LEGGATT, William Watt
| Service Number: | 3615 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 60th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Malekula, New Hebrides, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Geelong College, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Lawyer |
| Died: | 27 November 1968, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Geelong College WW1 Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Nov 1915: | Involvement Sergeant, 3615, 2nd Divisional Signal Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Nov 1915: | Embarked Sergeant, 3615, 2nd Divisional Signal Company, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 15 Jun 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 60th Infantry Battalion |
Sir William Watt Leggatt
Soldier, Lawyer, Politician, Agent-General.
Submitted 16 May 2020 by Ross Martin
Biography contributed by Ross Martin
William Watt (Bill) Leggatt was born at Malekula, New Hebrides where his father, Rev. Thomas Watt Leggatt was a Presbyterian missionary. His father was appointed minister at the Sunbury Presbyterian Church in 1910.
Bill Leggatt was educated at Geelong College and was studying theology at Melbourne University when he joined the AIF in August 1915. After training he embarked on 23 November 1915.
He was commissioned 2nd Lieut in 1916 and promoted to Lieut in 1917. He was then serving with the 60th Battalion. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 and was wounded at this time. He returned to Australia in 1919 and his appointment was terminated in June 1919.
He returned to Melbourne University but studied law instead of theology. On completion of his studies he worked as a solicitor in the Goulburn Valley and Melbourne. He married Dorethy Andrews in September 1926.
He maintained his military interests with the CMF and when WW2 started he was appointed Major and served in New Guinea. In 1941 he was promoted to Lieut Colonel and took command of the 2/40th Battalion. This battalion fought the Japanese on Timor until February 1942 when they were forced to surrender. Bill was held at the Changi POW Camp until the end of the war, then served as Officer in Charge of the War Crimes Investigations Department. He was awarded the DSO and an MID for his wartime efforts.
In 1947 he entered Victorian Parliament as the MLA for Mornington. He held this seat until 1956 when he was appointed Victorian Agent General in London, a post he held until 1964. He was knighted for his service in 1957.
Sir William died on 27 November 1968.
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