8377
WATKINS, Laurence Leonard
| Service Number: | 2833 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Machine Gun Battalion |
| Born: | Lobethal, South Australia, 18 June 1893 |
| Home Town: | Lobethal, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | South Australia, 25 August 1977, aged 84 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lobethal Public Cemetery, SA |
| Memorials: | Lobethal WW1 Roll of Honor, Lobethal War Memorial, Woodside District of Onkaparinga Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2833, 27th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 2833, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 27 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 2833, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 2833, 5th Machine Gun Battalion | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 2833, 5th Machine Gun Battalion |
Lawrence Leonard Watkins
Name: Lawrence Leonard Watkins
Service Number: 2833
Place of Birth: Lobethal
Date of Birth: 18 June 1893
Place of Enlistment: Keswick
Date of Enlistment: 12 July 1915
Age at Enlistment: 22 years 1 month
Next of Kin: Mother, Robertha Watkins
Occupation: Labourer
Religion: Church of England
Rank: Lance Corporal
Lawrence left Adelaide on board HMAT A24 Benalla on 27 October 1915. He was wounded in action in France sustaining shell shock on 25 July 1916. He was appointed Lance Corporal on 23 October 1916. Lawrence accidentally injured his knee in France on 4 November and was sent to Frensham Hospital, England for treatment and later to Weymouth Hospital from 8 January to 23 March 1917. He returned to France on 4 October and a fortnight later reverted to the rank of Private at his own request. The injured knee continued to be troublesome resulting in further hospitalisation in France. Lawrence was able to rejoin his unit, the 10th Battalion on 16 March 1918.
On 25 May 1918 he was wounded in action on a second occasion suffering a slight shot in the ankle. Lawrence returned to Australia on the Trasos Montes on 20 May 1919 and was discharged on 12 July. He died at Lobethal on 25 August 1976.
Submitted 24 October 2023 by christopher collins
Biography contributed by Jeffery Lyons
Laurence Leonard Watkins was born in Lobethal, South Australia, on 18 June 1893 to Robertha Allentina Baumgurtel, age 34, and Thomas John Wood Watkins, age 39.
When Laurence was 22 years old he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Keswick, South Australia on 19 July 1915.
Laurence Leonard Watkins married Gladys Irene Buckley in 1920 when he was 27 years old and had two sons Robert and Kingsley.
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