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Leslie Gordon Franklin - Information

The Franklins resided in Spring Creek in Mt Hunter near Camden. Leslie was born in Albury, Victoria to George and Mary Franklin in 1892, before the family settled in the Camden area. Leslie later worked as a farm hand, and served with the Light Horse from 1913-1915. When he was 23, he enlisted in the AIF on the 6th of December 1915 in Casula. He joined the 1st Light Horse Regiment, and was sent overseas from Sydney on the 8th of July 1916 on the RMS Mongolia.

Leslie landed in Egypt, joining the 1st Light Horse Brigade Machine Gun Squadron in early September. He began patrolling with the Machine Gun Squadron for Turkish forces in March. In July, Leslie attended a School of Instruction in Zeitoun, where he became qualified 1st Class in the Machine Gun Course. However, on the 3rd of August 1917, he was admitted to the Citadel General Hospital with sciatica. His back pain interfered with his duty. Consequently, he was sent back to Australia in mid February 1918. He received a medical discharge in May, and returned to his life in Mt Hunter. Upon his return, the people of Mt Hunter wanted to show their appreciation, giving Leslie and some other poor invalided boys a welcome home party.