The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment
Pte A Leeson
The Life of Alfred Leeson.
Alfred was born on April 29th 1883 in Woolwich and
Christened on 15th July at St Mary Magdalene’s Woolwich, the Leesons
were then living at 3 Trafalgar Street.
We find him on the 1891 census aged 7 living at 40 Earl Street and
attending Plumstead Road School. He
transferred to St Patrick’s R.C. School on 3rd Oct 1892 when the
family moved to 38 North Street. He
stayed there until he was 14, leaving as he was ‘over age’ on 24th
Aug 1907. He attained a level IV
standard which was higher than most.
On 22nd Feb 1901 he signed up for 6 years in the
County of Kent Milita, to serve in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the
Royal West Kent Regiment. His forms
say he was a ‘Carman’, a driver of a horse and cart, most likely a delivery man
of some sort and that he was 18, living at home, which was 2 Back Lane, Frances
Street, Woolwich. His army number
was 3530. For the 1901 census in
March he was, on this night at least, at the Regiment’s Barracks in Maidstone,
possibly learning his drill as his papers say he was drilled on enlistment and
not during his annual training. He
only served in the Militia for just under 3 months.
With the Boer War raging and Mafeking about to be besieged, on 13th
May 1901 he visited the Army recruitment office on Frances St, Woolwich, to sign
up as a Regular. He was 18 years
and 3 months old. He became a
regular with the Royal West Kent’s, signing up for 12 years, 7 with the Colours
and 5 on the Reserve. His army
number changed to L/6170.
He seems to have spent his first year at the Regimental
Depot at the Barracks, Sandling Road, Maidstone.
Maidstone Barracks 1908.
Then on 14th May 1902 he was posted to the 1st
Battalion in Malta and did not return until 13th December.
After almost a year in England he was posted to 2nd Battalion
on 7th December 1903 and went to Ceylon.
A rule change in April 1904 meant he was destined to do 8 years with the
Colours and 4 on the Reserve. On 4th
November 1904 his Battalion was posted from Ceylon to China, where they stayed
until moving on to Singapore on 12th November 1906.
He remained there until 15th December 1908 when he was posted
back to the Depot at Maidstone.
During all this time his records show he was well behaved and
kept busy. He was awarded a 3rd
class certificate of education 1902, good conduct badges in 1903 and 1906 and a
swimming certificate in 1907.
On 12th May 1909, having completed his 8 years
with the Colours, he returned to civilian life but still had his 4 years to
serve on the Reserve. So he was
transferred to the ‘Army Reserve – Section A’.
Section A was for
men who had completed their service in the regular army and who undertook to
rejoin, if required, in an emergency that did not require general mobilisation.
It was mainly for unmarried men and the pay was good, 7 shillings a week,
in addition to the reservists earnings as a civilian and all he had to do was
attend twelve training days per year.
We
find him next on the 1911 Census aged 28, living at home (18 Lower Pellipar
Road), with his father, 2 brothers and 2 sisters, his mother had died the year
before. He is described as a
Labourer working at the Royal Dockyard in the Army Ordnance Dept and he is still
a Reservist of the R.W.K.’s.
His 4 years as a Section A Reservist finished on 13th
May 1913 and he chose to re-engaged for a further four years on Section D.
Section D
reservists could only be called upon in the event of general mobilisation.
Pay was 3 shillings and 6 pence a week and again he had to attend twelve
training days per year.
Along
with all the other Army Reservists he was mobilised on 5th August
1914, the day after war was declared and posted to 1st Battalion
Royal West Kent Regiment (1/RWK), to fill up its ranks to its war establishment.
His medal card has his number still as
L/6170.
At
that time 1/RWK was stationed at Richmond Barracks, Dublin, [with about 450
effectives], as part of 13th Brigade, 5th Division.
Richmond Barracks,
Dublin.
He
reported to Maidstone Barracks, was kitted out and went to Dublin, along with
320 other reservists on the 7th and a further 270 the next day,
bringing the battalion up to its war strength of 1040.
The
Battalion departed on 13th for France on the SS ‘Gloucestershire’,
landing at Le Havre at 11:00am on 15th.
From there it marched up to Mons and was in action 8 days later.
SS ‘Gloucestershire’.
The
battalion say action at the Battle of Mons, 23rd August and also
in rear guard actions on 24th at the start of the retreat.
They were again in action at the Battle of Le Cateau, 26th
August, but here the battalion was not so heavily engaged.
It is
most likely here as the Battalion crossed the Marne late on the 2nd
and then rested for 3 days. The
retreat from Mons was over.
The total casualties during the retreat from Mons were 30
killed, 43 wounded and missing, 110 missing and 82 wounded [total of 265,
approx. 25% of the battalion].
He
returned to England on 8th of September, he had done only 25 days in
France.
He is listed in
the ‘Times’ [Friday, October 2nd, 1914] as being admitted to Clacton Hospital, [Reckitts
Convalescent Home], on the 13th
September 1914.
Clacton Hospital
He was
also reported in the ‘Kent and Sussex Courier’ on the 9th of October
along with three members of the Regiment killed and five others wounded.
He
must have made a good recovery as he was posted to the 3rd (Special
Reserve) Bn on 28th October.
This
was his old 3rd (Militia) Bn which was now a Depot/Training unit, it
moved on mobilisation to Chatham.
All those surplus to the immediate needs of the regular army battalions were
posted to the Special Reserve Bns.
On 12th November he was appointed unpaid Lance
Corporal. He must have had some
leave at Christmas because he was best man at his brother John’s wedding on
Boxing Day. They were all living at
9 Albatross Street then.
The Second Battle of Ypres 1915.
He was posted back to France to rejoin the 1st Bn
on 24th March 1915 as a Lance Corporal.
13th Bde was then at Ypres, temporarily in the 28th
Division, covering for the ex-Indian Army units which were struggling to
acclimatise. 1/RWK’s helped
stabilize that part of the line which the 5th Division then took over
properly on 7th April, at that time they were doing 2 days in and 2
days out of the front line trenches.
They were in the Battle of Hill 60 on April 17th
and relieved the next day after suffering over 300 casualties.
On April 22nd they were to relieve 15th
Bde, but were diverted as the Germans had launched their first major gas attack
and [having created a 8,000 yard gap in the French lines], were in danger of
breaking through.
The next day, with one hour’s notice, no reconnaissance and
next to no artillery support, the Brigade attacked with the 1/RWK’s and KOSB’s
in the lead. Their attack helped
plug the gap and then they dug in until relieved the following day [they
suffered over 100casualties, about 25% of the battalion].
From 26th to 30th April they held the
line and were subjected to several more gas attacks to which they had no defence
other than covering the mouth and nose with damp rags [and suffered another 70
casualties].
On May 5th they returned to Hill 60, which had
been retaken by a gas attack. 1/RWK’s
were to counter attack. A Company lead with B in support with C and D in reserve
this time. Could only get as far as
trench 40. Battalion pulled back
just before dawn to Larch Wood and C Company was left to cover them.
By now 1/RWK was a veteran unit, it had embarked in August
1914 with 28 Officers and 1,015 ORs; by the end of 1914 there were 2 Officers
and 200 ORs left of the “Originals”; (of these, on 11th November
1918, there were no Officers and less than 40 ORs).
He reported sick on May 24th and was sent home on
June 6th, this time
he had done 46 days at
the front.
He was admitted to the 2nd London General Hospital
TF [St Marks College, 552 Kings Road, Chelsea], on June 8th and a
medical report dated July 1st recommended him for a discharge as he
was suffering so badly from TB.
His records say he was discharged on 15th August
1915 as no longer fit for war service, his rank by then was Acting Corporal.
2nd London General Hospital.
After that we loose sight of him completely, but I believe he
may have died in (April, May or June) 1916, aged 32 in Christchurch Hampshire
[on the south coast near Bournemouth] as there is no record of him staying in
Woolwich after his discharge. It is
possible he went to the south coast to convalesce, at one of the sanatoriums,
from his TB and the effects of any gas attacks he was exposed to at Ypres.
Medals.
As part of the original B.E.F. he saw service before 22
November 1914 which qualified him as an ‘Old Contemptible’.
Along with the British War medal and the Victory medal, he was awarded
the 1914 Star [the Mons Star].
In 1919 a bar [clasp] inscribed "5
Aug. to 22 Nov. 1914" was awarded for the 1914 Star, to all those who served
under fire. He was entitled to this
but his medal card does not show it was every issued to him, indicating he may
well have died before then.
The Cap Badge of the Royal West Kent
Regiment.
The Badge of the 5th Division
This page was last updated on 10-Sep-2014.
Copyright © 2008 Janet & Richard Mason