Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles Leer was typical of many officers who helped form the Battalions, which would be Australia’s early response to the declaration of war in August 1914. Charles enlisted on 17 August 1914 and was commissioned into the 3rd Battalion, formed two weeks after the announcement of war and despatched overseas two months later.

At 42 years of age, he would have been considered too old to have enlisted. However, the age requirement was relaxed as he was a seasoned veteran, having served as a Sergeant with the 2nd NSW Mounted Rifles in the Boer War. He was also a military Instructor, and Officer Commanding the 21st Battalion of the Citizen Forces holding the commissioned rank of major. In his civilian career, Charles was a schoolteacher with the NSW Department of Education. It was men of his level of skill and experience that the newly formed AIF required to respond quickly to England’s call. So once more he heeded that call and offered himself in the service of his country.

Charles met his future wife Rosabella Searson while teaching at Rockdale School in Sydney. The couple met again a few years later and married in 1899. That same year, their daughter Zillah was born at Raymond Terrace, At that time, Charles was the school teacher at Williamtown Public School. Remarkably, when he embarked for the Boer War his wife and baby child also made the journey and lived near the fighting to be near to him.

His beloved wife fell gravely ill in 1914 and passed away just two weeks before Charles sailed. On her death bed, Rosabella prophesied Charles’s death from a bullet and that they would soon be reunited in the hereafter. Little did any of them know her prophesy would come true less than eight months later. Charles's grief was compounded by the added loss of his mother a week after his wife. He now also worried about leaving his 14-year-old daughter in the care of her guardian, Dr Waugh, in Parramatta.

It is hard to imagine the level of grief and distress that Charles was harbouring at this time. Some of us have grieved the loss of a much-loved parent, tragically some have known the loss of a beloved partner and too often devoted parents will know the heartache of being separated from the children they have spent years nurturing. As surely as he packed his kitbag for his deployment overseas, Charles Leer would have packed his concerns, and his grieving would accompany him.

On 20 October 1914 Charles embarked aboard HMAT Euripides, which slipped away from Bradley’s Head at 6:30 a.m. and passed through the [Sydney] Heads to the accompaniment of shrieking siren calls from the early ferry steamers . For Charles and the members of the 3rd Battalion, the adventure had begun. After a brief stop in Albany, Western Australia, the battalion proceeded to Egypt, arriving on 2 December. The Battalion undertook further training at Mena until April 1915.

The 3rd Battalion took part in the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915 as part of the 1st Brigade. The 1st Brigade formed the second and third waves which landed during daylight hours around 10.00am . Compared to the 3rd Brigade, which had landed first, their battalions, had a relatively easy passage ashore.
As the men stepped or jumped from the tows to the beach they were speedily marshaled and formed up in platoons and companies by their officers. They sheltered under the lip of Plugge’s Plateau.

As per the orders issued to all officers the night before the landing they now had to “push on at all costs”. Charles formed the men of C Company up and together headed to combat the Turks. Also with Charles that day, were his mates Lieut R. O. Cowey and Lieut H G Howell Price .

As they advanced, C Company was to lose many men as they pushed on up the steep cliffs before establishing themselves at the head of Monash Gully near the Bloody Angle. Machine-gun and rifle fire poured into the Australian line from all directions, their slaughter that day was appalling.

Turkish machine-guns were firing from the hidden recesses of Baby 700, while snipers worked from the shelter of innumerable “hide outs” in the scrub. This sustained fire, and the fact that the Turks had all the advantage of position, made it extremely difficult for Captain Leer and his men to come to grips with the enemy. Despite these disadvantages, they continued to advance and engage the Turks. It was reported that they were able to make a three-mile incursion before retreating.

What happened next, in the confusion of battle, is best described by Lieut Cowey in his own words:

“Turks could be seen advancing in open order from Scrubby Knoll towards the 400 Plateau. A few shots were fired at them, but the range was too great to be effective. It was considered, to be bad tactics to cause the enemy to be put too much on their guard before they approached our troops who, we believed, were waiting for them at the 400 Plateau.”

“As we watched, about half a battalion of Turks were skirmished to a trench near Owen’s Gully, and others were moved similarly to the valley on the far side of Mortar Ridge, from No. 9 Platoon, and up re-entrants giving covered approaches to the Battleship Hill locality."

"Capitan Leer, about this time, 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. The Turks finally occupied Mortar Ridge, and commenced to pour a deadly fire upon us, from there as well as from the east of Baby 700. Many of our men were killed."

"The wounded, as well as some others towards Baby 700, commenced retiring. Captain Leer ordered them back to the line, but the majority retired. A steady retirement of individuals from the locality meant that at the end of an hour no men were left on Captain Leer’s extreme left.”

“Captain Leer was sitting down smoking a pipe in full view of my position, where I was among my men who were lying down. Once he stood up in full view of Mortar Ridge, during a burst of heavy firing, and gazed towards it. A bullet struck his cap and twisted it round so that the peak was at the back of his head. He put up his hand to touch the right-hand side of his head, as if he were feeling for blood. Then he sat down again.”

What was Leer thinking as he sat there calmly drawing on his pipe? . We can never know, but there was much in his mind that day. Around him dead and dying, lay the young men of his company who had enlisted with him and who he had trained for this day. Was he thinking of them? Was he thinking of a plan to recover this dreadful situation developing around him? Was he thinking of his lucky escape from death by the bullet that had hit his cap but not injured him? Was he thinking of his daughter Zillah? Or was he thinking of his wife and her prophesy? It would seem he wasn’t thinking of his years of combat against the Boers or the years of training he had instilled in his men as he sat while the snipers took aim.

Lieutenant Cowey continues:
"At the end of an hour’s fighting Captain Leer was shot through the neck and chest, and died almost immediately. While in command Leer had displayed the utmost disregard for his own safety and shown the greatest coolness. He was a fine example to his men.”

As foreseen by his wife, Charles died from enemy bullets around 5.00p.m. on 25th April 1915 at Mortar Ridge , his body was left where he fell as the fighting continued around him. To underscore the admiration his men held for him, they were prepared to make even greater sacrifices on his behalf. After nightfall, the Company Quarter-Master-Sergeant Dargin, went out alone in search of Captain Leer’s body. He was never seen or heard of again. On Tuesday [27th April] a similar attempt was made by Private Aubrey Farmer. He, too, was never heard of again . The bodies of all three men were never recovered and lie today within the hills of Gallipoli.

Casualty records began being published and relatives notified in early May 1915. His daughter and only child, Zillah, at 14 years of age, had now lost her mother, grandmother and father all in the space of twelve months. Their story of collective family love and grief was to make news in papers across Australia and New Zealand.

Charles acts of conspicuous gallantry during his short time on Gallipoli were Mentioned in Dispatches on 29 June 1915 and advised to Zillah. She politely replied acknowledging receipt of the news.

She was to grieve along with the Leer family, friends and members of the communities that had been touched by her father’s spirit. All of them would grieve many times the loss of their loved soldiers in what would eventually be known as the Great War.

A death notice carried by the Sydney Morning Herald on the 8th May 1915 carried the simple salutation from a “sorrowing daughter”

Her extended family rallied around, and she was well supported during her teenage years. From 29 April 1915 Zillah was granted a £13 per annum War pension for the loss of her father. For reasons unknown the pension was varied several times and finally cancelled from 12 April 1917 . She went on to marry Charles Perram in Sydney in 1922 settling in the Gloucester region of NSW on a property named “Mansfiled”.

Hopefully, Charles and Rosabella enjoy eternity together as she had prophesied so many years ago.

Captain Charles Leer has the distinction of being the first person acknowledged by the community to be killed in the Great War. As with all those unfortunate enough to follow him to an early grave, he has a unique and amazing story to tell. His was so respected by the Williamtown and other communities that he was remembered on local memorials even though it had been some years since he lived in their area. Charles Leer’s manner was clearly so engaging and influencing that he seemed to have a profound and motivating effect over anyone who knew him either as a soldier, teacher or leader.

His community acknowledged the contributions he made. His family adored him and the men he commanded were prepared to follow him to their death.

Researched by Yvonne Fletcher written by John Gillam

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/