Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Leslie Edward Davis

Leslie Edward Davis was born on the 29th of the November 1892 at the Women’s Hospital Carlton to Emely Davis. Leslie Davis’s father is unknown. Emely was married to John Mc Namara, with whom she shared three daughter, at the time of Leslie's birth. Emely and John divorced in a matter of weeks after his birth. The next record of Leslie and Emely indicated Emely worked as a housekeeper on a large property known as Glenmore Estate Pastoral Company. Emely and Leslie both lived on the property. While working at Glenmore, Emely met Charles Renton who was a station hand. They married in Fitzroy on the 2nd of February 1898. Charles already had three sons, William Charles, Henry John and Percy. Leslie, being the stepson and stepbrother, was not always treated well. He left school at the age of 12 to dig for potatoes for a living. Emely's husband Charles died as a result of an accident where he fell into a well fetching water in the dark.

At the age of 22, Leslie was working as a farmer in Bacchus Marsh when he enlisted on the 28th of July 1915 with the consent of this mother. On the 26 November 1915 he embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A73 Commonwealth with the 23rd Infantry Battalion. He disembarked in Alexandria, Egypt. From Alexandria he went by train to the Zeitoun Camp located near Cairo. On the 23rd of February 1916 he joined the 58th battalion as a private.  Shortly after, on the 29th of February,  Leslie was transferred to the 23rd Infantry Battalion for strength reinforcements. The 23rd fought in the Battle of Tel-el-kebir in Egypt.

Leslie was with the 23rd battalion until 18th of March 1916, when he joined the 60th battalion. He later embarked on the ship Kinfauns Castle from Alexandria in June 1916 and disembarked in Marseilles, France on the 29th of June 1916. On the 20th of July 1916 Leslie was hospitalised in Boulogne for a gunshot wound to his jaw during the battle of Fromelles. He re-joined the battalion on the 18th of August 1916. In February 1917 Leslie was detached to the Divisional Signalling School for a month before being hospitalised for six weeks with influenza and laryngitis in April. He re-joined the battalion on the 15th of June 1917 before taking leave in the U.K. on the 27th of July for two weeks. On the 15th of September 1918 he was transferred to the 59th Battalion and then transferred back to the 60th on the 25th for strength. Leslie returned to England from France in March 1919 and embarked home to Australia on the Devanha on the 8th of May 1919 and was later discharged from the AIF in Melbourne on the 15th of August 1919.

Leslie Davis was awarded 1914/15 star Australia Medal, British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Leslie happily married Elsie Foster and had two children. Leslie peacefully died of old age on the 4th of April 1981 aged 89 in a nursing home.