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Leslie Clegg McMurdo
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 05/04/1900 |
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Place of birth: Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Labourer |
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: 4563 |
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Enlistment date: 21/09/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Townsville, Queensland, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 31st Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 26/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 17 |
Cemetery
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: XXIV Row: D Grave: 7 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
The McMurdo family emigrated to Durban, South Africa in 1910, mainly because Leslie’s father had a poor health and needed a dryer climate. Nevertheless his father died in 1914. When the war broke out Leslie's older brother Thomas Raymond McMurdo volunteered and travelled to England to join the Royal Flying Corps and later the Merchant Navy as an Engineer. Leslie was desperate to join up but was told in South Africa that he was too young. Only aged 15 in 1915. Somehow Leslie managed to get to Australia). Where he joined the Australian infantry as a signalman in 1916 by declaring his date of birth to be 5th April 1898 instead of 1900.
Private Leslie Clegg McMurdo served in the Australian Infantry 31st Battalion. part of the 8th Australian Brigade of the 5th Australian Division.
The 5th Australian Division participated in the first phase of the Battle of Polygon Wood. It attacked on the 26th of September 1917 with three brigades. The 14th Australian Brigade on the left of the Divisional front and the 15th and the 8th Australian Battalions on the right. The 59th Australian Battalion of the 15th Australian Brigade would capture and secure the first object, the Red Line. Once they had consolidated the Red Line, the 29th and 31st Australian Battalions would move through the 59th Battalion and capture the second objective, the Blue Line. The Battalion was delayed in its move to the front line and arrived only ten minutes before the start of the attack at their jump off line.
At 5.50 a.m. the troops moved forward behind a creeping barrage. The 59th, 29th and 31st Battalions got intermixed. Their advance came to a standstill, when they encountered resistance from German machine gun fire coming from the direction of Jerk House, on their right. The attack had been halted on the racecourse in Polygon Wood, 150 yards from the first objective. Notwithstanding the German machine gun fire, the 31st and 29th Battalion moved through the 59th and advanced to the second objective.
The 31st Battalion advanced with the 29th Battalion on its left, but had lost contact with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, of the 33rd Division, on their right. Consequently the 31st Battalion came under fire from German bunkers, in the 33rd Divisional area. The fire was still coming from Jerk House, the area had yet to be cleared by the 33rd Division. The 31st Australian Battalion suffered heavy casualties. The German strongpoint was then engaged by two Lewis guns sections. The strongpoint was subsequently taken by the 31st Australian Battalion with the support of the Lewis guns. But the 31st Australian Battalion had to extend their right flank for over 300 yards in order to take the German strongpoint, near Jerk House. And they now faced machine gun fire coming from Cameron House.
The attack was checked at this stage. Disorganization crept in along the line. And several Battalions of the 33rd Division were seen retreating. The 31st had no choice than to dig in and hold the line. All troops remained in position, except the men on the right flank, who were to assist the advance of the 33rd Division. When contact had been re-established with the 33rd Division, the 31st and 29th Australian Brigades managed to consolidate the second objective at the far end of the Polygon Wood at 11 a.m.
The Battalion was relieved by the 32nd Australian Battalion in the night of the 27th September and moved back to the reserve trenches in the vicinity of Black Watch Corner. Burying parties were detailed to find and bury the dead, which they buried close to where they fell. But owing to the relentless shelling and machine gun fire very little could be accomplished. Private Leslie Clegg McMurdo had been killed during the attack. His remains were found in the Eastern part of Polygon Wood, just South of Cameron House. He was initially buried together with two other Australians. An unknown Australian soldier and a 41 year old Private, named Robert Edgar Ford, of the 31st Australian Battalion. All three were later on reburied on the Buttes New British Cemetery in Polygon Wood.
Private Leslie Clegg McMurdo served in the Australian Infantry 31st Battalion. part of the 8th Australian Brigade of the 5th Australian Division.
The 5th Australian Division participated in the first phase of the Battle of Polygon Wood. It attacked on the 26th of September 1917 with three brigades. The 14th Australian Brigade on the left of the Divisional front and the 15th and the 8th Australian Battalions on the right. The 59th Australian Battalion of the 15th Australian Brigade would capture and secure the first object, the Red Line. Once they had consolidated the Red Line, the 29th and 31st Australian Battalions would move through the 59th Battalion and capture the second objective, the Blue Line. The Battalion was delayed in its move to the front line and arrived only ten minutes before the start of the attack at their jump off line.
At 5.50 a.m. the troops moved forward behind a creeping barrage. The 59th, 29th and 31st Battalions got intermixed. Their advance came to a standstill, when they encountered resistance from German machine gun fire coming from the direction of Jerk House, on their right. The attack had been halted on the racecourse in Polygon Wood, 150 yards from the first objective. Notwithstanding the German machine gun fire, the 31st and 29th Battalion moved through the 59th and advanced to the second objective.
The 31st Battalion advanced with the 29th Battalion on its left, but had lost contact with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, of the 33rd Division, on their right. Consequently the 31st Battalion came under fire from German bunkers, in the 33rd Divisional area. The fire was still coming from Jerk House, the area had yet to be cleared by the 33rd Division. The 31st Australian Battalion suffered heavy casualties. The German strongpoint was then engaged by two Lewis guns sections. The strongpoint was subsequently taken by the 31st Australian Battalion with the support of the Lewis guns. But the 31st Australian Battalion had to extend their right flank for over 300 yards in order to take the German strongpoint, near Jerk House. And they now faced machine gun fire coming from Cameron House.
The attack was checked at this stage. Disorganization crept in along the line. And several Battalions of the 33rd Division were seen retreating. The 31st had no choice than to dig in and hold the line. All troops remained in position, except the men on the right flank, who were to assist the advance of the 33rd Division. When contact had been re-established with the 33rd Division, the 31st and 29th Australian Brigades managed to consolidate the second objective at the far end of the Polygon Wood at 11 a.m.
The Battalion was relieved by the 32nd Australian Battalion in the night of the 27th September and moved back to the reserve trenches in the vicinity of Black Watch Corner. Burying parties were detailed to find and bury the dead, which they buried close to where they fell. But owing to the relentless shelling and machine gun fire very little could be accomplished. Private Leslie Clegg McMurdo had been killed during the attack. His remains were found in the Eastern part of Polygon Wood, just South of Cameron House. He was initially buried together with two other Australians. An unknown Australian soldier and a 41 year old Private, named Robert Edgar Ford, of the 31st Australian Battalion. All three were later on reburied on the Buttes New British Cemetery in Polygon Wood.
Sources 3
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"The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995, pg. 85-88. Sources used |
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31st Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/48/26). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, MCMURDO L C). 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/480355 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=540cdc6a-db49-4b5e-8423-b81be21fd372 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7314720 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=203720 |