ERREY, Leonard George Prentice
| Service Number: | 1137 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 August 1914, Camperdown, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 8th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Camperdown, Victoria, Australia, January 1892 |
| Home Town: | Camperdown, Corangamite, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Camperdown State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Carpenter |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Broodseinde Ridge, Belgium, 4 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Menin Road South Military Cemetery Plot II, Row J, Grave No. 9 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lilydale War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1137, Camperdown, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1137, 8th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1137, 8th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Themistocles, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1137, 8th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 13 Sep 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 8th Infantry Battalion | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 8th Infantry Battalion, Broodseinde Ridge, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 8 Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1917-10-04 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement Lieutenant, 8th Infantry Brigade Train |
How Len won his Military Cross & DSO
The citation reads:
"During the operations in front of Queant and Phonville, 19 April 1917, 2nd Lieut ERREY'S work was of an extremely courageous and useful nature. His duties including patrolling no man's land in front of his company sector. In this he showed great courage and initiative. He went through the enemy's wire and gained valuable information at great personal risk. On the night of the 10th April 1917 he encountered an enemy patrol of 56 strong. His party was only 8 strong and the enemy endeavoured to surround him. Not withstanding this he gave them fight and succeeded in driving them off with bombs and fire. He handled his men with great skill and got back without a casualty, the enemy leaving 4 dead on the field. Lieut.ERREY is a young officrs who has been with the battalion since shortly after its inception and is a splendid leader an absolutely fearless."
Later that year he was recommended for the Victoria Cross, although it was turned down and he received the Distinguished Service Order in its place for his audacious work. The citation for the Victoria Cross reads:
"For conspicuous gallantry during the attack on Polygon Wood on the 20th September 1917, after the trird objective had been gained, the consolidation was greatly interfered with by heavy Machine Gun fire from an enemy strongpoint which caused many casualties and was beginning to disorganise our line. Lieut. ERREY with four men, in the face of very heavy Machine Gun fire rushed through our own barrage and attacked and captured the strong point together with 5 officers, 60 other ranks and 2 Machine Guns. This officer's most conspicuous bravery, determination and prompt action undoubtedly saved many lives and altered the situation at a critical moment enabling the line to be firmly established."
But on the 3rd Oct, the eve of the attack, Lieutenat Errey, who was now the Battalion intelligence officer, and his men laid out the white marker tape on the ground. At 5.30 the enemy shelled the rear trenches and killed 3 officers, including Len. He died of wounds received, aged 25, and is buried Menin Road South Military Cemetary, Belgium.
LEST WE FORGET!
Submitted 29 November 2020 by Andrew draffen
Click images to start slideshow.