Leddra Le Gallais

I whānau mai i te 7 Nov 1886 - I mate atu i te 23 Jul 1915

Nama Hōia: WWI 12/2171 AWMM
Ingoa kārangaranga: —
Te Ope o Tū / te peka: Army AWMM
Te tūnga whakamutunga: WW1 Private AWMM Auckland Infantry Battalion AWMM
Pakanga: World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM

Unknown, photographer. (ca. 1914). Leddra Le Gallais, killed Gallipoli 23.7.1915 aged 29. Auckland War Memorial Museum – Tāmaki Paenga Hira. PH-1995-2-20. Image has no known copyright restrictions. No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Kōrero taurongo

Leddra Le Gallais was born at Clevedon, Auckland, on 7 November 1886, the son of Horatio Nason Le Gallais and Eliza Mary Le Gallais (née Garland). He was educated in Auckland and became a schoolmaster with the Auckland Education Board before World War I.

Three children of Horatio and Eliza Le Gallais served during World War I. Leddra served with the Auckland Infantry Battalion and was killed at Gallipoli; his brother Owen Le Gallais (6/3230) later served on the Western Front; and his sister Charlotte ("Lottie") Le Gallais (22/137) served overseas with the New Zealand Army Nursing Service aboard HMHS Maheno.

Before enlisting, Leddra taught at several schools, including Hangatiki, Mangakura and Glorit. Contemporary newspapers described him as a highly respected teacher who frequently contributed articles to the King Country Chronicle, noting his "literary talent of a very promising order." Following his death, an enlarged portrait of Leddra was displayed in Glorit School in recognition of his service and sacrifice.

Leddra enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on 20 January 1915 and trained with the Auckland Infantry Battalion, 4th Reinforcements, at Trentham Camp. Before enlisting he was employed as a schoolmaster with the Auckland Education Board. His attestation records him as 5 ft 9 in tall, weighing 124 pounds, with brown eyes, dark brown hair and a scar at the base of his right thumb.

He embarked from New Zealand on 17 April 1915 with the 4th Reinforcements aboard one of HMNZT Willochra, Knight Templar or Waitomo. After a period of service in Egypt, he joined the Auckland Infantry Battalion at Gallipoli on 8 June 1915. He served on the peninsula for approximately six weeks before being killed in action at the Dardanelles on 23 July 1915, aged 28.

Following the war, his 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, together with his Memorial Plaque and Memorial Scroll, were issued to his father at Tauhoa, Rodney.

Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira holds the Le Gallais family papers (MS-1995-11), a significant collection of correspondence, photographs, diaries and memorabilia documenting the family's wartime service. The collection preserves the experiences of Leddra, his brother Owen and his sister Charlotte, and provides an important record of one New Zealand family whose children served in different capacities during World War I.

The Museum also holds Leddra's personal Bible, presented to him shortly before his departure for active service. It bears the inscription, "Dear Mr Lt. Gallais with every best wish for both a safe & happy return. Kindest regards. Muriel W. Badderley. 19/3/15." Following his death, the Bible was returned to his brother Owen and still contains the newspaper clipping announcing that Leddra had been killed at Gallipoli.

Leddra and the Le Gallais family are also represented in Pou Kanohi: New Zealand at War, Auckland War Memorial Museum's permanent war memorial galleries. Material from the Le Gallais family papers is used in the galleries to convey the family's experiences of World War I through their own correspondence and personal records, including the service of Leddra, Owen and Charlotte Le Gallais. AWMM

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Leddra Le Gallais