LEIGHTON, Allan David
| Service Number: | 6590 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 April 1916, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 1st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Rylstone, New South Wales, 27 September 1895 |
| Home Town: | Rylstone, Mid-Western Regional, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Ginghi Provisional School |
| Occupation: | School Teacher |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Hazebrouck, France, United Kingdom, 11 July 1918, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
Borre British Cemetery Borre British Cemetery, Hazebrouck, Nord Pas de Calais, France, Brookwood Military Cemetery, Pirbright, Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hereford House Reunion Club Roll of Honour, Parramatta NSW Public School Teachers KIA Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Apr 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6590, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Oct 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6590, 1st Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 7 Oct 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 6590, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 11 Jul 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 6590, 1st Infantry Battalion, "Peaceful Penetration - Low-Cost, High-Gain Tactics on the Western Front", --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6590 awm_unit: 1 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-07-11 |
WW1
The details provided are taken from the book "Stealth Raiders - a few daring men in 1918" written by Lucas Jordan, published 2017, refer to pages 157/8, 223 & 270. Prior to the war he was a school teacher of Rylstone NSW. He enlisted 26th April 1916 aged 24 years. He served with the 1st Infantry Battalion, rising to the rank of Corporal. Unfortunately, he was wounded and later died of the wound 11th July 1918. Rest In Peace Lest We Forget
Submitted 2 March 2020 by Maxwell HILL
Biography
"Mrs. David Leighton, of Dennison Street, Mudgee, has received letters from France in reference to the death of her son, Corporal A. D. Leighton, killed in action — one from Corporal E. C. Fuller, C Company, 3rd Battalion (July 20) and the other from Captain Chaplain Carter, 6th Battalion (July 24). Corporal Fuller conveys his deepest sympathy. The circumstances of Corporal Leighton's death were he says such as to make his name one of the best known in the 1st Battalion:-
"I understand Allan was recommended for the good work he did on July 11. I feel his loss very much — as if he had been my own brother. He died as he would have wished to die — killed in action... Over here death is shorn horrors. Too many good fellows have gone before for us to ... the passsage. He was a good soldier and a noble gentleman.
Captain Chaplain Carter writes:-
"I don't know anything of the circumstances surrounding his death beyond this that he was killed in action while we were in the area near Stronzeele, not far from the flatened city of Hazebrouck, in North France. I understand he was killed instantly by enemy shot fire. Wheu he reached me at the advanced dressing station just behind the first line, he was quite dead. I buried the body, with Christian rites, in a military burying ground we had established at a village near by called Boore. I registered the grave and marked it with a cross." - from the Mudgee Guardian 26 Sep 1918 (nla.gov.au)
Awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal
"He was reconnoitring the enemy's position with a patrol and attacked an enemy post, which he captured, taking seven prisoners and killing two of the garrison. Later, he was severely wounded leading a party against an enemy machine gun position. The courage and dash of this N.C.O. were conspicuous and he led his men with great determination." Commonwealth Gazette No. 36 - 14 March 1919
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