ROLES, Leslie Horace
| Service Number: | 302 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 March 1916, An original member of A Company 40th Bn. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 12th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, 30 July 1899 |
| Home Town: | Carrick, Meander Valley, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Jockey |
| Died: | Killed in action, Lagnicourt, France, 15 April 1917, aged 17 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Carrick Memorial Wall Honour Roll, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France), Westbury War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 302, 40th Infantry Battalion, An original member of A Company 40th Bn. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 302, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Jul 1916: | Embarked Private, 302, 40th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Hobart | |
| 5 Dec 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 12th Infantry Battalion | |
| 15 Apr 1917: | Involvement Private, 302, 12th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 302 awm_unit: 12th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-04-15 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Leslie was the son of Harry and Nellie Roles of Carrick, Tasmania. He gave his occupation as a jockey on enlistment, he was 5 foot 4 inches in height and weighed 117 pounds (53kg) and was an original member of the all Tasmanian 40th Battalion. He stated he was 18 years and six months of age when in fact he was 16 years and nine months old. His father was a famous veteran jockey, who won many races in Tasmania on the flat and over hurdles. Harry Roles was said to have been one of the finest horsemen who figured on the turf in Tasmania.
Leslie was reported wounded on 14 April 1917, which was later amended to killed in action on 15 April 1917 and a note in his service file says he was buried with other isolated graves near Lagnicourt. His grave was subsequently lost. An identity disc was sent to his father along with his few personal effects. Had he lived he would have celebrated his 18th birthday in July 1917.
His older brother, 9494 Dvr. William James, Roles had died of wounds in France a few months previous, on 21 December 1916, aged 23.
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