Leslie Gordon (Les) OTWAY

OTWAY, Leslie Gordon

Service Numbers: W7879, WX30350
Enlisted: 20 February 1941
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 11th (WA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC)
Born: Fremantle, Western Australia, 6 April 1919
Home Town: Geraldton, Western Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Labourer
Died: Carnarvon, Western Australia, 15 August 1983, aged 64 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: Carnarvon Cemetery, Western Australia
Memorials:
Show Relationships

World War 2 Service

20 Feb 1941: Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, W7879, 11th (WA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC)
16 Jul 1942: Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Gunner, W7879
17 Jul 1942: Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, WX30350
1 Mar 1946: Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, WX30350

Help us honour Leslie Gordon Otway's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Chris Buckley

Les was the eldest of nine children of Edward (Ted) Albert Otway (b1900 in Beverley WA) and Florence Pettit (b1898 in York WA). Ted was a Farm Hand when he enlisted in WWI (Private; Service No:52092) and served in Suez and France. He and Florence married in 1922 in Beverley WA and lived in Doodananning, York WA where Ted was a Farmer before moving to Burracoppin near Northam WA where he was a Farm Manager. In the early 1930s the family moved to Tammin in Mullewa WA where Ted worked as a Labourer before relocating to Mt Helena near Northam WA by 1940, where Ted was a PMG Linesman. Ted then served in WWII (Private, Signaller; Service Nos:WX39271/W26485) and remained in the Army. Ted and Florence separated, with Florence living in Mt Helena, Perth and Geraldton WA. By 1963 Ted was working as a Labourer on Babbage Island, Carnarvon WA and in 1980 he was on Barrow Island in the Pilbara WA.

Les was a Labourer in Geraldton WA when he enlisted in the ACMF in 1941. He served as a Private, Gunner (Service No:W7879) with 11 Battalion and was attached to 5 AA Battery in July 1942 when he Discharged to enlist in the AIF. Les served on Rottnest Island (22 August 1942 - 16 December 1942 and 20 January 1943 - 28 April 1943) and in Darwin (13 June 1944 - 9 December 1944). He was a Sapper (Service No:WX30350) attached to 69 Mobile Ack Ack Searchlight Battery when he was Discharged in March 1946.
In 1946 Les married Grace Isobel Frances Dee (b1925 in Essex, England) - Grace arrived in Fremantle WA with her parents in 1926 on board the Ormuz. The couple lived in Mt Helena, Northam WA where Les was a Labourer before moving to Babbage Island, Carnarvon WA where Les was a Cook's Assistant and Grace a Cook. Les died in 1983 and Grace died in Collie WA in 2018

Read more...