Not Forgotten, 3270 Private Leslie Harold MEDBURY, 46 Battalion AIF, World War 1

Private Leslie Medbury was born in Northam, the son of Isaac John and Annie Medbury of Bayswater, and educated at Northam and then on a scholarship at Perth Modern School. He was a clerk in the Commercial Bank in Dowerin and had served in army cadets when he enlisted at York at the age of 18 years and 11 months on 19 July 1916, placed in the 46th Battalion.

The 46th Battalion was raised in Egypt on 24 February 1916 as part of the “doubling” of the AIF. Approximately half of its new recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 14th Battalion, and the other half were fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 14th, the new battalion was composed mostly of men from Victoria, although some of the reinforcements hailed from New South Wales and Western Australia. As part of the 12th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division, the 46th Battalion arrived in France on 8 June 1916, destined for the Western Front.

Leslie Medbury left Fremantle on the Persic on 29 December 1916. He arrived in England in March 1917 after spending time in hospital on the ship with influenza and with gastro-enteritis, and proceeded to camp where he was instructed in the use of the Lewis gun at Tidworth. He crossed to France and rejoined his unit, being taken on strength on 6 November 1917. The 46th rotated in and out of the front line throughout the winter of 1917-18. Otitis media or a middle ear infection troubled Leslie through December 1917 and January 1918 and he was admitted to hospital on several occasions. In the spring of 1918 the battalion played a role in turning the great Germanoffensive by defeating attacks around Dernancourt in the first days of April.
Private Medbury was wounded in action on 15 May 1918, rejoining his unit 3 days later. Private Medbury was killed in action on 8 July 1918 at the age of 19 and was buried in the Vaux Sur Somme Communal Cemetery Extension, about 2 miles ENE of Corbie with Rev. J.C.F. Codatt of the 48th Battalion officiating and later when war graves were centralized Leslie Medbury was reinterred in Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery.

In March 1920 Leslie’s mother wrote to the army enquiring about a young West Australian soldier who was mentally affected in the war and hospitalized in England, and was at that time returned to Australia.
Mrs. Medbury is asking the army to search for her son in the hospitals here as she doesn’t know where he has been taken. A reply from the army says that there is no doubt that Private L.H. Medbury was killed in action, and that photographs of his grave have been sent as well as his personal effects. In 1922 a form was sent to Leslie’s parents asking them to indicate the inscription they wished to place on his grave, and they replied that there was no grave in France containing the body of L.H. Medbury and that the Graves Commission should cross his name off any list. They did not complete the Roll of Honour details as that was only for fallen soldiers. However by November 1923 there is a letter from the army confirming words to be inscribed on Private Medbury’s grave.

Private Medbury was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. His name is on the Commercial Bank of Australia Roll of Honour in Melbourne.