FROST, Leslie Philip
| Service Number: | 506 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 September 1916, Sent to Seymour Army Training Camp (Puckapunyal Army Base) |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Machine Gun Battalion |
| Born: | South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 November 1893 |
| Home Town: | Mitcham, Whitehorse, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Doncaster East State School (No. 2096), Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Orchardist & Piano Maker |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 29 September 1918, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Unicorn Cemetery, Vendhuile Plot I, Row D, Grave 2 Headstone Inscription "DUTY NOBLY DONE" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 506, 3rd Machine Gun Battalion, Sent to Seymour Army Training Camp (Puckapunyal Army Base) | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 506, 6th Machine Gun Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 506, 6th Machine Gun Company, HMAT Medic, Melbourne | |
| 6 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 506 | |
| 29 Sep 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 506, 3rd Machine Gun Battalion, Breaching the Hindenburg Line - Cambrai / St Quentin Canal, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 506 awm_unit: 3rd Australian Machine Gun Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-09-29 |
Help us honour Leslie Philip Frost's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Daryl Jones
Son of Alfred Ernest and Annie Elizabeth FROST, of White Horse Road, Blackburn, Victoria, Australia. Native of South Melbourne.
Biography contributed by Andrew Brown
Leslie Philip Frost was born to Alfred Ernest and Annie Elizabeth Frost in South Melbourne, Australia.
From an early age, he demonstrated significant academic promise. He earned a certificate for his studies in 1906, followed by a Sloyd Woodcarving certificate in 1909. Before enlisting, Leslie worked as an orchardist and later became a skilled piano maker at Wertheim’s Piano Factory in Burnley.
At 22, Leslie enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on September 30, 1916, with the service number 506. He underwent initial training at Seymour Army Camp in Victoria.
On December 16, 1916, Leslie embarked on a journey to war aboard the HMAT A7 Medic, leaving Port Melbourne as part of a convoy transporting Australian troops. The ship arrived in Plymouth, England, on February 16, 1917, where Leslie continued his training at Perham Downs. The cold and wet conditions of the English winter made training gruelling, and illness was widespread. Leslie himself was hospitalized for mumps in March 1917.
By May 1917, Leslie had joined the 22nd Machine Gun Company in Folkestone, England, and underwent further specialized training in machine guns and trench warfare. In June, he was deployed to Camiers, France, with the 10th Machine Gun Company.
During 1917, Leslie participated in the significant Ypres offensives. On October 4, 1917, he was wounded by a gunshot to the shoulder during a battle, and was evacuated to England for treatment. After recovering, Leslie rejoined his unit in early 1918, just in time for the intense battles of the German Spring Offensive (March–April 1918).
In March 1918, the 10th Machine Gun Company was consolidated with other units to form the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion. Leslie’s battalion played a crucial role in the defensive and counteroffensive actions during the German Spring Offensive. He fought through some of the most harrowing conditions of the war, showing immense courage in the face of adversity.
On September 29, 1918, Leslie was killed in action during the Battle of St. Quentin Canal, part of the broader Battle of the Hindenburg Line. This battle was a decisive moment in the Allied push to break the German defences. Leslie was struck by a high-explosive shell near the trench system known as “Doleful Post,” located between Ronssoy and Le Catelet in northern France. His death came amidst fierce fighting that contributed to the eventual Allied victory, just two months later.
Leslie was initially buried in a British cemetery northeast of St. Quentin, but his remains were later exhumed and moved to the Unicorn Cemetery in Vendhuile, France. His gravestone bears the simple but poignant inscription: "Duty Nobly Done."
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