PURVES, Leslie Dudgean
(Service number 7/778)
| First Rank | Trooper | Last Rank | 2nd Lieutenant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 21/09/1890 | Place of Birth | Timaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 20 October 1914 | Age | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Priest's Cnr, Timaru | ||
| Occupation | Farmer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | William Purves (father) Priest's Cnr, Timaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | New Zealand Armed Forces (?) | Served in | Canterbury Mounted Rifles |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | Second Reinforcements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | |||
| Date | 14 December 1914 | ||
| Transport | |||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | Camel Corps | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZMR training unit | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Egyptian | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, DCM | ||
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 | 31 July 1921 | Age | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | |||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Leslie Dudgean Purves was born at Timaru on 21 September 1895, the second child and only son of Frances and William Purves of Priest’s Corner, Pareora West.
Purves put his age up by five years when he enlisted in October 1914. He was attested as a trooper (service no. 7/778) with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles and embarked for Egypt with the 2nd Reinforcements at Wellington on 14 December 1914. He took part in the Gallipoli Campaign and remained in Egypt when the Main Body left for the Western Front in 1916, being transferred to the Camel Corps and later to a training unit as an instructor. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in March 1916 and full corporal that July. Promotion to sergeant followed in April 1917.
The Timaru Herald of 23 July 1918 reported that Leslie Purves had been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. The London Gazette reported this was presented on 21 October 1918 “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. After the order to retire had been given he carried his wounded officer through extremely heavy shell and machine gun fire from an exposed position to a place of safety. His courage was always most praiseworthy.” Purves was finally discharged on 9 September 1919 having completed four years 238 days service.
After the war he returned to farming in the Pareora West area and married Selina Palliser in 1921. He died on 31 July 1921 aged 65.
Sources
NZ Defence Force Personnel Records, Archives NZ; NZ BMD Online at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Home/; Assorted articles courtesy of Papers Past at https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/; Assorted records at Ancestry.com
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