RENNER, Louis Frederick
| Service Number: | 327 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 October 1914, at Morphettville |
| Last Rank: | Trooper |
| Last Unit: | 9th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Greenock, South Australia, 31 March 1894 |
| Home Town: | Nuriootpa, Barossa, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Greenock Public School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, 29 August 1915, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Freeling Boer War, Boxer Rebellion and WW1 Memorial Panel, Freeling War Memorial, Warooka and District WW1 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 327, 9th Light Horse Regiment, at Morphettville | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 327, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Karroo embarkation_ship_number: A10 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 327, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Karroo, Melbourne | |
| 29 Aug 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Trooper, 327, 9th Light Horse Regiment, ANZAC / Gallipoli, Killed in Action - No Known Grave |
Louis Frederick Renner
Name: Louis Frederick Renner aka Regan
Service Number: 327
Place of Birth: Prospect
Date of Birth: 31 March 1895 {S.A. Birth Registrations Index}
Place of Enlistment: Morphettville
Date of Enlistment: 21 October 1914
Age at Enlistment: 21 years 7 months- contrary to SABR Index above.
Next of Kin: Father – Friedrich Wilhelm Renner/ John Morton [cousin]
Occupation: Labourer
Religion: Church of England
Rank: Private 9
th Light Horse
Louis was the son of Friedrich and Anna Renner [nee Keller]. Louis left
Melbourne on HMAT Karoo on 11 February 1915, arriving at Gallipoli on 16
May. On 29 August he was declared Missing in Action at Gallipoli, but this was
later changed to Killed in Action on that date. Geoff Saegenschnitter states;
“His name [possibly in the name of Leslie Regan] is included in the Lone Pine
Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. It was recorded in one of his military
records that it is believed that he changed his name for military service
because he did not want his comrades to know that he was of German
ancestry.
His family also had difficulty with military authorities verifying that they were
his immediate family as he had identified a cousin in Adelaide as next of kin
and, after he died, they could not locate this man. However, a photo of him in
uniform included in military records was able to be identified by his younger
brother as their son and brother which then enabled them to claim his
returned possessions and wind up his estate.”1
1 G. Saegenschnitter Greenock Community Newsletter Winter 2014
Submitted 20 October 2023 by christopher collins
Biography contributed by Christian Teusner
Enlisted and served under alias Lesie Regan
Biography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Leslie Regan AKA Louis Frederick Renner Private (1893-1915)
Louis Frederick Renner was born in Greenock, South Australia in approximately 1894. He grew up in Greenock. He enlisted for war on the 21st of October 1914 at 21 years and 1 month old under the false name Leslie Regan. It was believed to be that he did not want his German heritage to be discovered so he entered with a false name and possibly a false place of birth.
Renner served in the 9th Light Horse Regiment and sailed with them from Melbourne on the 11th of Febuary 1915 to arrive in Egypt on the 14th of March 1915. He proceeded and Joined the M.E.F also known as The Mediterranean Expeditionary Forces on the 16 May 1915. The MEF was the British component of the Allied force at Gallipoli.
He was reported missing in the Gallipoli Peninsula on the 29th of August. A Court of Inquiry was held in April the following year. His next of kin, his father, was brought in and identified him not as Leslie Regan but as Louis Frederick Renner. The court of inquiry determined that the last time he was seen was the 29th of August 1915. They then determined that he died that day on the Gallipoli Peninsula aged about 22. He still received a Receipt for Victory Medal though. Because he was killed in action his body was never found or buried. You can find his alias name (Leslie Regan) in The Adelaide National War Memorial, and his name in the Australian National War Memorial Role of Honor and The Freeling War Memorial .
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