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Cenotaph record

Leslie Raymond Shaw

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Headstone, Leslie Raymond Shaw (4/33a), Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia (photo Sandra Playle 2013) - No known copyright restrictions

Headstone, Leslie Raymond Shaw (4/33a), Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia (photo Sandra …

No Known Copyright Restrictions AWMM

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    Leslie Raymond AWMM
  • Surname
    Shaw AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
  • Service number
    WWI 4/33a AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion
    Church of England, Christian AWMM

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    17 January 1901 AWMM Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    WW1 Pre 28 September 1914 AWMM New Zealand AWMM
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    WW1 Mr Langley Shaw (father), 29 Ingate Place, Battersea Park, London, England AWMM
  • Relationship status
    Pre 1915 AWMM Single/WWI AWMM

Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
    World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
  • Campaign
    • 1914-1916 Egypt AWMM
    • 1915-1916 Gallipoli AWMM
    • Suvla AWMM
    • 1914-1919 Western Front AWMM
    • Sailly-sur-le-Lys AWMM
    • Battle of Messines AWMM
  • Armed force / branch
  • Service number
    WWI 4/33a AWMM
  • Military service
  • Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers

Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW1 28 September 1914 AWMM
    Age 13 AWMM
    School boy/Civilian AWMM
    AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes
    • Height, Unknown Period AWMM
      5 foot 5 inches AWMM
    • Weight, Unknown Period AWMM
      8 stone 6 pounds AWMM

Last known rank

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Biographical information

Biographical information

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    • The youngest ANZAC, he enlisted aged 13 years 8 months, though declaring his age as 16 years. By the end of the war he had served 3 years 82 days with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and had re-enlisted to serve with the Royal Air Force again in France.

      Embarked for Gallipoli from Alexandria 12 April 1915

      His mother petitioned for his discharge in 1917; he then re-enlisted gaining a commission with the Royal Air Force to serve in France and after the war in India.

      After the war he was a planter, a pioneer pilot in New Guinea and then when settled in Perth, Australia he worked in broadcasting. AWMM
    • Leslie Raymond Shaw was born on the 17th January 1901 in Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

      He enlisted into the N.Z.E.F on the 28th September 1914 (SN 4/33A) with the British Section, N.Z.E.F which consisted of men enlisting in the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces in England with Shaw being one of the 232 men in that particular section. He'd be transferred to the Engineers following his arrival into Egypt, and would land onto Gallipoli with them on April 25th, 1915. He'd later see action in France until just after the Third Ypres when he revealed his age, which led to his discharge on the 18th December, 1917. Even though he was discharged from the N.Z.E.F, he managed to join the R.A.F in May 1918, getting the rank of Temporary Second Lieutenant on October 14th, 1918 as an Observer in 62 Squadron. He stated he was born in 1900 to join the R.A.F, but in reality he was actually 17! He saw action over the Rhine throughout October 1918-June 1919 and was de-mobbed on January 5th, 1920. He managed to get a short service commission on September 15th, 1923 and was apart of 20(AC) Squadron on the Northwest Frontier in December 1924 to June 1926. He resigned his commission in July 1926. In 1927, he told the Evening post his ambitious plan to fly from England to Japan with Flight Lieutenant Edgar Allan Gornall (/explore/people/126489)

      On February 15th, 1928 he was flying over New Guinea when he crashed. There were no flares to guide him in so he decided to land blindly in the dark which gave him serious injuries, leaving the plane badly broken. Into the mid to late 30s, he seems to have not had much employment. t

      He transferred from the R.A.A.F Reserves to Active Service on September 8th, 1929 and was promoted to Flying Officer on October 1st, 1935. He transferred to R.A.A.F H.Q Pearce on 8th September, 1939, a just under a week after war was declared only to get discharged from the R.A.A.F medically unfit on October 6th, 1939. He'd later enlist into the A.I.F into the Recruit Reception Depot for 3 months before being discharged. He died on March 9th, 1946 in Perth.

      He is one of the youngest ANZACs and probably one of the only people who was at the Gallipoli Landings who was in fact young enough to enlist into the Second Australian Imperial Force. Public - Jenifer - Researcher - 10 October 2025 - Credit : Australian War Memorial.
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    3 March 1947 AWMM
    Age 46 AWMM
    Perth, Western Australia AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
    Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia AWMM Section ZP Grave site 0154 AWMM
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name

Roll of Honour

Remember Leslie Raymond Shaw by laying a poppy.

Leave a note

Leave a tribute or memory of Leslie Raymond Shaw

Leave a note

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  • Hi there we are students at paraparaumu college and we were wondering if you guys would kindly donate us two tickets to Australia to pay our respects to Leslie's grave site. Yours sinceraly Wesley and Jessica Thank you
    Public - wesley and jessica - 1 April 2016
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Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • Sunday Star Times AWMM
      Robinson, M. (2012, 18 March). Researcher uncovers story of the child ANZAC on Gallipoli AWMM
    • Sunday Star Times AWMM
      McGibbon, I. (2012, 18 March). Our youngest ANZAC. AWMM
    • Information kindly provided by family AWMM
    • Waite, F. (1919). The New Zealanders at Gallipoli. Auckland, N.Z.: Printed and published under Authority of the New Zealand Government by Whitcombe & Tombs. AWMM
    • Annabell, N. Official History of the New Zealand Engineers during the Great War 1914–1919. Wanganui: Evans, Cobb & Sharpe, 1927. AWMM

Contributors

Command item
Command item
Add new record Refresh
DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
10 October 2025JeniferPictonResearcher
28 February 2025HughPerth, AustraliaOther
01 April 2016wesley and jessicaJapanOther

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