LEO, James Francis
| Service Number: | 917 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 February 1915, Claremont, Tasmania |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 26th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Railton, Tasmania, Australia, 1896 |
| Home Town: | Devonport, Devonport, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 11 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Heilly Station Cemetery V E 10 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Devonport Cenotaph, Kentish Municipality Honour Roll Mural |
Biography contributed by Aberfoyle Park High School
Born at Railton in Tasmania, Leo was the second of 12 children. His older brother John had joined up just weeks after the outbreak of the First World War, and was serving with the 12th Battalion. James Leo had to get his motheras permission to enlist, which he did in February 1915, aged 19.
Leo was assigned to the 26th battalion, which was made up of recruits from Queensland and Tasmania, and formed part of the 7th Brigade. He left Australia at the end of June, and after training in Egypt he was sent on to Gallipoli, arriving at the end of September 1915. Leo's brother John had been killed on 8 August while fighting in the bloody battle of Lone Pine.
After only ten days on the peninsula Leo was suffering from dysentery and malaria. He was sent first to the island of Mudros, then to hospital in Malta. After a lengthy recuperation, Leo re-joined his unit in Egypt in March 1916. His battalion was sent to France later that month, but again Leo became sick. He returned to his unit in early June 1916.
More legitimate information: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10681675 (www.awm.gov.au)
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