Pte
Frank Leslie
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 06/08/1893 |
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Place of birth: Arbroath, Forfarshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States of America |
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Profession: Hospital attendant |
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Religion: Presbyterian |
Army information
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Country: Canada |
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Force: Canadian Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 133253 |
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Enlistment date: 31/12/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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Units: — Canadian Infantry, 85th Bn. (Nova Scotia Highlanders) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 31/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Tyne Cottage, Passchendaele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 24 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XVI Row: A Grave: 3 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Frank Leslie was born in August 1893 in Arbroath, Forfarshire, on the east coast of Scotland. In 1910, the family emigrated to the United States and started a new life in Lynn, Massachusetts. Frank worked at the General Electric Company and later as a hospital orderly. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1912. In September 1915, his younger brother crossed into Canada to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Frank followed at the end of 1915. Both brothers served in the 73rd Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada), which was disbanded after suffering heavy losses at the Battle of Vimy. Frank was reassigned to the 85th Battalion, better known as the Nova Scotia Highlanders, part of the 12th Canadian Brigade of the 4th Canadian Division.
On 28 October 1917, the 4th Canadian Division moved from their camp near Ypres to the front line, relieving the 44th Battalion at Keerselaarhoek, between Decline Copse along the railway and the Passchendaele road. The next day, 29 October, the soldiers sheltered in shell holes and narrow trenches as they prepared for the attack.
On 30 October 1917, the Canadians resumed their assault on Passchendaele. The 85th Battalion advanced along the Ypres–Roulers railway toward Vienna Cottages — a hamlet that had once consisted of a few houses near the railway, now reduced to a landscape of mud and craters. The Highlanders came under heavy fire: the supporting artillery had sunk into the mud and was barely able to assist. As soon as the men pulled themselves free of the mire, they were met with intense fire. Yet the advance continued relentlessly. In return for the foul-smelling pits near Vienna Cottages, half of the Highlanders were killed, wounded, or reported missing. Even before returning to Canada, the 85th Battalion erected a memorial pillar near their jumping-off point.
Frank was serving as a battalion runner on 31 October 1917. He was cut down by artillery fire and buried near Tyne Cot. After the war, he was reinterred at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot XVI, Row A, Grave 3.
On 28 October 1917, the 4th Canadian Division moved from their camp near Ypres to the front line, relieving the 44th Battalion at Keerselaarhoek, between Decline Copse along the railway and the Passchendaele road. The next day, 29 October, the soldiers sheltered in shell holes and narrow trenches as they prepared for the attack.
On 30 October 1917, the Canadians resumed their assault on Passchendaele. The 85th Battalion advanced along the Ypres–Roulers railway toward Vienna Cottages — a hamlet that had once consisted of a few houses near the railway, now reduced to a landscape of mud and craters. The Highlanders came under heavy fire: the supporting artillery had sunk into the mud and was barely able to assist. As soon as the men pulled themselves free of the mire, they were met with intense fire. Yet the advance continued relentlessly. In return for the foul-smelling pits near Vienna Cottages, half of the Highlanders were killed, wounded, or reported missing. Even before returning to Canada, the 85th Battalion erected a memorial pillar near their jumping-off point.
Frank was serving as a battalion runner on 31 October 1917. He was cut down by artillery fire and buried near Tyne Cot. After the war, he was reinterred at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot XVI, Row A, Grave 3.
Sources 6
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Hayes J., The Eighty-Fifth in France and Flanders, (Halifax, Royal Print & Litho Limited, 1922), 90-96. Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018) 153. Sources used |
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Personnel Records of the First World War (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 5591 - 45). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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Petitions and Records of Naturalization (National Archives at Boston, Waltham (NRABA), RG 21). https://www.archives.gov/boston Sources used |
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War diaries: 85th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG9-III-D-3, Volume number: 4944, Microfilm reel number: T-10751--T-10752, File number: 454). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Sources used |
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War Graves Registers: Circumstances of Death (Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (LAC), RG 150, 1992-93/314; Volume Number: 205). https://library-archives.canada.ca/ 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/463585 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=aae409ea-7640-43e8-ba57-22835ab90574 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/6005941 |
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The Canadian Virtual War Memorial https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/463585 |