Leo Vincent D’Arcy Slattery

SLATTERY, Leo Vincent D’Arcy- – – SPC 1910-1911

DoB:- – 1893, Ballarat, VIC

Father:- – Thomas Valentine Slattery

Mother:- – Kathleen Mary Angela, nee McHugh

Leo Slattery was a boarder from the Melbourne suburb of East Malvern. He was in the Junior Public Class in 1911.

Service No:- 3265

Rank:- – Private

Unit:- – 24th Battalion, 8th Battalion

Leo Slattery enlisted on 9 July 1915, aged 22 years and nine months. He was an unmarried man, whose occupation was assistant librarian at the Melbourne Public Library. He was five feet, nine inches tall, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.

He embarked at Melbourne aboard the Commonwealth in early 1916, disembarking first at Alexandria in Egypt, then proceeding on to Marseilles by 31 March 1916. He was wounded in action at Pozieres, France on 24 July 1916. He later died of his wounds.

In his mother’s statement for the Roll of Honour circular she noted that her son was studying for his Arts Degree at Melbourne University and was half way through his studies when he enlisted. He spoke French and German fluently.

The Australian Red Cross Enquiry into Wounded and Missing service men provided several eye witness accounts of Leo’s death:

-‘-¦ I saw this man lying dead in a shell hole on 24 July 16 at Pozieres. No attack was being made at the time. Some enemy shells were falling around us. He entered a shell hole to escape these and one caught him there and killed him instantly -¦’

-‘-¦ He was killed on [the] day of the first charge we made at Pozieres July 24th while on a fatigue party by a shell -¦’

-‘-¦ I saw him badly wounded at Pozieres before the charge at about 12.30 on Sunday night, 24th July. A piece of shell caught in the back. He was brought in to the DS (Dressing Station) later on while I was there. He was very bad. I heard later that he died in the DS -¦’

Leo Slattery was 23 years old at the time of his death. He was buried at Puchevillers Military Cemetery, France.