Historical records matching Pte. John William Leslie
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About Pte. John William Leslie
John William Leslie was born at Kaupokonui in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island on 25 January 1897 (reg. 1897/1152). His parents were James Leslie and Louise Mary Leslie (née Dustow) who married in 1896. During World War I John served with the Wellington Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion (Service No. WWI 10/3936). When he enlisted at Trentham on 16 November 1915 he was underage but gave a birth year of 1895. 18-year-old John had lied about his age, the same as around 300 other young New Zealanders did, influenced by war propaganda and wanting to take part in the 'great adventure,' and perhaps buying into the romanticism of being hailed a war hero after it was over. The brutal reality of warfare and it's futility would be exposed by English poet and soldier Wilfred Owen. John was killed in action at Armentieres in France on 2 July 1916. He was just 19 years old and is remembered on the Cite Bonjean New Zealand Memorial [Otago Regiment Panel]. Bio by Debbie McCauley (9 October 2024).
Private Leslie may have died on the night of 2/3 July 1916 at Armentieres when the New Zealand Rifle Brigade relieved the 6th Australian Brigade in the Rue Marle sector. A very heavy bombardment of Armentieres made relief difficult, with artillery on both sides being more intense than anything previously experienced by the New Zealanders. Source: Cenotaph.
Sources
- Cenotaph: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/...
- New Zealand and World War One Roll of Honour: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sooty/genealogy/nzefrohL.html / Ref 11.4.2021
Pte. John William Leslie's Timeline
1897 |
January 25, 1897
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Kaupokonui, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand
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1916 |
July 2, 1916
Age 19
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Armentieres, Departement du Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France
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July 2, 1916
Age 19
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Cite Bonjean New Zealand Memorial, [Otago Regiment Panel.], Armentieres, Departement du Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France
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