Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

     Leonard Hardwick Foote was born on the 28th September 1894, one of 6 sons of Ambrose and Ada Foote of Ipswich, Queensland.  Len’s grandfather, John Clark Foote, was a founding father of Ipswich and also an original partner in a major departmental store called “Cribb & Foote” established in Ipswich in 1855.  Len’s father continued as a partner in that firm and in 1884 built a new family homestead at Eastern Heights called “Karragaroo” which still stands today as a heritage listed home and is open to the public to view.  The family attended the Ellenborough Street Methodist Church in Ipswich.

     There seems to be a discrepancy over whether his middle Hardwick should have an “e” on the end of it.  His birth certificate has it spelt so but it seems that everywhere else it’s spelt without it.  The original wedding register in April 1850 for his great-grandmother, Mary Ann Hardwick, and her father as well, has Hardwick spelt without an “e” so it’s reasonable to assume that his name is that family name and would be spelt that way as well.   

     At age 7, Len was hospitalised.  The following article from the Queensland Times on the 21st November 1901 explains why. “THE RECENT SHOOTING ACCIDENT. On inquiry of Dr, Macdonald last night, we learned that Master Leonard Foote (son of Mr. A. J. Foote, of Ipswich), who was wounded in the head by a revolver shot on Saturday last, is progressing very satisfactorily, and confident hopes of his ultimate recovery are now entertained. No effort has yet been made to extract the bullet, as it is considered to be wiser to make no attempt in that direction at present.”  By all accounts Len recovered and it didn’t affect his academic abilities as he went on to succeed well at the Ipswich Boys Grammar School, winning a Queensland University Scholarship in 1912. 

     In 1913 Len was one of the 22 foundation students enrolled at King’s College, Brisbane.  The Master of the College at that time was Professor Michael Scott-Fletcher who would later become Len’s father-in-law.  Len was also a keen sportsman and represented the College and University in cricket, tennis, shooting and rugby.  His football team won the first University Inter-College contest and he achieved a University “Blue” by representing Queensland in rugby union. (A “blue” is an award earned by athletes at a university and some schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of blues began at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England. It is awarded at British, Australian and New Zealand universities.)  Len also served in the Senior Cadets and then the Militia as a 2nd Lieutenant.

     While enrolled at King’s College, and having completed 2 years of an engineering course at the Queensland University, Len enlisted for WW1 in the AIF as a Private on the 2nd February 1915 aged 20 years and 6 months.  His service records describe him as being 5 feet 8 inches tall with green eyes, dark hair and a dark complexion.  He trained at the Brisbane Enoggera Barracks and was posted to the 3rd Field Ambulance, 4th Reinforcements with his service number being 573.  During 1915 many of the King’s College students would enlist, my grandfather, Cyril Morsley (SN 1707), was one of them.  He started writing a diary on the 3rd August 1915, the day he commenced training at the Enoggera Barracks.  His close friend and tutor from the College, Arthur Wheatley (SN 1706), enlisted on the same day as him and both were posted to the 3rd Field Ambulance as well.  Two of Len’s brothers also enlisted, Herbert in 1915 who served as a dentist with the AMC and Frederick in 1918. 

     On the 8th April 1915 Len embarked from Brisbane on the ship “Star of England”.  Three months later on the 21st July he embarked from Alexandria on the ship “Seang Bee” for the Dardenelles.  While at Gallipoli he was attached to the 1st Australian General Hospital and celebrated his 21st birthday.  In December Len was evacuated on the ship “Caledonia” and disembarked at Alexandria on the 27th.    Len remained in Egypt till the 27th March 1916 when he, Cyril and Arthur all embarked for France from Alexandria on the ship “Kingstonian”.  They disembarked at Marseilles, France, on the 3rd April.  An entry in my grandfather’s diary says that a few days after arriving in France Len met up with him, Arthur Wheatley and two other enlisted King’s College men at a YMCA meeting...Roger Percy (SN 8673) and Alister Grimes (SN 8669) both serving with the 7th Field Ambulance. 

     In May 1916 Len was promoted to Lance Corporal and just before Christmas took 2 weeks leave to England.  A month later he proceeded to Division Training School.  In April he was selected to attend a course at Officers Cadet Battalion in Oxford, England.  He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on the 3rd August and on the 18th proceeded to France, marching in at Havre the following day.  A few days later he joined the 9th Battalion.  His time with them was short lived as just 6 weeks later on the 1st October he was severely wounded in the chest on the right side.  This happened at Anzac Ridge, in the salient of Ypes, Belgium when his party was shelled while laying communication cables. He was treated by his former unit, the 3rd Field Ambulance, and evacuated the following day to the 17th Casualty Clearing Station.  The next day he was admitted to the 5th British Red Cross Hospital at Wimereux and placed on the dangerously ill list where he remained for 3 months.  Two months to the day after being wounded he was promoted to Lieutenant.  On the last day of 1917, when he was well enough to travel, he was evacuated to England on the ship “St Patrick” to the 3rd London General Hospital in Wandsworth.  Two weeks later he was moved to Cobham Hall to convalesce for a fortnight then was returned to Australia on the ship “Euripedes” which arrived on the 21st March, five and a half months after being wounded.  A month later on Anzac Day 1918, Len was discharged.  In a strange coincidence, it happened to be the same day that his friend from King’s College, Arthur Wheatley was killed, also serving with the 9th Battalion. 

     In April 1918 Len resumed his University studies but perhaps because of his experience with the 3rd Field Ambulance, he transferred to Sydney University to study medicine.  He resided at Wesley College and later became its first Vice Master with the Master of the College being none other than Professor Scott-Fletcher, his old Master from King’s College.  Once again his sporting nature came to the fore and he represented the College in cricket and rugby.  To enable him to play rugby and to minimise injury, the large wound hole in his back had to be packed with cottonwool, covered and strapped.  Len graduated in 1922 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Master of Surgery.  Len’s eldest brother Wilfred, remained with the firm “Cribb & Foote” while his other brothers, Herbert, Frederick, Ambrose and Reginald, went on to have careers in medicine and dentistry.

     After a period as the resident Medical Officer at the Royal Prince Albert and then the Royal Brisbane Hospitals, Len commenced his own general practice at Greenslopes in 1923.  He later moved to Vulture Street, South Brisbane.  In November that year Len married Ida, the only daughter of Professor and Mrs Scott-Fletcher, at Albert Street Methodist Church.  They had four children, Peter, Judith, Michael and Suzanne.

     In 1926 Len served in the Reserve Army as a Captain and 10 years later was promoted to a Major.  When war broke out again in 1939 Len re-enlisted as a Major aged 45.  He served with the Australian Medical Corps at Headquarters in Brisbane and his service number was Q185084.  He later became the Assistant Director of Medical Services and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in August 1943.  Later that year he suffered a serious heart attack and was forced to retire from the Army.  He was discharged in March 1944. 

     Due to coronary illness he was also forced to give up serving as a General Practitioner.  He then specialised in anaesthetics and became an anaesthetist at the Brisbane Military Hospital and honorary anaesthetist at the Mater Public Hospital.  In 1946 Len and Ida moved to a residence at Annerley, Brisbane then in December that year Len suffered another serious heart attack from which he never recovered.  He died at the Greenslopes Repatriation Hospital on the 6th June 1947 aged 52.  He was privately cremated at the Mt Thompson Crematorium the following day.  Len’s name appears on a Cremation Memorial Plaque at the Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, which honours servicemen who have died in Queensland with their remains being cremated and the ashes scattered.  Len’s passing left his 49 year old wife Ida with four children to care for aged between 12 and 21.

     Len’s eldest son Peter served in WW2 in the RAAF and he and his sister Judith followed Len’s footsteps into the medical profession.  His other daughter Suzanne published Len’s 1916 war diary in 1999 and Michael’s son, Tim, wrote a tribute to his grandfather which he delivered at the Anzac Day Service at King’s College in 2013 commemorating 100 years since the first students enrolled at King’s College, Len being one of them.  Len’s daughter Judith, aged 86, attended that service. 

     Ida outlived her husband for a very long time with the 1980 Census records showing her aged 82 and living with her daughter Judith at 2 Hiron Street St, Lucia, Brisbane.  There’s no record of her death up till 1986 and after that they are not accessible yet.  That makes her almost 90, having lived 40 years without Len.

     On Anzac Day 2015, Queensland Rugby Union joined with the Australian Defence Force to honour players from the 1900’s who served in WW1.  To commemorate Anzac Day and the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings a specially designed St George Queensland Reds jersey was worn by the Reds players in the match against the New Zealand Hurricanes.  The jersey featured the Rising Sun emblem of the Australian Defence Force and each one featured one of the honoured players.  The jersey featuring Len Foote and was worn by number 13, Samu Kerevi.

     An Honour Board at King’s College, Brisbane, bears the names of the 30 men from the College who served in WW1.  It was unveiled on the 25th March 1916 at which time 20 of the 23 students enrolled at the College had already enlisted.  Three of those 30 men made the supreme sacrifice with their lives - Arthur Wheatley was one of them. 

     On the 11th August 1917 at Mowbray Park, East Brisbane, the earliest World War 1 Memorial in Brisbane was unveiled honouring all those who served in WW1.  Over 700 names are inscribed on it, amongst them are many of the thirty names from the King’s College Honour Board, including Len’s…even though it’s not spelt correctly.  The Memorial consists of a stone “Digger” statue, representing an Australian Light Horseman, sitting upon a stone pillar bearing a Roll of Honour of names and it is flanked by two cannons.  The inscription on the front of the Memorial reads “In Honour Of The Living & Glory Of The Dead” 1914 The Great War 1919.  The Memorial and the Park are now heritage listed.

     On the 8th May 1917, at the Ellenborough Street Methodist Church Ipswich, (now Ipswich City Uniting Church) where Len attended when he was younger, two Honour Boards were unveiled bearing the names of all those who served in WW1 from the Ipswich Circuit.  They are still there today and each tablet consists of a solid marble slab with 89 names on them…Len’s name is one of them.           

Leonard Hardwick Foote was awarded:

WW1 

1914-1915 Star 3236

British War Medal 3467

Victory Medal 3401

WW2

Service Medal

Defence Medal

British War Medal

The Anzac Commemorative Medallion was instituted in 1967 by Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt.  It was awarded to surviving members of the Australian forces who served on the Gallipoli Peninsula, or in direct support of the operations from close off shore, at any time during the period from the first Anzac Day in April 1915 to the date of final evacuation in January 1916.  Next of kin, or other entitled persons, are entitled to receive the medallion on behalf of their relatives if the medallion has not been issued.

The medallion is cast in bronze and is approximately 75 millimetres high and 50 millimetres wide.  The obverse of the medallion depicts Simpson and his donkey carrying a wounded soldier to safety.  It is bordered on the lower half by a laurel wreath above the word ANZAC.  The reverse shows a map in relief of Australia and New Zealand superimposed by the Southern Cross.  The lower half is bordered by New Zealand fern leaves.  The name and initials of the recipient is engraved on the reverse.  The medallion is issued in a presentation box.

(Australian Government - Department of Defence)

Sue Smith September 2016