Leslie Primrose

Flight Lieutenant Leslie Primrose.

Lieutenant Leslie Primrose in his Machine.

History

Leslie Primrose was born at Ballarat on 14 May 1890, and was educated at Waubra State School and Ballarat High School He was appointed junior teacher at Mt Pleasant State School , and played football for Golden Point. Leslie Primrose graduated from the Melbourne Teachers' College.

Primrose was teaching at Bendigo Technical School at the time of his enlistment for World War One service on 02 August 1915, and was commissioned in May 1916 before transferring to the Australian Flying Corps. Flight-Lieutenant Leslie Primrose ferried aircraft to France before crashing in October 1917. He recovered and was transferred to the 33rd Training Squadron. In February 1918 Primrose returned to France with the No. 2 Squadron, and was mentioned by official historian F.M. Cutlack when Primrose 'caught and destroyed an Albatross scout over Villers-Bretonneux on 04 April 1918.

Lieutenant Primrose died in February 1918. Captain A. Murray Jones, commanding No. 2 Squadron, wrote:

After completing a patrol, he was returning to the squadron when something went wrong with his machine, and he was forced to land. What actually happened we are unable to ascertain, but, from the medical evidence and my own opinion after seeing the state of the machine, death was instantaneous and painless. He was buried with military honors in a cemetery near Clermont. The death of your son cast a gloom over the whole squadron, and hos loss as a flying officer will be extremely difficult to make good. He was a splendid pilot, and as a patrol leader could be trusted to do any work that came along, having as he did, the confidence of every one in the squadron. His work all along has been splendid - in fact, nothing short of brilliant, and he would have been one of my next Flight COmmanders. In the mess he was very popular with his fellow officers, and was in every way a credit to the whole of the Australian Flying Corps. Words are useless to express the feelings of the members of the squadron. His brother officer join me in sending their deepest sympathy to you and Mrs. Primrose._Sincerely yours, A. Murray Jones, commanding No. 2 Squadron.

Legacy

World War One service recognised on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.

See also

World War One

Notes

MILITARY GOSSIP FROM LONDON

NOTES OF BALLARAT DISTRICT, SOLDIERS. Dec. 3, 1918.

(By Mr NEWTON WANLESS, M.A. LL.B.

Here with are details I have gathered of some Ballarat identities who have taken part in the big struggle now ended. Corporal Basil Nehill (formerly, of St. Patrick’s College and South Ballarat football team), having recently under gone an operation for appendicitis, is now back to his duties at the A.I.F. Headquarters, Horseferry. Road, London. Driver Mickey Roach (formerly of the South Ballarat football team) is with the 46th Battalion transport; and is one of the shining stars of the 46th Battalion football team. George Williams (Redan) is R.Q.M.S. of the 46th Battalion. Another former 46th. Battalion man now engaged at A.I.F.H.Q., London. is Sergt. Ossie Shaw (son of Mr J. C. Shaw. formerly solicitor in (Ballarat, but now in West Australia). Tom Seward (son. of Mr Seward, formerly of Craig’s Hotel and Frank Herbert (son of Mr George Herbert, the well known organist), are engaged in dental, work in connection with the A.I.F. Driver Geo. Miller (formerly of St. Patrick’s College), is in the 8th Battalion transport. Hiram Rutherford, of the 46th Battalion, formerly reported missing, is now reported killed, Lieut. Jack Larkin, of the 8th Battalion, was killed in action in August, 1918. Will Larkin (his brother), formerly of the 39th Battalion, is in the Records branch of the A.I.F, headquarters, in London. John Gilligan (formerly in the Ballarat Electric Light Coy.) is in the second division ammunition column. His brother, William Gilligan of the A.A.M.C. (formerly in Berry, Anderson and Co.’s has been killed in action Lieut. Les Primrose (Nolan st., Ballarat West), of the Australian Flying Corps, was returning to his aerodrome in France when his machine crashed with fatal results to himself. Corporal Stan. Grose is at the Corps Headquarters, France Pte. Vince Cusack (whose father was H.M.A.S. “Sydney,” recently left England to join the Australian torpedo boats in the Mediterranean. Corporal Frank Kennedy (son of Mr Martin Kennedy, of the "Ballarat Star” staff) recently left for Australia via America. Sergt. Copperwaite (brother of the Ballarat fighting man) is still with the 14th Battalion, with which he has long been connected. Two other Ballarat men in the 14th Battalion are C.Q.M.S. Sargent (son of Mr Sargent, carpenter, of Mair street) and Lieut. Geo. F. Wilson, of A Company, whose father was formerly a Methodist minister in Darling street. Lieut. Wilson has been wounded in two engagements, and three times on each occasion. An other old 14th boy was Pte. Pinney, of Ascot street. Second Lieut. W. G. Eggington (Mair street), of the 58th Battalion, was wounded in the left hand on the 29th September. 1918, and was in Wandsworth Military Hospital. The 39th Battalion is full of Ballarat men, some of whom are, or were: —Lieut. “Banjo” Patterson, wounded and returned to Australia; Major Sam Tucker, gassed and returned to Australia; Sgt. Arthur Hobba, formerly a prominent miember of the Golden Point football team. Tom Ckeesman (B Coy.), well known at the Ballarat saleyards; Norman Woolcock; Victor Clifford; Sergt. Morris Coghlan, son of Mr Coghlan, auctioneer; Pay Sergt. Frank Vaughan, whose brother was killed at Messines in June. 1917; Pte. Kincaido, of (Ballarat East; Lieut. Harold J. Walker, son of Cr. J. T. Walker, of Ballarat East. To these should be added two old 39th Battalion men now employed at A.I.F. Headquarters. London, via., Sergt. Jack Bulluss, of Raglan street, a veteran in years, and wounded about Christmas, 1916 (he is now pioneer Sergt.); and Sgt. Hunkin (formerly a jeweller in the employment of Mr Wastell, Sturt street, Ballarat), who was wounded and is now in the Records Branch at Headquarters. Two original 39th Battalion officers who made the supreme sacritice in the recent fighting in 1918 were Lieut. C. E. Garrard and Lieut. Stan Le Vevre. Both were previously wounded, in June, 1917, and both he buried now in the same grave. Bert. Lyons (son of Mr Lyons, of Sturt street) is in the A.I.F. dispensary at Waymouth, England. There are several Ballarat represen tatives in the l0th Field Ambulance, including Private Rev. Coghlan, Pri vate Ray Parkin, Private Bert Dow (Formerly a bank clerk in Ballarat), and Sergeant “Gar" Fishwick. The 6th Field Ambulance comprises Murray Simpson, Les Scot, and Gordon Tyler, Ray Bult has a commission in the 38th Battalion in which the late Horace Selleck, of the “Ballarat Courier" staff, was senior captain at the time of Ms death. Stan Dalgleish (Soldiers Hill) is a sergeant in the same battalion. His brother, the Lieut. Norman Dalgleish, of the 58th Battalion, was recently killed in action. Two sons of very well known Ballarat residents made the supreme sacrifice recently, viz., Lieut. Bryan Cuth bert (son of Mr Jack Cuthbert), and Lieut. J. M. Walker (son of "Cr J. T. Walker). Lieut. Cuthbert, then a corporal, was severely wounded in the right arm at the landing at Gallipoli on the 25th April. 1915. He returned to Australia, and when he had recover ed proceeded! to England and joined the Flying Corps. He was first posted as missing, and then, as killed in action. Lieut. Walker was also a veteran, and was through the Gallipoli campaign. Subsequently he joined the Flying Corps in Palestine, and also fell only a few weeks before the termination of the war. He has two brothers at the front, and was a chemist in Lydiard street in civil life. He was the sixth dux of the Ballarat College to make the supreme sacrifice. Nine duxes of that college have en listed, of whom six have been killed or died, and two severely wounded, one of whom, Brigadied-General Elliott, C.B.C.M.G., has been wounded several times. Another promising career has been cut short in the death of Second-Lieut. Selwyn Ray Dickson, of the 21st Batt allion (son of Mr William Dickson, who was formerly police magistrate in Ballarat, and who lived on Soldiers Hill). Lieut. Dickson was educated at the Ballarat College, and was subsequently articled to Mr Arthur Phillips, solicitor, of Queen street. Melbourne. Admitted, as a solicitor, he enlisted and arrived in England in January, 1918. He was appointed to the famous 21st Battalion and.was killed in action on the 1st September, 1918. a shell landing in the trench where he was, killing him instantaneously. He was buried near Peronne. Lieut.Colonel Brazenor, the C.O. of the 23rd Battalion, was on furlough in England at the end of November, 1918. - Corporal Bert Mason, of the 14th Battalion (brother of Mrs Richards, of Warrenheip), who lost a foot on the Somme in August, 1916, is engaged in connection with the electrical plant in the Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Southall, near London.

External links

https://www.facebook.com/GreatWarBallarat/posts/1508221072557496

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--Beth Kicinski 10:09, 24 August 2013 (EST); --Clare K.Gervasoni 09:53, 14 May 2017 (AEST)