Pte
Leonard Irving Bailey
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1898 |
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Place of birth: Shooters Hill, New South Wales, Australia |
General information
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Profession: Poultry Farmer |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 1798A |
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Enlistment date: 20/03/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 36th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 19 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 25Q |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Private Leonard Irving Bailey served in the Australian Infantry 36th Battalion part of the 9th Australian Brigade of the 3rd Australian Division.
The 36th Australian Battalion left their bivouacs at 7 p.m. on the 11th of October 1917. The Battalion marched to the assembly lines, as it was to participate in the First Battle of Passchendaele on the 12th of October. The Battalion followed the old Ypres-Roulers railway line, because the surrounding ground was too boggy, due the unceasing artillery fire. The going up was very hard, as the Germans shelled the route with gas and high explosive shells. The shelling became heavier from the Zonnebeke Railway Station and it became a regular barrage at point D.16.d.60.25. The march to the assembly area proved to be a deadly one, as the Battalion suffered 100 casualties on the route. One hundred men were wounded, dead or missing even before the Battalion had to attack the German positions.The whole 9th Australian Brigade’s advance occurred in total confusion and some troops didn’t make it in time to the assembly point, near Tyne Cot Cemetery.
The 3rd Australian Division advanced at Zero hour, 5.25 a.m. The 9th Australian started the attack with the 34th Battalion and the 35th and 36th Battalion in support. Eight minutes after the attack, the Germans started shelling the advance and a heavy barrage fell across the Cemetery and the center of Augustus Wood. Smaller German calibers kept on shelling the Railway route. The 34th Battalion moved on with the allied barrage. The 35th and 36th Battalions in close pursuit of the 34th Battalion had hands full mopping up the unscathed German dug-outs. The advance of the 35th and 36th was halted for over an hour by a German pill-box at D.17.b.12.83. The men in the pill-box eventually surrendered when they were surrounded. When the 34th Battalion reached the first objective, the Red Line. The 35th Battalion leap-frogged over the 34th and resumed the attack towards the Blue Line. The 35th had not gone far when they encountered heavy machinegun fire coming from Crest Farm, on the outskirts of Passchendaele, and from the village itself. The left company of the 35th Battalion was practically wiped out and the left company of the 36th Battalion filled the gap.
The two Battalions became isolated, as there was no sign of the 10th Brigade on the left. Only a few men of the 36th Battalion who were advancing with the 35th Battalion reached the Blue Line. When the Blue Line was reached the 36th Battalion had to leap-frog over the 35th, who was at the Blue Line, to try and capture the third objective, the Green Line. However it soon became obvious that it would be an impossible task. The Battalion thereupon consolidated their gains and formed a line. The situation became desperate. The Germans put down an unforgiving machinegun fire and a heavy German barrage on the line. On top of the dire situation German snipers, who were still in Augustus Wood, were shooting the advancing troops in the back.
Having pinned down the allied attack, the Germans advanced on the flank and from the front. At dusk, the Battalion retreated to a line from Augustus Wood to the intersection of Passchendaele Road and the Railway in D.17.b., not far from their starting line. The Australian Infantry 36th Battalion suffered severe casualties. Three officers were killed, ten were wounded and one officer went missing, 290 other ranks were wounded and 110 men were killed in action or went missing.
Private Leonard Irving Bailey was one of the 110 men who were killed or went missing during the attack of the First Battle of Passchendaele. The eyewitness reports are pretty inconsistent. Private Bailey was probably wounded during the attack. A comrade carried him into a shell hole. Where he was killed with two others when a shell fell in their midst. Their bodies were never recovered. Private Leonard Irving Bailey’s memory is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial.
The 36th Australian Battalion left their bivouacs at 7 p.m. on the 11th of October 1917. The Battalion marched to the assembly lines, as it was to participate in the First Battle of Passchendaele on the 12th of October. The Battalion followed the old Ypres-Roulers railway line, because the surrounding ground was too boggy, due the unceasing artillery fire. The going up was very hard, as the Germans shelled the route with gas and high explosive shells. The shelling became heavier from the Zonnebeke Railway Station and it became a regular barrage at point D.16.d.60.25. The march to the assembly area proved to be a deadly one, as the Battalion suffered 100 casualties on the route. One hundred men were wounded, dead or missing even before the Battalion had to attack the German positions.The whole 9th Australian Brigade’s advance occurred in total confusion and some troops didn’t make it in time to the assembly point, near Tyne Cot Cemetery.
The 3rd Australian Division advanced at Zero hour, 5.25 a.m. The 9th Australian started the attack with the 34th Battalion and the 35th and 36th Battalion in support. Eight minutes after the attack, the Germans started shelling the advance and a heavy barrage fell across the Cemetery and the center of Augustus Wood. Smaller German calibers kept on shelling the Railway route. The 34th Battalion moved on with the allied barrage. The 35th and 36th Battalions in close pursuit of the 34th Battalion had hands full mopping up the unscathed German dug-outs. The advance of the 35th and 36th was halted for over an hour by a German pill-box at D.17.b.12.83. The men in the pill-box eventually surrendered when they were surrounded. When the 34th Battalion reached the first objective, the Red Line. The 35th Battalion leap-frogged over the 34th and resumed the attack towards the Blue Line. The 35th had not gone far when they encountered heavy machinegun fire coming from Crest Farm, on the outskirts of Passchendaele, and from the village itself. The left company of the 35th Battalion was practically wiped out and the left company of the 36th Battalion filled the gap.
The two Battalions became isolated, as there was no sign of the 10th Brigade on the left. Only a few men of the 36th Battalion who were advancing with the 35th Battalion reached the Blue Line. When the Blue Line was reached the 36th Battalion had to leap-frog over the 35th, who was at the Blue Line, to try and capture the third objective, the Green Line. However it soon became obvious that it would be an impossible task. The Battalion thereupon consolidated their gains and formed a line. The situation became desperate. The Germans put down an unforgiving machinegun fire and a heavy German barrage on the line. On top of the dire situation German snipers, who were still in Augustus Wood, were shooting the advancing troops in the back.
Having pinned down the allied attack, the Germans advanced on the flank and from the front. At dusk, the Battalion retreated to a line from Augustus Wood to the intersection of Passchendaele Road and the Railway in D.17.b., not far from their starting line. The Australian Infantry 36th Battalion suffered severe casualties. Three officers were killed, ten were wounded and one officer went missing, 290 other ranks were wounded and 110 men were killed in action or went missing.
Private Leonard Irving Bailey was one of the 110 men who were killed or went missing during the attack of the First Battle of Passchendaele. The eyewitness reports are pretty inconsistent. Private Bailey was probably wounded during the attack. A comrade carried him into a shell hole. Where he was killed with two others when a shell fell in their midst. Their bodies were never recovered. Private Leonard Irving Bailey’s memory is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial.
Sources 3
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36th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/53/12). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used |
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Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search/all/?preferred_name=&service_number=&unit=&conflict=0&op=Search Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, BAILEY L I). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx. Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1597491 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=5965a80f-d969-4e7b-a458-8075a738ff67 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7347618 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=10555 |