LESLIE RUSSELL BLAKE

PHOTO TAKEN BY HIS FRIEND FRANK HURLEY

©Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales. Apply to them for copies or for permission to reproduce

Captain Leslie Russell Blake

Antartic Explorer and Geologist

~Military Cross, Mentioned in Despatches,

Born ~ 1890 ~Hawthorn, Victoria

Son of Thomas Henry and Maria Louisa Blake

Enlisted at Gympie, Queensland

Died of wounds ~ 3rd of October 1918

Buried~Tincourt New British Cemetery

Blake was a member of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14 with Douglas Mawson and was involved in a survey of Macquarie Island, the harvesting of penguins for oil and the collection of geological specimens. A Geologist and cartographer he obtained leave from the

Geological Survey Department of Brisbane to accompany the Expedition. He was one of the five who stayed another year at Macquarie Island.

Leslie enlisted into the AIF at Gympie, Queensland on the 4th August 1915. He was aged 24 years old. Embarked on the Persic A34 on 18/11/1915 and disembarked 21/12/1915 at Suez.

11/3/16 - Transferred 22 Howitzer Brigade - Moascar

11/3/16 - Taken on Strength from 5th F.A.B posted to 105 Battery

Promoted 2nd Lieut 16/4/1916

20/5/16 - Transferred 5th F.A.B

14/10/16 - Promoted Lieut.

8/11/1916 - Awarded the Military Cross - The citation reads

"Second Supplement 29837 - London Gazette - 24th November 1916

His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to confer the Military Cross on the undermentioned officer in recognition of his gallantry and devotion to duty in the field -

"For conspicuous gallantry in action. He carried out reconnaissance under heavy fire with great courage and determination obtaining most valuable information"

A letter his brother wrote after recieving the news of the award -

" I only wish it was myself that was recipient of the M.C. but being an old married man with 5 kiddies am dead out of luck in not being able to get there and having a chance for decorations. Good Luck to the boy, may he come back safe and sound with the V.C. as well. He is game to the core. Previous to enlisting he was with Dr Mawsons Antartic Expedition for just on 2 1/2 years as Geologist."

Mentioned in Sir Douglas Haigs Despatch 13/11/16 - "I have the honour to submit the name of the undermentioned officer and serving under my command, whose distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty I consider deserving of special mention"

Supplement to Gazette dated 29/12/16

9/2/17 - Performing dutied of Staff Lieut Reconnaisannce Class

4/3/17- To be Staff Officer for 2nd Div Arty and to be Staff Lieut Ist Class

27/9/17 - Wounded in Action - Remained on Duty

29/9/17 - Wounded in Action - Severe gun shot wound right arm. In hospital in England for nearly two months. Left with some disability in arm

27/12/17 - Proceeded overseas to France

23/3/18 - Detached to 2nd Army S.O.S School

23/5/18 - Promoted Captain

27/7/18 - Captain - detached to A.F.C for Liason course

Leslie Blake Died of Wounds on 3rd of October 1918 just before the Armistace.

Red Cross Missing and Wounded files reports state -

"The above mentioned officer was admitted here on Oct 3rd in a very serious condition. He was suffering from shell wound in the left leg and thigh, face and skull. He died shortly after admission about 6.10 am. Buried at Tincourt"

"I saw Mr Blake who was on horseback hit by a shell while directing us in our laying position at Hargicourt. He had his leg blown off by a shell and his eye damaged. His horse was killed from under him."

"I saw his grave, white cross. I went over specially to see his grave, he was my O.C. Very decent chap. He had been to South Pole"

A letter to Leslie's Brother William states - With reference to the report of the regrettable loss of your brother, the late Captain L.R.Blake, M.C, 5th Field Artillery Brigade, I am now in receipt of advice which shows that he was wounded by shell fire when in charge of Ammunition Wagons near the Railway between the village of Nauroy and Estress on 2/10/18 and died the following day at 58th Casualty Clearing Station, Tincourt as a result of his wounds.

4th Division AIF Memorial

Taken looking East. The Village in far is Nauroy

Photo Courtesy Of Yves Fohlen.

Relic of the great days of Antarctic exploration turns up in

The Zoology Museum.

Recently, whilst exploring the contents of a rather dusty cupboard in the Zoology Museum we came across a single egg of the royal penguin Eudyptes schlegeli.

The egg had been collected on Macquarie Island, the only place in the world where royal penguins breed, and on it were the letters AAE, the initials L.R.B. and the date 20.10.12. After a degree of research we now know that it was collected on one of the series of epic Antarctic expeditions that took place in the opening years of the 20th century. We even know the name of the man who collected it!

LESLIE BLAKE

After Shackleton's heroic but failed effort to attain the South Pole in 1908, the world waited with bated breath as Scott and Amundsen announced their plans to grab the prize at 90°S. As their bases were being established in 1911, Australian geologist Douglas Mawson was quietly organizing an Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) to chart the unexplored 2000-mile Antarctic coastline between Cape Adare, lying to the south of New Zealand, and Gauss Berg, lying south of the Indian Ocean. Mawson's team came primarily from Australian and New Zealand universities. The expedition vessel, the Aurora was purchased from the Newfoundland sealing fleet, but had been built in Dundee, Scotland.

The chief objective of the 1911-14 Australasian Antarctic Expedition was to investigate, as far as possible, a stretch of essentially unknown Antarctic. There were no plans to reach the South Pole but included in the scientific program would be the scientific examination of Macquarie Island lying 850 miles south-south-east of Hobart. From Hobart a course was to be set for Macquarie Island. A small party of 5 would land with stores and a hut and proceed to undertake scientific studies over the next year, as well as to establish a radio relay station. There was great jubilation among all on station when, on the evening of 13 February 1912, Macquarie Island established radio communication with the outside world.One of the five expedition members to be left on Macquarie Island was Leslie R. Blake, Cartographer and Geologist. This was the L.R.B who collected our egg on the 20th of October in 1912.

The rest of the expedition then moved on to the Antarctic mainland. Sir Douglas Mawson's in The Home of the Blizzard is a classic account of his epic trek around Commonwealth Bay in eastern Antarctica and the death of his two mates. His descriptions of drinking the last of his dog soup (and other culinary delights) bring tears to the eyes! He finally made it back, on foot, to his hut, but had to wait a further year before he could be rescued.

Blake's own photographs of royal penguins still exist, as do photographs of Blake himself, taken on the way south by J. Frank Hurley the official expedition photographer. Hurley, a photographer of consummate brilliance, was later to accompany Sir Ernest Shackleton on his epic but ill-fated 1915 expedition on the Endeavour.

How Blakes's penguin egg came to be in Aberdeen no-one has any idea

Reference - This article is from the

University of Aberdeen, Zoology Dept.

Blake standing on the ice looking out to sea

Photography by Frank Hurley

Leslie Blake's Grave

at Tincourt - 2003

Photo Courtesy of Yves Fohlen

While Leslie Blake's headstone has no epitah, the 42nd Battalion soldier buried by his side has inscribed just the word "COURAGE"

LEST WE FORGET