CONGDON, Leslie Frank
| Service Number: | 2321 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Chain of Ponds, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Butcher |
| Memorials: | Cudlee Creek Millbrook Public School Roll of Honour, Kersbrook School Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 12 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 2321, 1st Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Anglo Egyptian embarkation_ship_number: A25 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 2321, 1st Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Anglo Egyptian, Sydney |
Leslie Congdon
Name: Leslie Frank Congdon
Service Number: 2321 and 86272
Parents: Thomas James Congdon and Eliza Congdon(nee Rawling)
Place of Birth: Chain of Ponds
Date of Birth: 10 January 1893
Place of Enlistment: Oaklands
Date of Enlistment: 3 December1914/16 December 1915/ 9 September 1919.
Age at Enlistment: 21 years 1 month
Marital Status: Single
Next of Kin: Father, Thomas Congdon
Occupation: Butcher
Religion: Methodist
Rank: Private 9th Light Horse
Memorials: Kersbrook School Roll of Honor; Cudlee Creek Millbrook Public School; Memorial plaque Garden of Remembrance, Sydney,New South Wales.
Leslie Congdon’s war service record presents a complex picture, apparently appearing to have enlisted on three separate occasions. He initially served with the 9th Light Horse from 2 December 1914 to 15 December, prior to being transferred to the 16th Reinforcement of the 9th Light Horse on 11 February 1915.
His unit embarked from Sydney on board HMAT A25 Anglo Egyptian on 12 May 1916. In Egypt Leslie attended Signal School at Moascar on 3 July 1916. He spent 11 days in hospital with diarrhoea in August and was then temporarily attached to the Australian Training Depot at Moascar. On 30 October he was sent to hospital for 2 weeks at Abbassia, for the pre-existing condition. Leslie was again treated for diarrhoea at the 14th Australian General Hospital on 8 November. His condition was diagnosed as bilharzia, a parasitic tropical flatworm that attacks the blood vessels of the pelvic region. Consequently, Leslie was returned to Australia on the Euripides on 22 January 1917, for Home Service, with his next of kin being notified on 10 February. He disembarked on 21 February. This may account for the number of enlistment entries throughout his National Australian Archives record.
Upon re-enlisting on 9 September 1919, Leslie embarked at Sydney on board SS Frankfurt on 18 September and served as a private with Special Services A.I.F. His NAA record states that he was “Discharged – Undesirable…21 October 1919” – Clarification was not supplied.
Leslie was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Leslie Frank Congdon died on 18 July 1986, aged 93.
Source: www.naa;B2455;Congdon.L.F. Barcode3277971
www.vwma; Congdon.L.F.
www.aif.adfa.edu/Congdon.L.F.
Submitted 30 August 2023 by christopher collins
Biography contributed by Modbury High School
Leslie Congdon was born in Chain of Ponds Adelaide, where he worked as a butcher.
At the age of 21 he enlisted on the 3rd of December 1914. His next of kin was his Father, Thomas Congdon.
Upon enlistment, Leslie joined the 1st Light Horse Regiment. He embarked from Sydney on the HMAT Anglo Egyptian, on the 12th of May 1916. Leslie participated in the Middle East campaign against the Ottoman Empire, fighting in Palestine, Jordan and Syria. Whilst serving away, Leslie was in and out of hospital several times due to different illnesses, a common occurrence for Australian soldiers serving overseas in a foreign environment.
Leslie returned to Australia on the 22nd of January, 1917, returning with the 1914/15 star, the British War Medal and the British Victory medal.