Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Leslie was the son of James MARKS & Alice Helena BURDETT and was born on the 18th of July 1893 in Mt Gambier, SA.

His parents were married on the 31st of August 1892 in the Presbyterian Church, Mt Gambier.

His father was the son of Thomas MARKS & Margaret MCKAY and was born on the 5th of June 1864 in Penola, SA.
His mother was the daughter of Francis William BURDETT & Emma Emerline WHITE and was born on the 1st of February 1870 in Mt Gambier, SA.

Leslie was the first child born into this family of 3 children.

His father was a farmer and Leslie grew up in Penola and attended the Penola Public School and later became a labourer.

His mother died on the 15th of December 1911 in the Mt Gambier Hospital and they buried her in the Penola Cemetery.

Leslie joined G Company, Mt Gambier Volunteers for 1 year and then E Company, Penola Volunteers for 2 years.

At the age of 21, Leslie enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 21st of May 1915 in Keswick and allotted the service number 974 and posted to the Base Light Horse before being posted to the 11th Light Horse Regiment, 3rd Reinforcements.

On the 10th of July the residents of Penola tendered a farewell to Leslie in the Institute and they presented him with a wristlet watch.

He embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A15 Star of England on the 21st of September 1915 and disembarked in Alexandria for further training and transferred to C Squadron.

Whilst Leslie was overseas his brother Francis enlisted into the 27th Battalion, 11th Reinforcements on the 8th of February 1916 (4564) and embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A9 Shropshire on the 25th of March 1916.
He was wounded in France and returned to Australia on the 13th of February 1919.

Leslie served in Gallipoli and France and was overseas for 4 years before he embarked from Suez on board HT Burma on the 26th of July 1919, disembarking in Adelaide on the 27th of August.

On the 12th of September a welcome home social was tendered to Leslie in the local Institute and was presented with a gold medal by the Welcoming Home Association.

Leslie was discharged from the AIF, medically unfit, on the 27th of October 1919.

Leslie married Isabella Elizabeth MCADAM in 1920 in Bordertown.
Isabella was the daughter of George Wilson MCADAM & Margaret RANKIN and was born on the 9th of August 1893 in Penola, SA.

They welcomed their first child; Clive Raymond, on the 1st of March 1921, followed by James on the 8th of November 1922.

Leslie then gained employment as a linesman and they moved to Adelaide Road, Paringa Park and Clive attended the Glenelg Primary School on the 24th of May 1927.
They were only here for 3 months and they moved back to Penola where Margaret Alice (Peggy) was born on the 23rd of September 1927.

Sadly little Peggy died on the 17th of January 1928 in the Naracoorte Hospital and they buried her in the Penola Cemetery; Section B, Plot 67 (historic section).

Alice was then born on the 27th of December 1928, followed by their last child; Lois Jean, on the 31st of March 1933.

By 1937 they had moved to Bordertown and Leslie was a labourer and the following year he gained employment as a fitter by the Bordertown Railways.

He joined the Tatiara RSL Sub-Branch and by 1941 was the President of the Sub-Branch.

With the outbreak of WW2, their son’s enlisted;
Clive enlisted into the 2/27th on the 26th of April 1941 (SX12377).
James enlisted into the 2/5th Field Company on the 10th of July 1942 (SX23824).

Aged 50, Leslie then enlisted into the 4th Lines of Communication Signals (PMG) on the 3rd of February 1943 in Bordertown and was allotted the service number S111884.
He was taken on strength for Part Time duty and then transferred to the Reserve Area on the 19th of January 1945 and then later discharged.

In January 1947 they went for a holiday to Adelaide and on the 5th of February they went to the Glenelg beach.
Lois and her 9 year old cousin Geoffrey Marks had gone for a swim and then Geoffrey got caught by the tide and got into difficulties between a sandbank and the beach, 220 yards south of the jetty.
Lois went to his assistance, but Geoffrey clasped her round her neck and dragged her under the water.
When she was helped to the beach she collapsed and artificial respiration was applied by a member of the club in the Glenelg Lifesaving clubhouse and Lois recovered, but collapsed again and was revived sufficiently to be taken home.

She received medical attention before leaving the beach.

Leslie died on the 17th of June 1963 in Bordertown and was buried in the Bordertown Cemetery; Old Section, Row R, Plot 38.

Isobel died on the 26th of June 1980 and was cremated and her ashes interred in the Enfield Memorial Park; Rose Garden Memorial, Site CDZ.

Military

WW1

At the age of 21, Leslie enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 21st of May 1915 in Keswick and allotted the service number 974 and posted to the Base Light Horse.
He listed his father, James Marks, of Penola, as his next of kin.

On the 1st of July he was posted to the 11th Light Horse Regiment, 3rd Reinforcements.
He embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A15 Star of England on the 21st of September 1915 and disembarked in Alexandria for further training and transferred to C Squadron.

Leslie then proceeded to Gallipoli and was taken on strength with the 9th Light Horse Regiment at Rhododendron Spur on the 17th of November 1915.
They remained here in the trenches for the remainder of November and December until Leslie embarked from Gallipoli on board HT Ionian and disembarked in Alexandria on the 16th of December 1915.

He was then posted to the Racecourse Camp in Heliopolis and Christmas 1915 was spent here.

On the 24th of January 1916 Leslie suffered from Influenza and was admitted into the 3rd Australian General Hospital for 1 week before being discharged to No.2 Convalescent Depot in Heliopolis on the 3rd of February.
He rejoined the 11th Light Horse Regiment on the 22nd of February and the following day they moved to No.2 Oasis Camp.

Further training was held here and they returned to their mounted role before moving to Tel-el-Kebir on the 26th of April and then onto the Railhead at Serapeum on the 17th of May.
They then received orders to move to Habeita for a few weeks to be close to the 13th Infantry Brigade before moving back to the Railhead at Serapeum.
In late June they received orders to move to Moarscar and collected more horses before moving by train to Ballah on the 9th of July and camped on the west side of the Canal.

Here they were engaged in building horse stables at Ballybunion, east of the Ballah, before moving there on the 20th of July and joined the forces defending the Suez Canal.
In ensuing months they conducted patrols and participated in several forays out into the Sinai Desert.
By December they were at the Road Head in Serepeum engaged in patrols and this is where they spent Christmas 1916.

By early February 1917 they had moved to Nekhl and then returned to Road Head Camp in Serepeum at the end of the month and then moved to Ferry Post.

It was at Ferry Post on the 2nd of March that Leslie was transferred as a driver to the newly formed 4th Field Troop Engineers that was attached to the Imperial Field Squadron.
They provided Engineer support to the Australian Mounted Division in Egypt and consisted of four Troops (two Australian and two Imperial) and a Squadron Headquarters. The already existing 3rd Field Troop (later renamed C Troop) remained with the 3rd Light Horse Brigade, with the 4th Troop supporting the 4th Light Horse Brigade.

Leslie and his Troop carried out normal engineering constructive and destructive works, much of their time was spent cleaning out bores, and ensuring suitable water was available for the units that they supported.
By the end of March they had moved to Romani and then to Khan Yunus on the 11th of April before moving to Tel-el-Jemmi on the 16th and onto Abasan-el-Kebir on the 22nd.
At Abasan-el-Kebir Leslie and his Troop were engaged in erecting barbed wire on the front line.

It was here on the 6th of May that Leslie suffered from Tonsillitis and was admitted into the 4th Light Horse Filed Ambulance before being transferred to the 26th Casualty Clearing Station at El Arish on the 8th.
He was then transferred to the 24th Stationary Hospital in Kantara before being transferred to the Citadel Military Hospital in Cairo on the 12th.

He remained here for 10 days before being discharged to No.2 Convalescent Depot at Ras el Tin, Alexandria on the 22nd.
After 3 weeks here Leslie was discharged to the 4th Light Horse Training Regiment in Moascar on the 12th of June and then on the 1st of July he rejoined his Troop in Abasan-el-Kiber.

They were in charge of the Divisional water supply at Wadi until they moved to Tel-el-Marakeb on the 21st of July where they were in charge of the water supply.
Here on the 10th of August Leslie suffered another Tonsillitis attack and was admitted into the 3rd Australian Light Horse Field Ambulance for 10 days before rejoining his unit.

September was then spent at Abasan-el-Kiber, again in charge of water for the Brigades before they moved to Tel-el-Fara for all of October.
By the 1st of November they had moved to Beersheba and 2 days later Leslie was admitted to the Field Ambulance suffering from Pyrexia and transferred to the 35th Casualty Clearing Station at Doullens.
He was then transferred by No.20 Ambulance Train to the 45th Stationary Hospital in El Arish and then onto the 44th Stationary in Kantara.
On the 7th of November he was transferred to the 14th Australian General in Abbassia where he remained for 5 weeks before being discharged to the rest camp at Port Said on the 15th of December.

Leslie spent Christmas 1917 here before being transferred to the Engineers Training Unit in Moascar on the 6th of January 1918 and the following week he rejoined his Troop at Belah.
Whilst here, they completed general work for the Division, including the construction of a rifle range and maintained the water supply.

They moved from Belah on the 1st of April and by the 6th they were located in billets at Selmeh before moving through the Jericho Valley to Essalt in early May in the intense heat.
On the 9th of June Leslie and his Troop moved to Solomon’s Pools and were engaged in boring and blasting in the 4th Brigades outpost trenches until the 1st of July when they moved into Bethlehem and started repairing bridges.

Leslie suffered with Arthritis here and was admitted into the 4th Light Horse Field Ambulance on the 9th of July and then transferred to the 66th Casualty Clearing Station at Moablaka 2 days later.
The following day he was transferred to the 44th Stationary Hospital in Kantara and then onto the 2nd Australian Stationary in Moascar.
He remained here for 3 months before rejoining his Troop at Homs on the 29th of October.
They then moved to Tripoli where they were repairing the road into the infantry trough at Sheikh Bedawi when the Armistice was signed.

Christmas 1918 was spent at Tripoli and they remained here for all of January repairing the surrounding roads until the 21st of February when the contract was taken over by the French.
Most of March was spent returning ordnance equipment and disposing of horses in preparation for their move to Moascar and on the 15th of March Leslie and his Troop embarked from El Mina, disembarked in Port Said the following day and marched into their new camp in Moascar.

In late March 1919 Leslie was transferred to the 5th Light Horse Signal Troop and they were used to suppress the Egyptian revolt, undertaking patrols and carrying out internal security duties into May. Afterwards, the individual regiments and brigade headquarters returned stores and equipment and prepared to embark for Australia.

The main body departed Suez on HMAT Dongola and then Leslie and the rear details embarked from Suez on board HT Burma on the 26th of July 1919, disembarking in Adelaide on the 27th of August.

Leslie was discharged from the AIF, medically unfit, on the 27th of October 1919 and was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.

WW2

Aged 50, Leslie then enlisted into the 4th Lines of Communication Signals (PMG) on the 3rd of February 1943 in Bordertown and was allotted the service number S111884.
He was taken on strength for Part Time duty and then transferred to the Reserve Area on the 19th of January 1945 and then later discharged.