Leslie Adolphus Anstiss

  General Notes:

Leslie enlisted in the A.I.F on 23 August 1915 in Sydney and was assiged the service number 7823. he was 21 years and 5 months old, a motor driver and listed his mother, Margaret, a resident of Harold Street Blacktown, as his next of kin. He had previously served 2 years in the Citizen's Military Forces (CMF). He was described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighed 136 lbs with a chest of 35 inches. His complexion was fair, eyes grey (although recorded as hazel on another document in his files!) and hair brown. His religion was recorded as Presbyterian.

He was assigned to the 12th A.S.C Reinforcements, 301st Coy. His Examination Record dated 18 August 1915 shows that he was rated as "1st Class" on every item he was tested on including: General control of vehicle, control of engine, gear changing (up, down,clutch work and reversing), brake work, distance and speed judgement, steering and general knowledge. Training clearly satisfactorily completed, he embarked on the Itonus on the 30 December 1915 bound for the Middle East and by March he was promoted to Corporal and assigned to the Staff at Garrison Headquarters at the Zeitoun Training Base in Cairo, Egypt, arriving there on 18 March.

On the 2 August 1916 he embarked on the Franconia at Alexandria bound for England, disembarking there on 26 February 1917. He was detached to the Bhurtpore Barracks in Tidworth, England. There is something of a gap in his service record (perhaps a missing page) as the next record is dated 9 April 1918 advising that he had been selected to undertake training with the Australian Flying Corps as a Flying Officer Observer at the No. 1 School of Military Aeronautics in Reading, England where he was admitted as a Cadet. By the 15 September 1918 Leslie had qualified as a Flying Officer (Observer) and was on probation as a 2nd Lieutenant with the 3 Squadron and was sent to France. By the 15 December of that year, with the War now over, he had been promoted to Lieutenant and was granted Leave to the UK on 11 February 1919. he rejoined his unit on 7 March and by the 6 May he was on board the Kaiser Hind heading back to Australia.

Leslie Anstiss was the recipient of the 1914/15 Star, No. 4361; the British War medal No. 32122 and the Victory medal No. 31616.

Leslie married Grace E Cunynghame in 1924 in Oberon, , New South Wales, Australia. (Grace E Cunynghame was born in 1904 in Oberon, , New South Wales, Australia and died after 1963.)