EAST, Walter Leonard
| Service Number: | 474 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 August 1914, Morphettville, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, 28 September 1894 |
| Home Town: | Forest Range, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Forest School |
| Occupation: | Gardener |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Turkey, 15 May 1915, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lone Pine Cemetery, ANZAC II. A. 17 |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lenswood & Forest Range War Memorial, Lobethal WW1 Roll of Honor, Lobethal War Memorial, Woodside District of Onkaparinga Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Morphettville, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 474, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 474, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide |
The Burial: In Memory Of W.L.E. - Poem by Leon Gellert
William Leonard East
What task is this that so unnerves me now?
When pity should be dead, and has been dead.
Unloose that sheet from round the pierced brow;
What matter blood is seen, for blood is red,
And red’s the colour of the clammy earth.
Be not so solemn,-There’s no need to pray;
But, rather smile, - yea, laugh! If pure, thy mirth
Is right. He laughed himself but yesterday.
That pay-book? Take it from him. Ours a debt
No gold can ever pay. That cross of wood
About his neck? That must remain, and yet
He needs it no, because his heart was good.
We’ll house him ‘neath those broken shrubs; dig deep.
He’s tired. God knows, and needs a little sleep.
Submitted 3 June 2019 by Steve Larkins
Biography contributed
Biography written by Alby Bradshaw from Endeavour College, attached as a document. Winning entry for 2023 Premier’s ANZAC SPIRIT School Prize.
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