Leslie Somers McLERNON

1891 - 1915  (23 years)

• Name	Leslie Somers McLERNON
  Birth	07 Sep 1891	Gisborne, Gisborne, New Zealand   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	14 Jun 1914  [3]
  	Jewllers Assistant, Napier
  Death	08 Aug 1915	Gallipoli, Turkey   [4]
  Probate	24 Sep 1915	Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand   [5]
  Person ID	I2184	NZ Genealogy Project | McLERNON Descendant
  Last Modified	25 Apr 2012

  
  

  Father	Samuel McLERNON,   b. 26 Aug 1854, Carmavy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland d. 07 Aug 1926, Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (Age 71 years)
  Mother	Mary Jane SOMERS,   b. 17 Aug 1860, Mallow, County Cork, Ireland d. 07 May 1937, Gisborne, Gisborne, New Zealand (Age 76 years)
  Marriage	28 Aug 1876	Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand   [6, 7, 8]
  Family ID	F1072	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 07 Sep 1891 - Gisborne, Gisborne, New Zealand Death - 08 Aug 1915 - Gallipoli, Turkey Probate - 24 Sep 1915 - Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Leslie Somers McLERNON 1914

  
  

  Documents

  Military Record

  
  

• Notes

  Military Service The following is a summary of the military career of Captain Leslie Somers McLERNON, based on his Army Personnel file. Leslie was born in Gisborne, and moved with his parents to Napier where he attended high school. At the start of World War One, Leslie was working at his father's jewellery shop in Napier as a Jeweller's assistant. Leslie became involved with the NZ Army at high school, being a cadet, then joining the Territorials, before joining the NZ Expeditionary Force in 1914. He was appointed Second Lieutenant in the Napier High School Cadets on 12 June 1911, Lieutenant in the 9th (Hawkes Bay) Company of the Wellington Battalion of the Territorials on 12 September 1912. He sat and passed his examination for Captain on 19 August 1913 in Napier. Leslie enlisted in Napier on 14 June 1914 for the NZ Expeditionary Force and immediately went into training until October 1914. He sailed from NZ with the main expeditionary force as a lieutenant in the Wellington Infantry Battalion on 16 October 1914 for Suez in Egypt. His overseas service began on arrival in Egypt on 4 December 1914, and his Battalion was involved at Gallipoli from 25 April 1915. He was wounded in action on 17 May 1915 with a bayonet wound to his right foot. He was transferred to Alexandria until he recovered. Leslie was promoted to Captain on 29 May 1915 following the death of Captain Ateo Frandi. Leslie re-joined his Company at Gallipoli on 8 July 1915. A month later he was killed in action on Chunuk Bair on 8 August 1915, aged 24. The Battle of Chunuk Bair was fought between the Ottoman defenders and troops of New Zealand and Britain. Allied units made the summit of Chunuk Bair early in the morning of 8th August 1915. Out of the 760 men of the Wellington Battalion who had reached the summit, 711 had become casualties by the evening of 8 August. The Ottomans recaptured the peak after a few days.

  
  

• Sources

  [S104] The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, (http://www.cwgc.org/). [S2] New Zealand Registrar-General's Office, NZ Register of Births - Indexes. Leslie Somers McLERNON 1891 #3438 Gisborne. [S45] ARCHWAY, (Archives New Zealand 2004), none. [S104] The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, (http://www.cwgc.org/). In Memory of Captain LESLIE SOMERS McLERNON 10/1079, 9th (Hawke's Bay) Coy., Wellington Regiment, N.Z.E.F. who died age 24 on 08 August 1915. Captain McLERNON, Son of Samuel and Mary Jane McLernon, of Seapoint Rd., Napier. Native of Gisborne. Remembered with honour. CHUNUK BAIR (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL. [S17] David Bryant, NZSG Index, (New Zealand Society of Genealogists Inc., 2005). Probate record [S17] David Bryant, NZSG Index, (New Zealand Society of Genealogists Inc., 2005). NZ Brides & Grooms Index [S172] NZ Marriages 1836-1956, (New Zealand Society of Genealogists, 2006). [S719] Papers Past - New Zealand Herald, (Papers Past - National Library of New Zealand), none.