LEISK, Charles
| Service Numbers: | 2933, 29.. |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 September 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 46th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Dundee, Scotland, October 1892 |
| Home Town: | Muswellbrook, Muswellbrook, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Butcher |
| Died: | Coopers Plains, Queensland, Australia, 18 October 1956, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 8 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2933, 46th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 2933, 46th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: SS Port Napier embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 17 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 2933, 46th Infantry Battalion, SS Port Napier, Sydney | |
| 19 Oct 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 29.., 46th Infantry Battalion, Medically unfit (wounding) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Lance Corporal Charles Leisk (Service No. 2933), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 23 September 2023, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
Charles Leisk was born in 1892 in Dundee, Scotland, to Charles Leisk and Mary Ann Leisk (née Coutts). He enlisted in the AIF in September 1916 as a 23-year-old butcher and named his mother in Scotland as his next of kin.
Charles embarked from Sydney in December 1916 on the S.S. Port Napier and disembarked at Plymouth in February 1917. In May 1917, he proceeded to France via Folkestone, joining the 12th Training Battalion before marching out to the 46th Battalion at Etaples in June 1917. He rejoined the unit in the field later that month and was appointed Lance Corporal in July 1917.
He took leave in the United Kingdom in January 1918, returning to duty in February. In March 1918, he was admitted to the 4th General Hospital at Camiers with a gunshot wound to the right thigh. He moved through the medical evacuation chain, including the 13th Australian Field Ambulance in April 1918, before being transferred to England.
At Norfolk War Hospital in May 1918, he was again recorded with a gunshot wound to the thigh. He returned to the 46th Battalion in July 1918 and was wounded once more in France. In August 1918, he was admitted to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital before being transferred to No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth with a C2 medical classification. By October 1918, he was marked “Return to Australia per D32,” noted as having a bullet wound to the right thigh.
Following his return from the war, Charles Leisk was recorded as living in Brisbane City in 1929 and working as a labourer. By 1941 he was living at Coopers Plains, with his occupation listed as poultry farmer. On 19 December 1950, Charles married Pearl Noella Gray. By 1954, Charles and Pearl were still residing at Coopers Plains, where he continued working as a poultry farmer.
Lance Corporal Charles Leisk died on 18 October 1956, aged 64, and was buried in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. There is no evidence that he and Pearl had any children.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
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