LESLIE, Robert Miller
| Service Number: | 7591 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Bright, Victoria, Australia, March 1896 |
| Home Town: | Fremantle, Fremantle, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Villers Bretonneux, France, 24 April 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Fremantle Fallen Sailors & Soldiers Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 7591, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 7591, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Jun 1917: | Embarked Private, 7591, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Fremantle | |
| 24 Apr 1918: | Involvement Private, 7591, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 7591 awm_unit: 51 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-04-24 |
Help us honour Robert Miller Leslie's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of George and Eveline LESLIE, Holdsworth Street, Fremantle, Western Australia
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
Age on enlistment was 20 years and 1 month. Given his looks on the authentic photo from AWM (message to his mother on back), I would suspect he has taken some liberties with his age - at least minus 2-3 years. That is probably why is battalion used him as a runner.
Biography contributed by Geoff Tilley
Robert Miller Leslie was born Victoria in 1896. He moved to Western Australia with his family living in Fremantle. His address on enlistment into the A.I.F. in February 1916 was Henderson Street Fremantle. His occupation was recorded as clerk. Robert sought permission from his parents to join the AIF as he was under the age of 21 years, and they signed his enlistment papers. His recorded age at enlistment was 20 years 1 month.
It is worthy of note that Roberts embarkation date from Fremantle was June 1917, over 12 month later from his initial enlistment into the A.I.F. I can only guess that he was kept back Australia due to his younger age, but we will never know.
In the November of 1916 at Fremantle, Robert was charged with the offences of “not complying with an order” and absent from parade”, for these offences he was confined to barracks for 1 week.
Robert arrived in England in August 1917. In the following year of March 1918, he was sent overseas to France joining the 51st Battalion “In the Field” on 4th April 1918.
It was on the eve of the 24th April 1918, that the 51st Battalion was hurriedly marched forward for the preparation of the counterattack. Robert was in C Company, 12th platoon and believed to be a bugler.
At the commencement of the attack Robert was acting as a runner carrying messages, upon reaching the “wire” barb wire at the Cachy Switch he was hit by machine gun fire where he was killed instantly. His body was recovered by Australian Pioneers where he was buried in a battlefield cemetery near Villers Bretonneux. Robert was only 22 years of age. Even though he was officially recorded as buried in 1918, he has no known grave today. It can only be assumed that he now lays in one of the many graves marked “Unknown 51st Battalion Soldier” in the Adelaide Cemetery of France.
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