sydney Mail newspaper for information relating to another son, Will, who was reported missing and wounded. In doing so, she provided photographs of her four boys and for the first time, the names they were actually known by. This was particularly relevant to her two youngest sons. In the case of Leslie Thomas Bartlett the photograph was captioned, "Pte. Allen Bartlett, In France."
Allan’s return to Australia was reported in the Lithgow Mercury on the 03 September 1919, under the Tarana heading, “Private Allan Bartlett has returned to the Quarries after a long term of service at the front. He will be publicly welcomed at his home village on Saturday.”
While Allan’s WW1 service file (which does includes a single line acknowledging his real name), and the WW1 embarkation and nominal rolls, record Allan’s war service under his alias, the Deputy Commissioner for Repatriation and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, case files are all titled “Bartlett, Edward A [aka Leslie Thomas] - Service Number - 7210.”
Allan and his three brothers are honoured on the Tarana War Memorial. Allan is recorded as, "Bartlett, A."
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