FEATHERSTONE, Leslie William
| Service Numbers: | 2861, N103838 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Australian Army Pay Corps (AMF) |
| Born: | North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 3 July 1892 |
| Home Town: | Wayville, Unley, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Memorials: | Unley Wayville Honor Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2861, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 2861, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2861, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Adelaide | |
| 14 May 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Pay Sergeant, 2861, Australian Army Pay Corps (AMF) |
World War 2 Service
| 15 Mar 1941: | Involvement Lieutenant, N103838 | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Willoughby, NSW | |
| 9 Dec 1943: | Discharged |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Leslie William Featherstone was 22 years and 10 months old when he was enlisted into the army. He was born in North Adelaide and grew up around Unley, South Australia. His current house address at the time was 7 Devenport Terrace, Wayville, SA. He was not married at the time and had no children. If anything happened to Leslie William in the war, his will would be left with the closest person to him which was his mother, Mrs E M Featherstone. Before the war, Leslie William’s worked as a clerk.
During the War
Leslie William Featherstone was enlisted into the army at Keswick, South Australia on June the 9th 1915 and he was part of the 10th Infantry Battalion, 9th Reinforcement that fought in WWI and his service number was 2861. Leslie was assigned to the 10th Infantry Battalion and instantly began training. This training continued until the 21st of September 1915 when Leslie and his Battalion embarked from South Australia, onboard the HMAT AT15 Star of England. This vessel’s main purpose was to transport troops to Egypt.
Leslie arrived in Egypt too late to fight at Gallipoli. Then in March 1916, Leslie and his battalion would sail to France and fight in the Western Front battles. The 10th Battalion’s first major call into action in France was at Pozieres where they took part in the Battle of Somme in July of that year. Leslie remained with the 10th Battalion until January 1917 when he transferred first to the Pay Corps School and then, in May 1917, to the Army Pay Corps. He remained with this unit for the rest of the war, excepting two short periods of leave in early 1918.
Leslie left England to return to Australia on 1 April 1919.
After the War
In conclusion, Leslie William Featherstone served 4 years and 28 days in the AIF and served 3 years and 286 days abroad. Leslie William was discharged from the army on the 14th of May 1919. During his time in the army, Leslie William won a few awards. He was a recipient of the 1914/15 Star Medal which was awarded to officers that served in any theatre of the first World War against Central European Powers between 1914 and 1915. The British War Medal which was awarded to those who served in the First World War, as well as this he was also awarded the Victory Medal. He continued his life in Australia and was allowed to relax and spend time with his family for his efforts in the war.
References:
Examples of other biographies I referred to:
1. Wesley Armstrong Whitbourn. Virtual Australian War Memorial. Published 10 March 2019. Viewed 29 March 2020. https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/191379
2. Thomas George William Palmer. Virtual Australian War Memorial. Published 25 September 2018. Viewed 28 March 2020. https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/273196
3. Herbert John Von Dittner. Virtual Australian War Memorial. Published 19 November 2016. Viewed 25 March 2020. https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/104112
Sites and Sources, I used to gather information:
1. HMAT Star of England (A15). Australian War Memorial. Published 20 April 2010. Viewed 27 March 2020. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C02483/
2. 10th Infantry Battalion. Virtual Australian War Memorial. Published 5 July 2013. Viewed 24 March 2020. https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/1
3. Soldiers in the 10th Infantry Battalion. Virtual Australian War Memorial. Published 17 June 2015. Viewed 1 April 2020. https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/1/people?page=6
4. 10th Australian Infantry Battalion. Australian War Memorial. Published 4 December 2014. Viewed 2 April 2020. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51450
Pictures I used:
1. HMAT Star of England (A15). Australian War Memorial. Published 20 April 2010. Viewed 27 March 2020. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C02483/
2. 10th Infantry Battalion. Virtual Australian War Memorial. Published 5 July 2013. Viewed 24 March 2020. https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/1
3. Medals and the Old Contemptible. Undying Memory. Published 22 November 2019. Sourced 2 April 2020.
Sources from my folio task which I used to assist me when writing this biography:
1. Leslie William Featherstone, AIF Project, Viewed 25 March 2020. https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=95459
2. Sergeant Leslie William Featherstone, Australian War Memorial, Viewed 24 March 2020. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10727183
3. Featherstone, Leslie William, National Archives of Australia, Viewed 22 March 2020. https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/
4. Leslie William Featherstone, AWM – Collections, Viewed 27 March 2020. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1897942
5. Leslie William Featherstone, Virtual War Memorial, Viewed 29 March 2020. https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/96885
6. Featherstone, Leslie William, Discovering ANZACS, Viewed 30 March 2020. https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/records/471854/1
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