LEADBEATER, John
| Service Numbers: | 308, Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 April 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 5th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Congleton, Cheshire, England, 1 January 1877 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Unknown |
| Occupation: | Carpenter |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Pozieres, France, 25 July 1916, aged 39 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Apr 1914: | Enlisted Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Forces (New Guinea 1914), Sergeant, 308, Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 1914: | Embarked Sergeant, 308, 1st Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps, HMAT Berrima, Melbourne | |
| 19 Aug 1914: | Involvement Sergeant, 308, 1st Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Aug 1914: | Embarked Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Forces (New Guinea 1914), Sergeant, 308, Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, Sydney - HMAT Berrima | |
| 12 Jan 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 17 Apr 1915: | Involvement 5th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 5th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 5 Battalion awm_rank: Captain awm_died_date: 1916-07-25 |
From the Australian War Memorial
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C41258
Lieutenant (Lt) John Leadbeater, 5th Battalion from Melbourne, Victoria. He was a 37 year old carpenter with 14 year previous service with the Cheshire Regiment, British Army (with many years’ service in Indian and three in the South African War) when he enlisted in the 1st Battalion, Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) on 16 August 1914.
After serving four months as a Sergeant in the AN & MEF including time in German New Guinea, he enlisted in the AIF on 12 January 1915 and was appointed a Second Lieutenant on 24 March. He embarked for overseas with the 5th Reinforcements of the 5th Battalion from Melbourne on 17 April 1915 aboard HMAT Hororata (A20).
While serving at Gallipoli, he was promoted to Lieutenant on 17 October 1915. After returning to Egypt, he then proceeded to France with the 5th Battalion in March and was promoted to Captain (Capt) on 1 April 1916.
Captain Leadbeater was killed in action near Pozieres, France on 25 July 1916 and is commemorated on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux, France with others who have no known grave.
Submitted 5 December 2020 by Elizabeth Allen
Biography contributed by Elizabeth Allen
John LEADBEATER was born in Congleton, Cheshire, England in 1877
His parents were Allan LEADBEATER & Hannah Maria KIRKLAND who married in St Lukes, Leek, Staffordshire, UK in 1875
He first enlisted as a Sergeant (SN308) on 11th April, 1914 with the Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force, Tropical Unit and embarked from Sydney on the HMAT Berrima on 19th August, 1914 - he returned to Australia and re-enlisted as 2nd Lieutenant on 11th August, 1914 with the 5th Infantry Battalion, 5th reinforcement which embarked from Melbourne on 12th January, 1915 on the HMAT Hororata
John was Killed in Action at Pozieres in France on 25th July, 1916 - no known grave
His name is memorialised on the Australian War Memorial & the Villers Bretonneux Memorial
Click images to start slideshow.