Lance Corporal – 1/5th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment
Died: 20th May 1915
Aged: 22 years old
Died of wounds in Bailleul Base Hospital
Lance Corporal – 1/5th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment
Died: 20th May 1915
Aged: 22 years old
Died of wounds in Bailleul Base Hospital
Leslie Silvester was born in Cheltenham, the eldest son of seven children of James Andrew Silvester, who was a Music Seller’s Salesman and Mary Anne Silvester. Leslie was an enthusiastic member of the 6th Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment (Territorials) from the age of 14 as a bugler when the family were living in Bristol. When the family moved back to Cheltenham in 1910, Leslie went to work for H.H. Martyn at Sunningend Works. The family lived at 2 St. Clair Villas, Naunton Lane.
In Cheltenham Leslie was a 2nd Lieutenant of the St. Philip’s branch of the Church Lads Brigade where he directed the bugle band and for two seasons was Captain of Emmanuel Church Football Club. He was also a keen swimmer, winning prizes and medals for life-saving and long-distance swimming.
Territorial soldiers were intended to be used to defend England but at the beginning of the war the Territorial soldiers were given the opportunity of volunteering for overseas duty. Leslie was one of the first of his battalion in the 1/5th Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment from Cheltenham to volunteer for service overseas and for this he was given the Imperial Clasp. The battalion was in the front line at Ploegsteert in May 1915 and it was here on 19th May that Leslie was seriously wounded and evacuated to a base hospital at Bailleul but died the next day and is buried at Bailleul Community Cemetery.
Leslie was described in a newspaper report as being a “…fine and promising young man who was extremely popular.” A letter he sent to his parents was published in the Gloucestershire Echo on 19th May 1915.
In it he says “Behind the trenches are several mounds of earth, marked with crosses to commemorate the deaths of some brave English soldiers….The main cemetery is down in the wood. The wood will no doubt be visited by English people when the war is over.” Little did Leslie realise that the next day after publication of his letter he too would be joining those brave soldiers and that many would visit the cemetery down in the wood.