THORNE, Leslie Walter
| Service Number: | 3402 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 February 1917, Attempted to enlist in 20/7/1916 but was discharged 1/8/1916 as underage. Then enlisted again in 1917 in Devenport. Still underage at 16 yrs 2 months but proceeded to train and embark. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 40th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Waratah, Tasmania, Australia, 5 July 1900 |
| Home Town: | Devonport, Devonport, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Waratah, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Factory Hand |
| Died: | Cancer , Devonport, Tasmania, Australia, 31 May 1927, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Feb 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3402, 40th Infantry Battalion, Attempted to enlist in 20/7/1916 but was discharged 1/8/1916 as underage. Then enlisted again in 1917 in Devenport. Still underage at 16 yrs 2 months but proceeded to train and embark. | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 3402, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Jun 1917: | Embarked Private, 3402, 40th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Sydney | |
| 7 Jan 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3402, 40th Infantry Battalion, "Peaceful Penetration - Low-Cost, High-Gain Tactics on the Western Front", Taken on the strength of the 40th Bn. Battle of the Somme at Morlancourt. Transferred to Corps working parties from 40th Bn on 1/6/1918. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Rex Wright
The son of Walter Thomas Thorne amd Mary Jane Thorne (nee Heald). His father died aged 32 and his mother moved to Devonport where her family lived. She remarried John Henry Duckworth who became Walter's stepfather (KIA).
Les was excellent scholar and athelete winning many prizes at school but he could not continue his education probably due to the costs. He lied about is age and enlisted on 20 July 1916 but was discharged a few weeks later on 1 August 1916 for falsely attesting to his age being 18 years and possibly due to his mothers wishes as her husband John Duckworth had been killed at Posieres on 23 July 1916.
Les re-enlisted on 20 February 1917 and was allocated to the 40th battalion and embarked for France in June 1917 and arrived in August where he was immediately taken to hospital. He joined the battalion on 7 January 1918 in France in the Somme area until 1 June 1918 as the battalion defended against the German Spring Offensive. He was reallocted to the Australian Corps Working Company in June 1918. He was later admitted to hospital due to a debility on 10 October that may have been due to a knee injury after being kicked by a mule. He returned to Australia in early 1919 on SS Berrima and discharged on 14 March 1919.
After the war he married Pearl West in 1922. His knee injury unfortunately led to cancer. He played football for a time but eventually his leg was amputated. He never recovered his strength and never complained despite being wheeled around Devenport in and ambulance cot. He died age 27.
References: NAA service records. 40th battalion wikipedia. In search of the 600, a history of the Thorne family by David Thorne
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