LE SUEUR, William James
| Service Number: | 2435 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia, 16 May 1890 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Locomotive Fireman |
| Died: | Killed In Action, France, 24 July 1916, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 9 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2435, 2nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 1915: | Involvement Private, 2435, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Jul 1915: | Embarked Private, 2435, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orsova, Sydney | |
| 24 Jul 1916: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 2435, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2435 awm_unit: 2 Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-07-24 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
William Joshua James LE SUEUR, (Service Number 2435) was born on 16th May 1890 at Gundagai. He commenced working for the NSW Government Railways as a cleaner (first rung in the career path to locomotive driver) at Harden Locomotive Depot on 1st October 1911. By January 1913 he had progressed to fireman, and at the end of that year transferred in the same role to Hamilton. He went to Penrith early in 1914. It was from Penrith that he was released to join the Expeditionary Forces on 10th May 1915. In fact, he had enlisted the day before, a Sunday, and the Railways had little choice than to endorse the decision on the Monday morning. On his Attestation Papers he described himself as a locomotive fireman and gave his father living in Marrickville as his next of kin.
Le Sueur was allotted to the 7th Reinforcements to the 2nd Battalion. He left Australia aboard HMAT ‘Orsova’ through Sydney on 14th July 1915. After some further training in Egypt he joined the 2nd Battalion on Gallipoli on 31st October. After the evacuation, he returned to Alexandria aboard HMT ‘Huntstream’ on 28th December. In February 1916 he was promoted to Lance Corporal at Serapeum. He embarked at Alexandria on 22nd March for Marseilles, where he arrived on 28th March. He went to the Western Front.
He was killed in action 24th July 1916 at Pozières. As he has no known grave he is remembered on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.