Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From How the served

3028 Private Leo Hanger of Clifton Hill, Victoria had been employed as a bootmaker when he enlisted for War Service on the 16th of July 1915. Allocated to reinforcements for the 6th Battalion, 1st AIF, Leo embarked for Egypt and further training on the 29th of September 1915. Taken on strength with his Unit after their return from Gallipoli, Leo arrived in France on the 30th of March 1916.

Leo would be wounded in action on three occassions, the first being in the vicinity of Pozieres on the 18th of August 1916, where he received a gunshot wound to the head, and was evacuated back to England for hospitalisation. Leo recovered enough to be sent back to his Unit on the 2nd of August 1917, and within a month of re-entering the trenches, he was again wounded in action when he received a gunshot wound to his left side on the 20th of September 1917.

Again Leo was evacutated for hospitalisation, and by the 14th of October he had recovered enough to be sent bach to his Battalion. On the 10th of August 1918 during the fighting in the vicinity of Villers Bretonneux, Leo was wounded for the third time, when he received a gunshot wound to the face and was returned to England in a serious condition for hospitalisation on the 15th of August. Leo would be sent to the Queen's Hospital Sidcup where he would undergo multiple operations on his face.

On Christmas Day 1918, Leo was embarked for his return to Austraia as an invalid, arriving back in Melbourne on the 11th of Feburary 1919. Due to the affects of the multiple wounds Leo had received during 'The Great War', his premature death would occurr on the 29th of Setember 1923 at the age of 26. Leo was laid to rest at his family's collective gravesite within Coburg Cemetery, Victoria.