Q12183
MCARDLE, Leo James
| Service Number: | 6292 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hamley Bridge, South Australia, 8 April 1894 |
| Home Town: | Wild Horse Plains, Mallala, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Hamley Bridge Primary School |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Wild Horse Plains , 12 March 1974, aged 79 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Port Wakefield Cemetery, S.A. |
| Memorials: | Dublin War Memorial, Mallala Wild Horse Plains Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 6292, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 6292, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 6292, 27th Infantry Battalion | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 6292, 27th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Xavier Two Wells
Leo James McArdle was born on 8th April 1894. His father was Bernard McArdle, and his mother was Mary Ann Gertude McArdle. He lived with his parents, working on the family farm in Wild Horse Plains. He attended Hamley Bridge Primary School and after graduating in 1907, he then continued to work on his family farm until enlistment. He was one of five children.
He enlisted on the 12th of April 1916, aged 22 and joined the 27th Battalion. The 27th Battalion was a full volunteer battalion within the AIF (Australian Imperial Force). He was then deployed to England to finish his basic training, embarking on the 28th of August 1916. McArdle disembarked at Plymouth 11th October 1916. He proceeded to France on the SS Golden Eagle departing 17th December 1916. He was taken on strength with the 27th Battalion 1st January 1917.
McArdle was appointed a Lance Corporal 26th June 1917 and spent time in hospital in January 1918 with a sprained ankle before rejoining his unit 17th January. At the end of the month he took two weeks leave and travelled to the UK. He rejoined his unit on the 22nd February and was soon hospitalised with an infection. Once recovered he rejoined his unit on the 25th May 1918.
While McArdle was fighting on the frontlines, he had a piece of shrapnel blown into his right orbit, causing immediate loss of sight, this occurred on the 14th of June 1918. He was then admitted into the 20th Casualty Clearing Station. He was then transferred between 5 General Hospitals in France. His sight came back and he marched in to No 2 Command Depot before proceeding to rejoin his unit 4th August.
After he returned to his battalion, he was then put back on the frontlines. While on the front lines he took a severe bullet wound to the neck and jaw on the 2nd of September 1918, he was evacuated to a Casualty Clearing Station and moved by Ambluance train to hospital to No 3 Stationary Hospital where he was stablised and then transferred to England on the HS Jan Bryndel, a hospital ship that was dedicated to taking wounded soldiers back to England. McArdle was admitted to the No 4 Stationary Hospital in Plymouth until 23rd November 1918 when he was transferred to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital to convalesce. He was granted leave in December and returned to base at Weymouth. McArdle returned to Australia arriving back in Port Adelaide 5th May 1919. He was formally discharged 14th August 1919.
After the war he returned to his family farm in Wild Horse Plains and continued to work on the farm. He then married to Mary Elizabeth Eylward on the 31st of May 1924 in Kadina when he was 30 and his wife was 20. Two years later he had his first and only child, he had a daughter named Valda Collen McArdle. Leo continued to live with his family on his family farm until his mother passed away on the 3rd of July 1943 and his father passed away on the 13th of December 1944 aged 82, then his family farm was divided between his two brothers and himself. He continued to work on his farm until he passed away on the 12th of March 1974 at the age of 79. His daughter only lived for 3 more years than him and passed away on the 22nd of October 1977 aged 51. His wife continued to live on for an extra 25 years, Mary Elizabeth (his wife) died on the 12th of November 1998, she was buried with her husband at Port Wakefield.