WALTERS, Leonard Thomas Willis

Leonard Thomas Willis Walters was born in 1890 at East Melbourne, Victoria. The 1892 Sands & McDougall Post Office Directories gave the family’s address as 123 [now 476] Victoria Parade, East Melbourne. He was confirmed on 15 July 1903 at St Peter’s, Eastern Hill.  He was the eldest of the three sons of Ernest John Walters and Laura Marian Willis.  In 1893 the family was living in Hoddle Street, Abbotsford, and Ernest, a clerk, had been declared insolvent.  In 1903 he was described as a collector and was living in St Kilda.  Subsequently he worked as a gardener.  Leonard followed his father’s original ambition and became a clerk. His parents later separated and were living at separate addresses by the time war broke out.

Leonard enlisted at Melbourne on 27 May 1915. He was 5 ft 9¾ ins., 10 stone 5 lbs., with brown hair.  He was enrolled as a private in the 6th Infantry Battalion, 7th Reinforcements and at this time gave his address as Cleveland, Wandin, Victoria, the same as his mother whose name he gave as next of kin. However the electoral rolls give his address as Malvern.  His mother later moved to Diamond Creek.

He embarked with his unit on 16 July 1915 aboard A64 HMAT Demosthenes bound for Egypt. He was stationed at AIF headquarters Cairo, and was promoted to sergeant 1 September 1915. On 22 December 1915 he was transferred from 6th Battalion and taken on strength of Intermediate Base, Cairo as sergeant.
He was admitted to Australian General Hospital No 2 at Ghezireh on 6 February 1916 with mild orchitis. He was discharged on 13 March 1916. 

He embarked on Euripides at Alexandria bound for England on 1 May 1916 and was stationed at AIF Headquarters, Horseferry Lane, London. 

He was admitted to the Australian Auxiliary Hospital No 1 at Harefield, England, with tonsillitis on 22 August 1916 and was discharged ten days later to continue duties at HQ Class A.

On 13 August 1918 he was ‘brought to the notice of the Secretary of State for War for valuable services rendered in connection with the war.’  He was later awarded a MSM, Meritorious Service Medal.

He was invalided home aboard the Osterley arriving in Melbourne 24 February 1919 and was discharged on 19 April 1919.  He was accompanied by his wife, Louisa (nee Wallis), who he had met and married while serving in London.  Their address there was 155 Edgware Road, London, W.2.

Leonard and his wife initially settled in Kew and he resumed work as a clerk. In 1923 he passed his final exams to become a Fellow of the Federal Institute of Accountancy.

His final home was in South Caulfield.  He died at Malvern on 10 November 1976.