RALPH, Leslie Arthur
| Service Number: | 3972 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 August 1915, Enlisted at Holdsworthy (now Holsworthy). |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | 14th Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia, 22 October 1887 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Signalling Fitter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France., 25 October 1916, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longueval |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Sydney United Grand Lodge Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sapper, 3972, 14th Field Company Engineers, Enlisted at Holdsworthy (now Holsworthy). | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 3972, 3rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
| 30 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 3972, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Medic, Sydney | |
| 18 Mar 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Sapper, 14th Field Company Engineers | |
| 25 Oct 1916: | Involvement Sapper, 3972, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3972 awm_unit: 14th Field Company, Australian Engineers awm_rank: Sapper awm_died_date: 1916-10-25 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Leslie Arthur RALPH (Service Number 3972) was born on 22nd October 1887 at Leichhardt. He was employed by the NSW Tramways at the Ultimo Tram Depot as a temporary fitter from 12th July 1910 at the Ultimo Tram Depot. He was employed from 6th September 1910 at Randwick Workshops. He was dispensed with as unsuitable on 3rd December. On 1st February 1912 he was employed temporarily as a fitter in the Signalling Branch of the Railways in Sydney. Ralph enlisted at Holdsworthy on 23rd August 1915, giving his mother Ellen Mary living at Hurstville as his next of kin.
He was allotted to the 12th Reinforcements to the 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion, Ralph embarked HMAT ‘Medic’ at Sydney on 30th December 1915. He was taken on the strength of the 14th Field Company of Engineers, rather than the 3rd Battalion, at Tel-el-Kebir (Egyot) on 18th March 1916. In May he was sick and admitted to hospital at Ferry Post, but by June he was fit for passage through Alexandria and Marseilles, which he passed on 29th June, to join the British Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front in France.
Ralph was killed in action on 25th October 1916. G Small (5394) stated:
‘On 25 October at Crest Ridge about 500 yards to the right of High Wood front Bapaume Ralph was blown to pieces by a shell and I helped to dig him out and we buried the remains at the place he was killed. There were two others killed at the same time, Saunders and Ferguson. All three were buried together and he three names put on the cross. I knew him well he came from infantry, joined us at Tel-el-Kebir.’
He was buried ½ mile N of Longueval & ¾ mile NW of Combles. This would prove to be only a temporary resting place for him as after the war in the rationalisation of cemeteries his remains were exhumed and re-interred at Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, six miles SSW of Bapaume.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.