JACK LEVERSEDGE

John Charles (Jack) Leversedge was born on 15 March 1894. He lived with his parents - William, a draughtsman, and Rose - at their home at 147 Idris Road. He had received a secondary education at Christchurch Boys' High School, one of the few men of the time whose parents were able to afford to provide one. Prior to the war, he worked as a clerk at the Bank of New South Wales in Christchurch. On 13 August 1914, aged 20, he volunteered along with many others swept up in the patriotic enthusiasm of the time. He was posted to 'A' Company of the Canterbury Regiment, and sailed with the Main Body of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on 16 October 1914.

He kept a diary in which he recorded his experiences and observations. It is now kept as part of a collection in the Documentary History Centre of Canterbury Museum (ARC 1993.32). Below are some edited extracts from this diary to provide a view of life on active service.

On arriving in Egypt, the Main Body settled into a routine of training and sight-seeing. On 7 December 1914, Leversedge commented that "We always wear our side arms when on leave as several fellows have been murdered. It is foolish to go down lanes by yourself here." Four days later he visited the Pyramids, and got a lift back to camp from an English manager of the Anglo-Egyptian Bank. He stated "We explained the grandeur of New Zealand, much to their wonder."

In a letter home to his parents, he commented that "We think very little of the Australians. They are for the most part absolute hooligans for which several have paid with their lives. I saw one nearly kill half a dozen waiters in a hotel. Most of our fellows will have nothing to do with them."

Late in January 1915, the Turks made an assault on the Suez Canal. On 26 January, he was moved to the Canal zone, and the next day observed that he was about 15 minutes from the fighting, but he could hear the guns and saw an aeroplane for the first time. On 2 February, he and six others were sent to guard a signalling station on the banks of the canal. He expected an attack from the Turks and was "prepared to give them a warm reception." A week later he observed that the Turks had "cleared out" and he was "very disgusted at having to go back to the drill again."

On 2 April, he referred to the infamous riot in the Wazzir brothel quarter of Cairo. He stated "A rather serious riot in town this evening. It started by some Australians wrecking a house and there was a great turn to on the arrival of the red caps (military police). Subsequently about a squadron of cavalry was turned out as well as a very strong picquet."

On 25 April 1915, (the first day of the Anzac attack on Gallipoli) he "woke this morning with the sound of heavy guns in our ears and could feel the recoil for several miles." Later he noted that "Our company safely ashore whence the fun began. The Turks seemed to have a machine gun for every ten men and played terrible havoc but the bayonet was always too much for them. In the afternoon when we had advanced halfway across the Peninsula the Turks got heavily reinforced and we had to fall back to a fairly strong hill which we were able to hold." The experience of being in combat obviously made an impression on him. "The fighting was terrible at first and a wounded man would be very lucky if he was not left without attention for 24 hours."

On 12 May he refers to the abortive trip to Cape Helles and the losses sustained by the New Zealanders. "Since landing over a month ago we have lost a terrible lot of our fellows. There is only about 50 Main Body fellows left and the rest are either killed, wounded or missing". He had a lucky escape when a piece of shell struck his helmet. "I just ducked in time or it certainly would have finished me." Later in May he refers to a spell at the notorious Quinn's Post, which he described as "Not too nice a place between the firing lines. In some places our trenches are less than 10 yards from the Turks who give us an awful time with bombs." On 6 June he took part in a raid on the Turkish trenches which took "thirty or so prisoners". The Turks responded by trying to "shake us up with bombs" from which he had "several marvelous (sic) escapes".

After a four-day rest on Imbros on July, he returned to rumours of a "big advance shortly". On 6 August 1915, he commented, "Tomorrow will see some very lively times" and made reference to a general attack and waiting in a gully for the advance. This was the attack on Chunuk Bair. Three days later, he refers to a big battle for the past three days. He observed that "Casualties have been very heavy, but we gained our objective and are hoping to hang onto it." However, this did not happen.

On 28 August he refers to being on a hospital ship after "feeling pretty bad for about a fortnight." He was evacuated with many other cases of enteritis, and sent to a hospital near Manchester in England for treatment. There he describes trips around the area and enjoyed a "very merry Xmas." However, in late January he noted that he was "in for a rotten time being confined indoors as civilians had contracted dysentery from soldiers." In February 1916 he was discharged and spent time travelling around England, meeting friends and relatives.

Finally Jack Leversedge was deemed to be too ill to return to active service. On 22 June 1916 he was struck off the list of the NZEF and put on the SS Tofua to return to New Zealand. He commented that there were "only 20 on board, so we all have First cabins and very decent tucker." On 16 October 1916 he disembarked at Port Chalmers and arrived home by train. Here his diary ends.

Jack Leversedge never recovered his health. He was eventually placed in the Sanatorium on the Cashmere Hills but died on 24 November 1918 and is buried in St Paul's Cemetery in Papanui.

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