Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur Leslie Runcie (1887-1955) of Hurlstone Park, NSW served in the Australian Imperial Force with the Australian Army Medical Corps during World War 1 (1915-1919). 'Les' was initially assigned to the 2nd Australian General Hospital and then became a founding member of the Anzac Provost Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Australian Military Police. Later Les was a member of a small, specialist unit, the Australian Base Depot Medical Stores (ABDMS), numbering only 2 officers and 18 other ranks on its establishment and ended the war with AIF Administrative Headquarters. Les experienced every step of the war with his friend 8062 John Charles Davies of Paddington. They had previously worked together for NSW Government Tramways at Waverley depot, and served together from basic training in 1915, to Egypt and England, and returning to Australia together in 1919.

Les collected a series of photographs and souvenirs during the war beginning in Australia in 1915 through to Egypt, England and Europe in 1919, and these remain in a private family collection. This collection details Les' war, with the first photo taken in a Newtown studio a few days before sailing to Egypt in 1915, and the last photo taken as he prepared to walk off the train platform at Hurlstone Park station for the short walk home in 1919. There are very few publicly available records of the ABDMS and this collection, digitised 100 years later in 2026, is believed to be the first substantial collection available of ABDMS and its personnel.  

Arthur Leslie Runcie was born in Surry Hills, NSW and educated at Cleveland St High School. Les trained as a teacher from 1903 and taught at Woollarha as a student teacher. After qualifying, he was posted to Back Creek (believed to be in the Sofala-Ilford area) in 1906 to teach 'house-to-house'. By 1909, Les was a tram conductor for NSW Goverment Railways and Tramways at Waverley and at Newtown in 1910, where he was a member of the NSW Railway and Tramways Ambulance Corps. In 1912, he was promoted to receiving clerk at Newtown and remained in this position until July 1915.

Les enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 9 August 1915, aged 28 at Warwick Farm, NSW, with 2 years previous military experience as a Lieutenant of cadets as a part of the universal military training scheme which began in 1910. Les was assigned to the Australian Army Medical Corps and posted to the Special Reinforcements of the 2nd Australian General Hospital, undertaking basic training at Liverpool, NSW. The Special Reinforcements of the 2nd Australian General Hospital appear to be a group of personnel with specialist civilian backgrounds intended to be assigned to specific roles or units. Some of these personnel were to serve alongside Les in the same units for the next 4 years of the war.

Promoted to Corporal, Les embarked from Sydney on 14 October 1915 on HMAT A17 Port Lincoln and arrived in Egypt, taken on strength of the 2nd Australian General Hospital at Ghezireh Palace Hotel (Cairo) on 17 November 1915. On 21 November 1915, Les was assigned to the Australian and New Zealand Training Depot Zeitoun (Cairo) where he was a part of the Army Medical Corps Detail of the 2nd Training Battalion. From here he was admitted to 3rd Auxiliary Hospital with bronchitis on 15 March 1916, and discharged to Aerodrome Camp (Heliopolis, Cairo) 20 March 1916.

 Les was taken on strength of the Anzac Provost Corps (AMC Detail) at Abbassia (Cairo) on 16 April 1916 as a part of the transfer of men and materiel of the Australian infantry divisions to France and the establishment of Australian depots in England. Les embarked for England on the HMT Tunisian from Alexandria on 3 August 1916, and reverting to Private, taken on strength of the new Australian Base Depot Medical Stores at Bhurtpore Barracks, Tidworth on 16 November 1916. ABDMS was a specialist unit responsible for the procurement, storage and distribution of medical supplies to Australian depots in England and forward depots in France. On 18 February 1918, ABDMS was transferred to AIF Administrative Headquarters in London, with the Medical Section located in Great Smith Street, Westminster.

 After the Armistice in November 1918, ABDMS was involved in the repatriation of Australian troops, organising medical supplies for the troopships and coordinating the transport of war brides to Australia. In March 1919, Les and his friend Jack Davies took embarkation leave, traveling to Paris, Rome and Naples, returning to England in April 1919 to prepare for their return to Australia. Promoted to Corporal, Les and Jack embarked on the HT Boonah from Liverpool, England on 20 April 1919, serving as a first aid officers onboard and returning to Sydney on 11 June 1919, demobilising at the Domain Anzac Buffet. Les formally discharged from the AIF on 3 August 1919, four years to the week after he enlisted. Les returned to civilian life and remained with NSW Tramways as a senior manager of rostering and timetables until his retirement. Les passed away in 1955 and is buried at Woronora Cemetery, Sutherland, NSW.