Previous Service – 3rd London Brigade Territorials RFA – 4+ Years
28/02/1916- To Area No. 3 Blackboy Hill Camp WA as Private
14/03/1916- To No. 6 Depot Squadron Blackboy Hill
01/04/1916- To NCO School Belmont WA
09/05/1916- Appointed Corporal 6 Depot Squadron WA
29/05/1916- To 18th Reinforcements 10th Light Horse Regiment Blackboy Hill
06/06/1916- Embarked Fremantle WA aboard “Morea” bound for Egypt
30/06/1916- Disembarked Alexandria to Overseas Training Base Egypt
01/07/1916- Taken on Strength 3rd Light Horse Training Regiment Tel-el-Kebir Egypt
09/09/1916- To Imperial Camel Corps, reverts to Trooper at Moascar then to Abbassia
16/10/1916- Attached to No. 3 Company Imperial Camel Corps Shushra Egypt
01/11/1916- Taken on Strength 1st Anzac Battalion Imperial Camel Brigade
19/04/1917- Reported Killed in Action Aba Sitti, near Gaza(Error- refer statement by 1406- Trooper L J SHIRES dated 25th April 1917 as listed hereunder),
22/04/1917- Reported Died of Wounds (Gunshot Wound to Left Eye, neck, face), died in Turkish hands after being taken as Prisoner of War.
SERVICE MEDALS AWARDED
British War Medal – No. 43989
Victory Medal – 43509
Memorial Plaque/Scroll – 354928
MEMORIAL INSCRIPTIONS
Australian War Memorial Canberra ACT – Panel No. 10
Australian Ex Prisoners of War Memorial Ballarat VIC
Dudinin Wogolin Roll of Honour WA
Shire of Kulin Combined Services Roll of Honour WA
Wickepin District Roll of Honour WA
Wickepin Fallen Soldiers Memorial WA
DETAILS in LETTER from No. 1436 Trooper Leonard John SHIRES 3rd Imperial Camel Corps A.I.F Egypt (from Northampton WA, RTA – 09/07/1919) on 25 April 1917- Letters written to Soldier’s Mother & Sister in England:-
“It hurts me to write this painful letter to you to inform you of W. HUMPHRIS death, but as a friend of his and to fulfill his last wish I find it my duty to do so. He went into an attack with 90 of us and was wounded through the left eye and came out below the right ear. He lived for about 2 hours after and was conscious for a time. But the wound was too severe and he passed away calm with a smile on his face. He was a good soldier and a hero and shall never be forgotten by the lads that survive which was only 18 out of 90. We were under shell fire all day in the open so you can tell what we went through, severer than half a dozen Gallipoli’s.I am a bit shaky and mithered from the effects of the shells so you must excuse me. He was buried , I am told, close by where he was killed on Mansur Ridge facing Gaza. If it is possible I will erect a cross and care for his grave. I would like a reply if possible as I would like to know I had fulfilled his last wish. I will conclude”.
Trooper SHIRES also added extra detail in a similar letter to the soldier’s sister:-
“Wanted his Camera and Revolver to be sent home, if he died,
SHIRES stated he was one of his best friends and they had served together for 10 months,
The soldier had just finished bandaging up one of his mates when the bullet struck him in the left eye & came out below his right ear,
While conscious he told SHIRES that his Camera held 3 photos of the enemy tank that had led the attack and he did not want to lose them”.
PRISONER OF WAR CORRESPONDENCE
All documentation in relation to the POW correspondence is available on the Australian War Memorial website under the Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files.