92421
LEACH, William Richard
| Service Number: | 4614 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, January 1886 |
| Home Town: | Parkside, Unley, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Memorials: | Angaston Congregational Church WW1 Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4614, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Feb 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4614, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: '' | |
| 7 Feb 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4614, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Miltiades, Adelaide | |
| 3 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 4614, 10th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, Wounded by gas at China Wall near Ypres. | |
| 23 Aug 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 4614, 10th Infantry Battalion, "The Last Hundred Days", Badly injured by shrapnel in the neck and scalp. |
Help us honour William Richard Leach's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Next of Kin: Sister, Mrs L M Fleming
When he enlisted, William Richard Leach was a single man in his late twenties. William was around 5ft 7in which was an average height for adults in the 1900’s. William had dark hair, grey eyes and had a medium complexion. William was a Presbyterian. Before the war, William lived at 146 Young Street, Parkside, South Australia. He was a farmer, mainly farming potatoes which he had been doing for over a decade. Farming was a popular job in the early 1900s. William enlisted for the war in the Adelaide CBD, South Australia and wanted to fight for Australia’s Mother country, Britain. William signed the oath to be enlisted on the 3rd of August 1915 and soon after passed his medical examination. William was checked and was fit for active service. He left for war on board the HMAT A28 Miltiades on the 7th of February 1916. William’s first qualified rifle course was on 16/7/1916 and ended on the 9/8/16. William spent most of his time during the Great War in France. William went to hospital sick on the 6/4/17 and was shortly reunited with his battalion in France on 14/4/17. William was sick again in France (no date) and was reunited with his battalion on the 21/6/17. William was wounded in France on 3/10/17 and went to the hospital suffering from the effects of gas. A few months after William’s last injury, he was under investigation as he overstayed leave by five days and was caught by Captain Clifton at 2 pm on 9/2/18. Later in the year William was badly injured by shrapnel in the neck and head on 23/8/18. William was a lucky man and ended up surviving the war and returned to Australia on the 25th of March 1919. He married after the war, but his wife was looking for him in December 1931 after he went working in Gippsland.
How the Soldiers Service Reflects the ANZAC Spirit:
William showed his ANZAC Spirit during his service in the Great War. William showed courage as he wanted to serve his country so he enlisted for the Great War on the 3rd of August 1915 and stayed in the battlefields of France until March 1915. William showed endurance during the war as he was injured badly twice and nearly died as a bullet was shot into his neck and was sick several times but wanted to return to the front of the battlefield to fight for his country, Australia. William showed ingenuity as he was a clever person who made quick decisions and showed initiative during the time he was on the battlefield in the Great War. William also had good humour and mateship as he would interact by playing cards and telling jokes to people in his battalion after they did their chores each day and waited to be given instructions by the Captain of their battalion.
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