Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From François Berthout, Australia and NZ in WWI
 
Today, under the leaves of the autumn trees that line and cover the cemeteries and the old battlefields of the Somme under a cloak of silence and under which the poppies fall asleep to bloom again in the next gleams of the sun's rays, sleep in peace thousands of young men who fought and who gave their lives in these lands of remembrance which are today so peaceful and serene and today, it is with deep gratitude that I would like to honor the memory of one of these young boys, one of my boys of the Somme who gave his today for our tomorrow, I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Lance Corporal number 5094 Leonard Roach Payne who fought in the 49th Australian Infantry Battalion and who died of illness 102 years ago, on October 13, 1918 at the age of 24 on the Somme front.

Leonard Roach Payne was born in 1894 in Wardell, New South Wales, and was the son of William and Annie Payne. Leonard was educated at Wardell Public School and lived with his parents in Wardell via Ballina, New South Wales and before the outbreak of the war, worked as a labourer.

Enlisted on December 31, 1915 at Lismore, New South Wales, in the 26th Australian Infantry Battalion, 13th Reinforcement, he embarked with his unit from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A49 Seang Choon on May 4, 1916 and was promoted the same day to the rank of Extra Duty Pay Sergeant and sailed to Egypt where he arrived on June 15, 1916.Two months later, on August 2, 1916, he embarked from Alexandria and proceeded to England and was demoted to the rank of Private on August 22, 1916.six days later,on August 28, 1916,he was promoted to the rank of Acting Sergeant and proceeded overseas to France on September 29, 1916 and marched into the 2nd Australian Divisional Base Depot at Etaples.
a few days later, Leonard was sent with his battalion to the battlefields of the Somme and was promoted to the rank of Acting Corporal on October 9, 1916 but was again demoted to the rank of Private on October 17, 1916 and was transferred to the 49th Australian Infantry Battalion in the field the same day.on March 13, 1917, Leonard was admitted to the 13th Australian Field Ambulance with mumps then transferred to the 6th Australian Field Ambulance and joined his unit a month later, on April 20, 1917.

Five months later, Leonard was wounded in action by shrapnel in the head and was evacuated to a Casualty Clearing Station and evacuated to the 3rd Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne the next day. Leonard was then evacuated to England on October 2, 1917 at the 5th Southern General Hospital in Portsmouth then at the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on October 8.Discharged on October 12, he joined the 2nd Command Depot the same day then the 4th Command Depot at Hurdcott on October 17, 1917.

Three months later, on January 24, 1918, Leonard marched into overseas training brigade at Longbridge Deverill and proceeded overseas to France on February 14, 1918 and marched into Australian Intermediate Base Depot at Le Havre on February 15.He joined the 49th Australian Infantry Battalion on February 21 and was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal on October 8, 1918.

Unfortunately, the next day,on October 9, 1918, Leonard was evacuated to the 41st Stationary Hospital in Pont Remy, Somme, suffering from broncho pneumonia and died four days later in his hospital bed,on October 13, 1918, he was 24 years old.

Today, Lance Corporal Leonard Roach Payne rests in peace with his comrades, friends and brothers in arms at Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Somme,and his grave bears the following inscription "In memory of the beloved son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Payne of Wardell".

Leonard, you who were young and devoted to your country, you served with honor and bravery in the name of humanity, under the flag of Australia but in the trenches, you served alongside all your brothers in arms with admirable courage, under artillery fire and through rains of bullets spewed out by death machines which never ceased to pour hell and destruction on the battlefields which took your youth and the lives of thousands of young men like you who dreamed of another life, who dreamed of having a family, children, of living alongside their loved ones and who found in the trenches of the Somme, with their friends, of their comrades, a bond that would unite them forever, a bond of camaraderie and brotherhood in the face of the horrors and darkness of war that enveloped them in clouds of poisonous gas. together they walked bravely through the fires of hell that consumed the world and through the barbed wire in which they collapsed, in the fury and violence of a world at war, yet they kept in their hearts an invincible ardor which gave them the strength and courage to move forward, to keep hope in a peaceful world for which they all responded to the call of their countries and for which millions of men did not have the chance to come back home.Today, we who are young, we are here thanks to them, thanks to the courage and the sacrifices of all these heroes , we owe them so much and we never forget all that they did, gave and endured for us so today I want to stand with respect in front of all these heroes, these young men who, under the rows of their white and flowered graves, are united in the peace for which they fought and fell, they rest in peace, in the peaceful cemeteries of the Somme, on sacred lands for which they shed their blood.this country will always be theirs and they will always have a very big place in my heart as well as their families whom we have the happiness and honor to meet and exchange, to get to know through a friendship that our countries have built together through the courage and sacrifice of thousands of these young heroes. These men whom I consider my heroes, will always be honored with the respect and love they deserve, they will forever be our sons, my boys of the Somme. Thank you Leonard, from the bottom of my heart, for everything, for all you have done for us, your name and the names of your comrades will never be forgotten, through us you will never cease to live and your name, in light and in eternity, will live forever.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them.