SHIELDS, Leonard Joseph Patrick
| Service Number: | 2232 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 12th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Somerset, Tasmania, Australia, 1897 |
| Home Town: | Smithton, Circular Head, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 23 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Stanley Circular Head War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 31 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2232, 12th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 2232, 12th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 2232, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Wandilla, Fremantle |
Help us honour Leonard Joseph Patrick Shields's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Len Shields and his twin brother Arthur Shields were born in Somerset Tasmania, a small township to the west of Burnie, in 1897. Len’s mother allowed him to join up, on the proviso he allocated 4 shillings a day out of his pay to her (Len would have been on 6 shillings a day). Mary Elizabeth Shields, mother, lived in Smithton, Tasmania and she was a widow, with two small children who probably relied on her sons to provide for the majority of her income. Len was part of a Lewis gun team which was buried in a trench by a large shell explosion on the afternoon of 26 July 1916. Two others were said to have died with him, and two Lewis guns and their ammunition were buried as well. A Captain Nicholas was said to have been killed at the same time.
The only belongings returned to his Mum were a pair of boxing gloves. Len’s death was not confirmed until June 1917.
Len’s brother 2942 Pte. Arthur John Shields also of the 12th Battalion AIF, died of wounds 4 days later on 30 July 1916. The twin brothers were 19 years of age. Their mother was granted a pension in respect of each.
An older brother William Shields was and original member of the 11th Battalion and was wounded in action three times, including the Gallipoli landing. Another brother Clarence Shields served with the 15th Battalion and returned to Australia in 1918.