MCCLANNON, Leslie Gordon
| Service Number: | 2424 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 18th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Erskineville, New South Wales, Australia, 19 September 1894 |
| Home Town: | Marrickville, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Telephone mechanic |
| Died: | Maroubra, New South Wales, Australia, 10 July 1969, aged 74 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, NSW |
| Memorials: | Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2424, 18th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 2424, 18th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 2424, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Themistocles, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
Leslie Gordon Mcclannan- 2424
Leslie Gordon McClannan was born on the 19th of September 1894 in Newtown, Sydney (4). He spent his childhood years growing up near his birthplace, living on 101 Victoria Road, Marrickville with his mother (Elizabeth Jane McClannan) and his father (John Frederick McClannan). McClannan’s father was a hotelkeeper and the next of kin to Leslie while his mother stayed at home taking care of the family (10). He was born into a family following the Church of England religion. Because of this, McClannan was baptised at the age of 7 in the Erskineville Holy Trinity church. Several years after his baptism, McClannan started his high schooling years around 1907 and attended Sydney Technical High School, however, not much is known about what subjects he studied or what he achieved at this school (5). After graduating from high school, he left to work and eventually got employed to work as a telephone mechanic (6). Almost 4 years after his time at high school and working as a mechanic, McClannan enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), on the 17th of July 1915 in Liverpool when he stated in his form that he was 21 years and 10 months old. Before enlisting, the 21-year-old had already served in the military in the 35th Infantry Battalion.
McClannan left Australia almost three months after his enlistment in the army, boarding the HMAT Themistocles A32 ship, a troop-carrying ship under the control of the Commonwealth on the 5th of October 1915 (7). He travelled to Tel-el-kebir, a place in Egypt where Australian soldiers in WW1 were trained. He trained there from December 1915 until April the following year. It was there on the 10th of January 1916 where McClannan was taken on strength (TOS), meaning he was transferred to another unit (10).
McClannan, ranked as a private, served in the (1) 2nd pioneer battalion, a battalion consisting of infantry with light military combat and engineering skills. Their abilities were extensive, ranging from construction, and maintenance to preparing roads and tracks (3).
McClannan headed towards (15) Marseilles, France on the 26th of April 1916, where he and his battalion mainly helped build trenches and constructed railway lines to support troops with extra infantry or supplies. It was also during his time in France serving he became ill with scabies and was hospitalised in late 1916/early 1917
Notably on the 17th of July 1918, McClannan and his battalion were gassed with mustard gas while building railways to give support to allied troops. This was done in an attempt from the Germans to disrupt the support system. This all happened in the 2nd battle for Bullecourt after the failed 1st attack (11), in France in support of British troops up north and French troops down south from Bullecourt (12). Fortunately, McClannan survived and was quickly rushed to hospital. Ten days later he rejoined his battalion from hospital and continued to carry out his duties until the world war had ended.
Leslie Gordon McClannan survived the war and therefore, set sail back home safely to Australia on the 13th of April 1919. On the 5th of December 1925 at the age of 31 years old, McClannan became married at Leichhardt All Souls church to his wife, Muriel Gladys Pretorie Henry, a Christian and British woman who resided in Canterbury, Sydney (13). Not much is known about what happened to McClannan after his service during WW1
McClannan's wartime service was honoured by the WW1 Roll of Honor at Sydney Technical High School. Following approximately 5 decades, on the 10th of July 1969, Leslie Gordon Mcclannan died at an old age of 74 (9). He passed away in his home in which he was residing with his wife in 20 Flower Street, Maroubra. He was buried in the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park where his grave still stands to this day to remember and commemorate the life of private McClannan and his service for Australia in WW1 (15).
References
(1) Beth Page, ‘2nd Pioneer Battalion’, in Anzac Spirits of South Australia
(2)Author Unknown, ‘18th Infantry Battalion’, in Virtual War Memorial Australia
(3) Author Unknown, ‘2nd Pioneer Battalion’, in Virtual War Memorial Australia, pg 2
(4)‘Leslie Gordon MCCLANNON’, in Virtual War Memorial Australia
(5) Ibid
(6) Ibid
(7) ‘AWM244 THEMISTOCLES - Troopship movement cards, 1914-18 War: HMAT THEMISTOCLES (A32)',
(8) ‘Victory Medal’, in Australian Government Defence
(9) “Timed out”- NAA research
(10) "Government Gazette", Fred WM Simpson Government Printer, 1919, p.25
(11) “The Battle For Bullecourt”, Australian War Memorial , 30th March 2021
(12) “The Battles For Bullecourt, Peter Burness, Australia, 2002, pg. 1-6
(13) Google doc in drive folder, PTE Leslie Gordon Mcclannan
(14) Ibid
(15) Ibid
Bibliography
1. Beth Page, ‘2nd Pioneer Battalion’, in Anzac Spirits of South Australia. Last date site update unknown, viewed on 27 June 2024, https://saanzacspirits.weebly.com/2nd-pioneer-battalion.html
2. Author Unknown, ‘18th Infantry Battalion’, in Virtual War Memorial Australia. Last date site update unknown, viewed on 29 June 2024, https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/81
3. Author Unknown, ‘2nd Pioneer Battalion’, in Virtual War Memorial Australia. Last date site update unknown, viewed on 29 June 2024, https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/62
4. Author Unknown, ‘Leslie Gordon MCCLANNON’, in Virtual War Memorial Australia. Last date site update unknown, viewed on 2 July 2024, https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/58243
5. Author Unknown, ‘AWM244 THEMISTOCLES - Troopship movement cards, 1914-18 War: HMAT THEMISTOCLES (A32)’, in Australian War Memorial. Last date site update unknown, viewed on 4 July 2024, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2627854?image=3
6. Author Unknown, ‘Victory Medal’, in Australian Government Defence. Last date site update unknown, viewed on 7 July 2024, https://www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/honours-awards/medals/imperial-awards/world-war-one/victory-medal
7. “Timed out”, Author Unknown, viewed on 27th June 2024, https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SessionTimeout.aspx
8. Author Unknown. Government Gazette, Fred WM Simpson Government Printer, 1919, p.25 https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/prod/gazettestore.nsf/FileURL/gg1919_026.pdf/$FILE/Gg1919_026.pdf?OpenElement
9. Craig Tibbitts, “The Battle For Bullecourt”, Australian War Memorial , 30th March 2021, Viewed on 9th July 2024, https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/the-battles-for-bullecourt
10. Burness, P.B, “The Battles For Bullecourt, Peter Burness, Australia, 2002, pg. 1-6 https://www.awm.gov.au/sites/default/files/the-battles-for-bullecourt-by-peter-burness.pdf
11. Google doc in drive folder, PTE Leslie Gordon Mcclannan, (most info derived from primary sources here) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lVgma4ucbDdzHqF0zoyzJhtcYTiaaoiH/edit