LEER, Charles Edward
| Service Numbers: | 585, Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 September 1914, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Araluen, New South Wales, Australia, 16 October 1871 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Watson Bay Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Teacher |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Gallipoli, 25 April 1915, aged 43 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Cemetery and Memorial Gallipoli, Çanakkale, Türkiye Panel 16 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bodalla Nerrigundah Roll of Honour WW1, Leichhardt All Souls Church LEER Memorial Window, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Parramatta NSW Public School Teachers KIA Honour Roll, Williamtown Public School Roll of Honour |
Boer War Service
| 1 Nov 1899: | Involvement Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Sergeant, 585, 2nd New South Wales Mounted Rifles |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| 3 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Captain, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 3rd Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 3rd Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli |
Leer and his enemy Turkish Captain Halis
I have researched Captain Charles Leer and the landing at Gallipoli.
He fought against Turkish Captain Halis Bey on Mortar Ridge.
More details can be found here;
http://www.sbs.com.au/features/radio/gallipoli/
Submitted 30 November 2015 by Ismail Kayhan
Biography contributed by John Edwards
"Gallipoli, April 25, 1915, early morning. The first Anzac troops had been on land for around four hours. Casualties were already high. Australian Captain Charles Leer and his men had just landed at Anzac Cove. Facing the Australian advance, Turkish Captain Halis Bey [HAH-liss bay] moved his men into position at Third Ridge, near Lone Pine.
By day's end, Captain Charles Leer was dead, fallen in the final fierce fighting against the Ottoman forces. Turkish Captain Halis Bey was alive - but had been shot three times by Australian snipers. "We started to climb. When we got very close to the summit of Mortar Ridge we saw blonde people, at close range, silently and stealthily approaching us." The diaries of 20 year-old Second Lieutenant Mucip Kemalyeri [moo-chip KEM-ahl-yeh-ree] of the Ottoman army describe what unfolded that day.
Put in command after Halis Bey was wounded, Mucip Kemalyeri was ordered to a rocky outcrop above Anzac Cove, called by the Australians "Mortar Ridge". "There were lots of them. They were endless. My eyes opened wide." The Australians also wanted Mortar Ridge. Charles Leer's men and the Turkish forces under Halis Bey were on a collision course. Retired Brigadier and author Chris Roberts says the fight for Mortar Ridge was fierce.
"Leer's Company advanced over Plugge's Plateau then into Monash Valley. They moved up Monash Valley until they reached the fork of the valley, just at the foot of Pope's Hill. And as they came up onto Mortar Ridge and reached the crest of it, they came across some Turkish soldiers and a fire fight erupted. Now those Turkish soldiers were the elements of the 3rd Battalion of the 27th Regiment and the Captain Halis."
Before even getting to Mortar Ridge, Charles Leer had already lost many men. In his memoirs, 26 year old Lieutenant Robert Cowey, from Wollongong, noted how few men were left. "Captain Leer brought up men who extended our line towards Baby 700. I asked him for covering fire while No. 9 Platoon raced the Turks for possession of Mortar Ridge, but the request was not granted." On the Turkish side, Halis Bey's men were taking their own defensive position on Mortar Ridge, under Mucip Kemalyeri's command.
"There were two companies closest. I was very excited. My heart was pumping. At that moment my trumpeter couldn't cope with the excitement and suddenly aimed his rifle at them. I grabbed the barrel and stopped him from firing. With this move I saved a person that he could easily have killed. I had a more brutal surprise in store for them." - READ MORE LINK (www.sbs.com.au)
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