REID, Mordaunt Leslie
| Service Numbers: | Not yet discovered |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 September 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Elmore, Victoria, Australia, 22 August 1881 |
| Home Town: | Coolgardie, Coolgardie, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Surrey College, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Electrical Engineer |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Gallipoli, 25 April 1915, aged 33 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial - Panel 33 |
| Memorials: | Geraldton Gallipoli Roll of Honour, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Wanganella & District War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1914: | Involvement 11th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1914: | Embarked 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Fremantle | |
| 1 Feb 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement Lieutenant, 11th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 11 Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1915-04-25 |
Lieutenant Mordaunt Reid
By Scott Bennett
Lieutenant Mordaunt Reid was wounded near the coveted Third Ridge on the morning of the Gallipoli landing on 25 April 1915. His commander had instructed his party ‘to hang on for a little longer’ to give Mordaunt a chance to get away. Mordaunt had reassured them, ‘I can get into the gully.’ After a pause, the party retreated. Mordaunt was never seen again.
Back in Australia, Mordaunt’s wife, Pauline Dowd, remained convinced that he was alive, despite the defence department’s telegram that stated that he was missing. Rather than wait for further official news, Pauline wrote to the newspapers and cabled hospitals overseas seeking answers.
In mid-1915 Pauline sailed for Cairo and then later, in 1916, on to London in her search for news. Pauline’s main hope centred on Private Frederick Ashton, who had disappeared on the same day as Mordaunt, but was subsequently confirmed as a prisoner-of-war. His letters confirmed that there were also other Australians held as prisoners. Pauline was convinced that Mordaunt was one of them.
Further information on Mordaunt and Pauline’s story is covered in Scott Bennett’s ‘The Nameless Names: Recovering the Missing Anzacs.’
Submitted 25 February 2019 by Evan Evans
Click images to start slideshow.