S4335
GLUYAS, Leonard Spencer
| Service Number: | 3308 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 35th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Aug 1917: | Involvement Private, 3308, 35th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Aug 1917: | Embarked Private, 3308, 35th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Miltiades, Sydney |
Leonard Spencer Gluyas - POW
Leonard Spencer Gluyas of Port Pirie West, South Australia enlisted on the 13th November 1916 in Newcastle N.S.W. He was a single 19 year old labourer when he joined and embarked from Sydney on the 2nd August 1917 with the 35th Battalion/8th Reinforcements.
After disembarking in Glasgow 2 months later he trained in Durrington Camp with the 9th Training Battalion; probably because his battalion was given only rudimentary training in Australia, and proceeded overseas to France on the 8th February 1918.
On the 8th May 1918 his battalion was in Morlencourt, France when Leonard was first reported as missing. The 35th Battalion War Diary reports on the Australians taking ground and capturing Germans, not the other way round. See attached.
However, Leonard was reported as a POW on the 19th June 1918 as interned at Cassel, Germany; where he writes on the 4th August 1918:
A.I.F. 35th Battalion L.S.GLUYAS 3308
“My wound is now better and I am to proceed out into the country in a few days to work. I think this will be for the best as life is so monotonous in the camp and the time will pass much more quickly. Parcels are arriving regularly. Your letter is the first I have received since being a prisoner.”
The POW camp was placed on a hill overlooking the Fulda Valley, one mile from Niederzwehren, a suburb of Cassel. Barracks were of wood accommodating some 20,000 POWs. The prisoners were employed in factories and workshops.
Prison camps varied greatly in size, but the Kriegsministerium (Ministry of War) standardized the system of housing and organization through its Prisoner of War Department, under the command of General Friedrich.
The Germans enclosed new prison camps with double barbed-wire fences eight feet high. Sometimes these fences were electrified to deter prisoners from scaling the wires. Fences stood about five feet apart and German guards, often accompanied by dogs, conducted sentry duty between the wires.
In addition, German soldiers maintained security from guard towers equipped with search lights. Some camps featured a defensive position inside prison camps, which included artillery pieces and machine guns, to put down any potential rioting or rebellions inside the facility.
Leonard was eventually freed and arrived in England on the 14th January 1919 and returned to Australia on the 5th October the same year.
Sources:
Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau Files
Flickr
The Areas’ Express, Booyoolee, S.A. Fri 5th July 1918
Submitted 27 July 2020 by Gary Fradd