{"id":168,"date":"2015-04-17T18:59:23","date_gmt":"2015-04-17T18:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/?page_id=168"},"modified":"2019-08-17T11:09:45","modified_gmt":"2019-08-17T11:09:45","slug":"captain-frank-king-leslie-killed-at-gallipoli-100-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/?page_id=168","title":{"rendered":"Captain Frank King Leslie killed at Gallipoli 100 years ago"},"content":{"rendered":"

Captain Frank King Leslie, Royal Fusiliers (1885-1915)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The 25th April 2015 marks the centenary of the death of a brave young son of Cavan, just one of many who gave their lives for their king and country during the Great War.\u00a0 Captain Frank King Leslie, aged 29, fell on the very first evening of the Gallipoli Campaign, in a hitherto unimportant corner of the Middle East, far from the familiar fields of his native county.\u00a0 Leslie is one of the first Irishmen to die in this theatre of conflict, serving as he was with the Royal Fusiliers (London regiment), which landed at \u201cX\u201d Beach, Cape Helles.\u00a0 Though the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and Royal Munster Fusiliers, landing at nearby \u201cV\u201d Beach, suffered enormous casualties the same day, the bulk of Irish losses at Gallipoli came following the landing of the 10th (Irish) Division at Suvla Bay on 7th August, many months later in the campaign.\u00a0 Innumerable books and articles have been written on this disastrous episode in the war, which one need not dwell on here.\u00a0 However, no matter one\u2019s beliefs and politics, it is still fitting to note the passing of a gallant soldier and officer, who died performing his duties to the best of his abilities.<\/p>\n

<\/h6>\n

Frank King Leslie was born on 6th<\/sup> September 1885, the only son of Henry King Leslie and Ruth Hungerford-Eagar.\u00a0 His father, a member of the Leslie family of Corravahan House (aka Coravahn), Drung, Co. Cavan, was a land agent, and was sometime resident at Kilnahard, Mountnugent, Co. Cavan (unpubl. diary of Charles Robert Leslie), where he may have been steward on the Bobsgrove estate.<\/p>\n

Frank\u2019s birth was recorded in the \u201cDublin North\u201d D.E.D., at the family\u2019s home at Moyville, on Castle Avenue in Clontarf .<\/p>\n

\"cr<\/a><\/p>\n

He was baptised in Drung Parish Church on Sunday 22nd November.\u00a0 His godmother was Lady Alice Elizabeth Cole (1853 \u2013 1931), daughter of William, 3rd Earl of Enniskillen.<\/p>\n

Frank followed his father into Harrow School, Middlesex, in 1899, where he appears in the UK Census of 1901.\u00a0 He graduated to Sandhurst military academy in 1903, from where he entered the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) as 2nd Lieutenant on 28th January 1905, with a posting to India.\u00a0 His parents were at this time resident at Glenburne, Rockcorry, Co. Monaghan (Wood, J., Old Harrovian<\/em>, p. 803), where Henry Leslie was agent to the estate of Lord Dartrey.\u00a0 Frank was promoted to Lieutenant on 30th May 1907, and Captain in March 1914, serving for much of this period with his regiment in India.<\/p>\n

In these happier times he was photographed, with his parents and sister, Joan, at Corravahan House.<\/p>\n

\"HKL<\/a>Henry Leslie, Esq., Ms Joan Leslie, Mrs Ruth Leslie, Frank King Leslie, Corravahan House, c. 1904<\/h6>\n

In the 1911 UK Census, he is recorded as \u201coverseas military\u201d, and in 1912 he was stationed at Totley camp, near Sheffield, Yorkshire.<\/p>\n

On 20th April 1915, he wrote to his younger sister, Madge, from on board the Cunard liner \u201cSS Alaunia<\/em>\u201d, which had been requisitioned as a troop transport during the Gallipoli campaign.\u00a0 Sadly, Frank was dead before the letter was received, at Rockcorry, on 10th May.<\/p>\n

\"fkl<\/a>A letter home to his sister from Frank on board the troop ship \u201cSS Alaunia<\/em>\u201d, then somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea.<\/h6>\n

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records his death (KIA) on 25th April 1915, while serving as Captain with the Royal Fusiliers \u201cX\u201d Company, 2nd Battalion (www.cwgc.org\/find-war-dead\/casualty\/690321\/LESLIE\/FRANK KING).\u00a0 He was recorded as killed on \u201cX\u201d Beach at Cape Helles.<\/p>\n

\"6-AAA-Cape-Helles-Map-for-DardanellesAAA\"<\/a>The landings at Cape Helles (source: www.britishbattles.com)<\/h6>\n

Having landed from HMS Implacable<\/em>, the company appears to have had some success in advancing to the cliffs behind the beach, and the Fusiliers secured the Turkish trenches by 9am.\u00a0 By 3pm, however, advancing Turkish reinforcements forced Leslie\u2019s detachment into retreat.<\/p>\n

\"HMS<\/a>HMS Implacable approaching X-Beach (source: www.WW1Photos.com)<\/h6>\n

Some days later, a letter was sent to his mother, informing her of his tragic death. As the place is not named, it may have been many months before the family knew where he had fallen.<\/p>\n

30 April<\/span>
\nDear Mrs Leslie,<\/span>
\nI hope you will forgive me for having to write you such sad news, but I wish to let you know that Capt. Frank Leslie who commanded my company passed away peacefully on the 25th. His gallantry and coolness under heavy fire saved many lives. He ordered me to leave him and take some men back to another position to cover his retirement, and after I left him he was shot in the head. He suffered no pain. He was buried where he so gallantly fell.<\/span>
\nYours sincerely,<\/span>
\nMaurice O\u2019Connell<\/span>
\nLieutenant R. F.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"letter<\/a>Letter received by Mrs Ruth Leslie, informing her of her son\u2019s death.<\/h6>\n

Frank Leslie\u2019s actions on that fateful day are recorded in The Royal Fusiliers in the Great War<\/em> (H. C. O’Neill, O.B.E.)<\/p>\n

\u2026If I were asked to say what incident <\/span>
\nin the three landings in Gallipoli,] “X,” ” W ” and ” Y,” <\/span>
\nappealed most to me, I should say with little hesitation <\/span>
\nit was the stand of the gallant company (” X “) of the <\/span>
\nRoyal Fusiliers under Captain Leslie on the left of the <\/span>
\n” X ” beach. The company dwindled to a platoon in the <\/span>
\nday’s fighting. Leslie himself fell. But he held off the <\/span>
\nrepeated onslaughts of the Turks, protected the landing <\/span>
\nof the 87th Brigade, and made possible that swift march <\/span>
\nto the right that secured elbow-room for the Lancashire <\/span>
\nlanding (Preface, viii)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026By this time Y and Z Companies, with Brandreth, were <\/span>
\ndisembarking from the boats which had landed the first <\/span>
\nhalf of the battalion ; and Lieut.-Colonel Newenham, with <\/span>
\nan instant appreciation of the situation, sent X (Captain <\/span>
\nF. K. Leslie) to the left front, W (Major G. S. Guy_on) to <\/span>
\nthe centre and right front, and then, taking all the troops <\/span>
\nhe could gather, marched towards the right to effect a junction with the Lancashires at ” W ” beach (p. 89). <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026The first 300 yards <\/span>of the advance to the left from ” X ” beach was <\/span>made against little opposition ; and the Turks, retiring <\/span>
\nat 9 a.m., left the first line of trenches in Captain Leslie’s <\/span>
\nhands (p. 90).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026 A remnant of Leslie’s <\/span>
\ncompany began to fall back under cover of a platoon of <\/span>
\nZ, commanded by Lieutenant Jebens (p. 91).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026 The battalion’s losses had been very heavy. <\/span>
\nLieut.-Colonel Newenham * and Major Brandreth, second <\/span>
\nin command, were both wounded. Of X Company only <\/span>
\nO’Connell remained, with about a platoon. Captain <\/span>
\nLeslie and Lieutenant R. E. G. A. de Trafford were killed (p. 93).<\/span><\/p>\n

(http:\/\/www.archive.org\/stream\/royalfusiliersin00onei\/royalfusiliersin00onei_djvu.txt)<\/span><\/p>\n

The publication Harrow Memorials of the Great War, Vol. II<\/em> (1918, Warner) gives the following<\/p>\n

CAPTAIN F. K. LESLIE<\/span><\/p>\n

Royal Fusiliers <\/span>
\nThe Headmaster’s \u201999 \u2013 \u201903; Aged 29 April 25th, 1915<\/span><\/p>\n

Only son of Henry King Leslie (O.H.), of Glenburne, Rockcorry, <\/span>
\nCo. Monaghan, and of Ruth Leslie. <\/span>
\nR.M.C., Sandhurst, 1903.<\/span><\/p>\n

Captain Leslie was gazetted to the Royal Fusiliers in 1905, joining his <\/span>
\nRegiment in India, and served with them at Secunderabad and Fort William, <\/span>
\nCalcutta, returning to England in January, 1915. In March, 1915, he left <\/span>
\nwith his Regiment for Alexandria, and was sent straight on to Mudros <\/span>
\nHarbour, en route for the Dardanelles. On April 25th, 1915, he was killed <\/span>
\nat the landing on X Beach, Gallipoli.<\/span><\/p>\n

(http:\/\/www.archive.org\/stream\/harrowmemorialso02warn\/harrowmemorialso02warn_djvu.txt)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Leslie is commemorated in the small parish church at Drung, along with his cousin (Cecil George Leslie MC), and also on the Helles Memorial, near where he fell, and still lies, at Cape Helles in modern-day Turkey.<\/p>\n

\"Drung<\/a>The memorial at Drung Parish Church.<\/h6>\n
\"Helles<\/a>
\nThe Helles memorial, Gallipoli (CWGC).<\/h6>\n

\"Helles<\/a><\/p>\n

Cenotaph to those 20,000 British servicemen whose remains lie unrecovered, Cape Helles, Gallipoli (CWGC).<\/h6>\n

Some years later, a description of Frank\u2019s memorial was sent to Madge by Julia, Countess of Dartrey, who was on a cruise in the eastern Mediterranean, in May 1928.<\/p>\n

\"julia<\/a>Letter to Madge Leslie from Julia Dartrey, May 1928<\/h6>\n

Consequent to Frank\u2019s death, and that of his cousin Cecil in 1919, also as a result of wounds inflicted during the war, it was Madge and her sister Joan who inherited the house at Corravahan in 1930. Unmarried, the pair lived here until their deaths in 1972, sharing the house for many years with their late brother\u2019s fianc\u00e9e, May Haire-Forster.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Frank<\/a><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a9 Ian S.Elliott 2015-2019
\ne: corravahan@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Captain Frank King Leslie, Royal Fusiliers (1885-1915) The 25th April 2015 marks the centenary of the death of a brave young son of Cavan, just one of many who gave their lives for their king and country during the Great War.\u00a0 Captain Frank King Leslie, aged 29, fell on the very first evening of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-168","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=168"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":327,"href":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/168\/revisions\/327"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/9n3.6b1.myftpupload.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}