BAILEY, John Leslie
| Service Number: | 2629 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 June 1916, Place of Enlistment, Perth, Western Australia. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | White Gum Valley, Western Australia , 3 January 1897 |
| Home Town: | Guildford, Swan, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Guildford State School, Western Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 25 April 1918, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Fremantle 849 Memorial, Guildford State School Honour Roll, Guildford War Memorial, Guildford and District Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2629, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), Place of Enlistment, Perth, Western Australia. | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 2629, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 10 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 2629, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Suffolk, Fremantle |
Private John Leslie Bailey. By his Niece.
Private John Leslie Bailey of 51 Battalion AIF preferred to be called Les. He was born on 3 of January 1897 at White Gum Valley to John and Esther Bailey of South Guildford, who later moved to Albion Street, Cottesloe.
Educated at Guildford state school he joined the Senior school cadets of 89a whom he served with until joining the Australian Imperial Forice on 16 June 1916.
He marched in on 19 June to 74 Depot before joining up with the other recruits at Blackboy Hill Military Camp for initial training.
It was October 1916 before John, now a part of 6 Reinforcements of 51 Batallion, embarked on the Suffolk out of Fremantle and bound for England and disembarked at Plymouth.
A little over three weeks later he sailed aboard the SS Princess Victoria for France where he was taken on strength by 51 Battalion on 9 January 1917.
In August John, like thousands of others at the front, became ill and he was hospitalised after which he went back to 51 Battalion before proceeding on 14 days leave to England, re-joining his Battalion on 2 February 1918.
Private John Leslie Bailey, service number 2629, was killed in action at Villers Bretonneux on Anzac Day, 25 April 1918. He was 21 years of age.
Submitted 31 May 2021 by Lynette Turner
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