Wongarbon NSW
1750
45th Battalion,
Tooraweenah Kookaburra
KIA 13.10.1917
Leslie Pearson’s name will be projected onto the exterior of the Hall of Memory on:
Sun 5 February, 2017 at 10:19 pm
Mon 3 April, 2017 at 12:15 am Private Leslie Pearson was a 34 year old labourer of Wongarbon, NSW when he enlisted at Tooraweenah on January 12, 1916 and marched to Bathurst with the Tooraweenah Kookaburra Recruitment March. After training at Bathurst he embarked at Sydney on the HMAT Ceramic on April 14, 1916 with the 45th Battalion. After further training at Tel-el-Kebir in Egypt, Leslie embarked at Alexandria for France, arriving in Marseille on the ‘Kinfauns Castle’. The train trip through green countryside to Bailleul in Northern France was enjoyed by all. On June 28, 1916 Leslie was treated at the 12th Casualty Clearing Station, the 14th Stationary Hospital at Boulogne and then to England for Deafness. He remained at the Dustin War Hospital (now St Crispins Hospital), at Northamptonshire until July 26, 1916, until admitted to Woodcote Park Convalescent Hospital at Epsom. On September 30, 1916 Leslie was classed as B2, this meant he was temporarily unfit for general service for 6 months.
In December he was back in France and on the front in January, 1917. But in february, after 6 weeks in the cold damp trenches he had acquired Trench Feet and was evacuated through the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station to England at Southwark Hospital. Once again he was classed B1A, and unfit for 6 months. He was transferred to the 63rd Battalion and was based at Windmill Camp at Perham Downs, England.
On September 22, 1917 he was back with the 45th Battalion in France near Guedecourt. He was one of 44 reinforcements to arrive that day in in time to experience the Battle of Polygon Wood and the battle of Passchendaele.
Leslie was killed in action on October 13, 1917 at Passchendaele by a shell while cutting trench lines. He was killed with 3 others and it was impossible to bury him. L/C BJ Marony 3675 stated he was a ‘quiet decent fellow and well-liked. Tall, dark moustache and we called him Les’. Les was one of 38 killed, 139 wounded and 10 missing in the three days of fighting at Broodseinde.
Private Leslie Pearson has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Panel 27 and the Australian War Memorial Panel No 140
His widowed mother received his British War Medal, Victory Medal, Memorial Scroll, Memorial Plaque and the publication, “Where the Australians Rest’