Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Alfred Lepley was born on the month of December in 1883, in the regional town of Sutherlands, South Australia. Up until the age of 32, Alfred worked as a labourer and had 3 months of pre-military service in the Australian Natives Association before later in his life proceeding to be enlisted in war. The Australian Natives Association was a mutual society founded in April 1871, by and for the benefit of native white Australians. At a height of 5 feet, 7 inches and a weight of 142 lbs (64.4kg), near 33-year-old Alfred enlisted for war on the 4th August 1915. At the time, Alfred was a single man who lived on Leeder Street, Kelmscott, near Port Adelaide, South Australia. Alfred was part of the Church of England and had a sister, Mrs Catherine Gurr. In war, Lepley served in the 27th Battalion, 7th Reinforcement who fought on the battlegrounds of the Western Front.

Lepley embarked for Marseille on the 12th January 1916, on board the HMAT A7 Medic. Two months later, on the 22nd March, 1916, Lepley disembarked from Marseille, to where he then proceeded to join the 1st Anzac in Etáples, in Northern France, on the 25th June, 1916. Alfred proceeded to join the Unit on the 10th July and 3 days later was taken on strength and accepted into the unit.

On the day of the 5th August, Alfred was wounded in action, at around the area of Camiers, France. The following day, the 6th August, it was identified Alfred had a Gun Shot Wound on his right arm in serious condition. Lepley would have most likely fought in the ‘Battle for Pozières’, a ginormous battle which took place in Northern France between the 23rd July and the 4th September, 1916. The information of the battle on this day display there were 40 soldiers killed, 289 soldiers wounded and 67 soldiers missing in the area. While an all round total of 486 Australian soldiers were killed on this day.

On the 30th of August, just 25 days after Alfred was previously wounded, he again, had another Gun Shot Wound on his right arm and chest, in the area of Calais, France. It is assumed that Alfred was still fighting in the Battle for Pozières, where on this day troops were located in trenches, forces were said to be moving a few days before and enemies being fairly quiet. Due to enemies being fairly quiet, there is a possibility Alfred was shot by an enemy scout on that night. On this day of the 30th, the Battle for Pozières and a slightly smaller Battle of Monquet Farm were active which came out to a total 72 deaths of Australian soldiers.

It was on this day Alfred was set to eventually be in England where he travelled back through Camiers, and was sent to a town called Wimeraux. Here, he was put into the 2nd Australian Military Hospital in France, before a month and a half later reaching Peckham Downs, England on the 13th October. The night of the 13th, Alfred committed a criminal offence as he was absence without leave for two days, from 11pm on the 13th, till 11pm on the 15th and was punished with a forfeit of 2 day’s pay. Despite this, in England, Alfred was transferred into the Chatham Military Hospital, on the 1st November, 1916. After another 10 days in hospital, Alfred was sent to Weymouth, England before he marched back in to battle on the 11th November. Although a month earlier Alfred had been absent without leave for two days, on the 17th November, at 6:45am, he was once again missing again for 3 days until 6:45am on the 20th. For committing another criminal offence, Alfred was forced to forfeit 4 day’s pay as punishment.

While another 2 months passed, it came to a day where Alfred was wounded on his right arm for the third time again, on the 13th February, 1917. This of which occurred two days before the German Battle along the Hindenburg Line. Alfred’s injury was a final instance and a calling point for Alfred, when he was then sent and embarked on his return to Australia, on the same day of the 13th February, 1917, on board the ship of HMAT A24 Benalla. In his return to Australia, Lepley arrived on the 10th April, 1917 and was discharged 3 months later, on the 11th July, 1917, simply due to being medically unfit. ‘The Register, Adelaide’ an Adelaide newspaper company who published an article on Wednesday, 27th May, 1925, told the people that there was set to be a 10 year anniversary reunion the following Saturday to commemorate the date of embarkation for the 27th Infantry Battalion. This was special as even the paper stated “so many were fated never to return”, which displays the importance of the survivors and on how dangerous the adventure of the 27th Battalion really was.

Alfred Lepley was a soldier who served in the 27th Battalion, 7th Reinforcement, for a total service of 1 year and 312 days, of this serving abroad for 1 year and 89 days. His courage and persistence led him to keep on resiliently pushing through the challenges he faced throughout the time of his service, especially from being wounded 3 times in the same body part. Alfred died at the age of 72 on the 20th November, 1955 and received a British War Medal and a Victory Medal for his service in WWI. Lepley is buried in the AIF Cemetery (Row 11, Grave No.68), West Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia.