TRUMPER, Leslie Henry
(Service number 6/1741)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 23/02/1895 | Place of Birth | Temuka |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 20 December 1914 | Age | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Ohape, Temuka, New Zealand | ||
| Occupation | Farm labourer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | Territorials (NZ) | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | B. Trumper (father), Ohape, Temuka, South Canterbury, New Zealand | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 3rd Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
| Date | 14 February 1915 | ||
| Transport | Maunganui or Tahiti or Aparima | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, New Zealand | Destination | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | 2nd Second Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Egyptian 1915, Balkans (Gallipoli) 1915 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1915 Star, British Medal, and Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 9 September 1952 | Age | 57 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Fairlie | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Leslie was the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Trumper (nee Benbow). Leslie was enrolled at the Milford School 2 Jan 1900, passing Standard on 5 August 1907, after which he left school for home.
Leslie was farming at Ohape, Temuka and in February 1914 when, at the height of the seasonal work schedule, he was reported as appearing in court along with others for "failing to render personal service under the Defence Act, in absenting themselves from parades and drills without leave" and fined 20/-. At the time Leslie was a member of the NZ Territorials, and of the age that attendance at parades was compulsory.
After enlisting in 1915 and proceeding overseas Leslie served in Gallipoli and Egyptian theatres of operation in 1915. While on service the Evening Post of 22 September 1915 listed Leslie as 'dangerously ill' - recording: "Canterbury Battalion. Trumper, Leslie Henry, 6/1741, Pte. (B. Trumper, Ohape, Temuka, father)". Suffering from typhoid due to the terrible conditions at the front, he was only noted as out of danger a little over two weeks later, but was still only progressing favourably at the end of Novemeber. No doubt due to his illness, Leslie was discharged in April 1916. For his service he was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, British Medal, and Victory Medal.
The next year saw Lesley moving on with his life, marrying Hazel Alpine Dougherty (b.1896, Temuka) on 12 Sep 1917. The couple had three children: Leslie Benjamin (b.1918), Eric William (b.1920) and Muriel Eileen (b.1923).
Lesley helped his father Benjamin farm the property "Riverslea" and there, they altered the large house into two flats to accommodate both families. Leslie worked there until his father died then later moved to the Fairlie district to farm.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database (18 June 2015); see also Winsome Griffin's family history pages at http://winsomegriffin.com/Benbow/LeslieHenryTrumper.html; SCRoll web submission by W Griffin, 4 December 2015; Evening Post 22 September 1915 p2 - report of illness
External Links
Related Documents
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Researched and Written by
Tony Rippin (South Canterbury Museum)
Currently Assigned to
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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