SEABORN, Leslie Watson Saunderson
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 25 May 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 19th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Young, New South Wales, Australia, 21 March 1877 |
| Home Town: | Woollahra, Woollahra, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Grammar School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Solicitor |
| Died: | Natural causes, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 12 May 1931, aged 54 years |
| Cemetery: |
Saint Saviours Anglican Cemetery, Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia |
| Memorials: | Canberra Australian War Memorial Officers of the 19th Battalion Pictorial Honour Roll, Orange Officers of the 19th Battalion Pictorial Honour Roll, Sydney Grammar School WW1 Honour Board, Yeoval NSW Solicitors in WWI Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 25 May 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, 19th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 1917: | Embarked 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Melbourne, Sydney | |
| 16 Jul 1917: | Involvement 19th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Melbourne embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Sep 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 19th Infantry Battalion | |
| 10 Oct 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 19th Infantry Battalion, "The Last Hundred Days", Estrees, Gassed | |
| 1 Feb 1919: | Honoured Military Cross, Mont St Quentin / Peronne, For splendid courage and bravery in holding his position during the attack on Mont St. Quentin near Peronne on 31 August 1918 after finding the objective surrounded by enemy, and with nearly all his men casualties and only 6 men and a Lewis gun left, he pluckily attacked the enemy. With sheer gallantry and determination he drove the enemy off, inflicting heavy casualties and clearing the situation. | |
| 1 Jun 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 19th Infantry Battalion, HT Somali, Southampton for return to Australia - disembarking Sydney 18 July 1919. | |
| 18 Jan 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 19th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Michael Silver
Leslie Watson Saunderson Seaborn, M.C., a Sydney solicitor, who was prominent in athletic circles in former years, and won distinction at the war, died on Tuesday night, 12 May 1931 after a short illness. He was 54 years of age.
Born at Young, Leslie Seaborn was the son of the late Rev. Frederick Hanson Seaborn. He was educated at Goulburn and at the Sydney Grammar School, and was admitted to practice as a solicitor in 1906. For 22 years he was a member of the legal firm of Messrs. Garland, Seaborn, and Abbott.
As a young man, Leslie Seaborn was a member of the Sydney University Rugby Union Football Club, and, as a forward, represented New South Wales in 1907 in Sydney and in Western Australia. For a long period he was a member of the committee of the New South Wales Rugby Union, and he was a former vlce-presldent.
With Lieutenant Austin Diamond, Lieutenant Seaborn organised the Sportsmen's Battalion in 1915. He served with the 19th Battalion in the war. He was awarded the Military Cross.
After the Armistice, Captain Seaborn was prominently associated with the organisation of sport in the A.I.F. He acted as manager of the A.I.F. Rugby fifteen which he organised with Major F. W. Matthews. The team toured the United Kingdom. On his return to Australia, Leslie Seaborn became closely associated with returned soldier activities. He was also a member of the Imperial Service Club and of the Australian Club, and was a Freemason. One of his chief hobbles was the study of Napoleonic history, and among his treasured possessions was a Napoleonic clock. He was survived by Mrs. Seaborn (formerly Miss Ruby Broughton) and a son and daughter.
His remains were placed in the family vault at Goulburn after a service in the Goulburn Cathedral.
Reference:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16777592
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