CARTY, Leslie Ernest William (1884-1961)
Leslie Ernest William Carty was born on 31 December 1884, the son of Richard Thomas Carty and Louise or Lucy nee Hawkins. He was enrolled in 1900 at Geelong College as a day student and his parents address was given as Brisbane Hills, Hamilton, Victoria.
He is noted in the Annual Report Prize List of 1900 as coming 1st in Arithmetic in the 4th Class and 1st in Algebra in the Lower 4th Class.
In 1916 he married Elsie Marion Armstrong, daughter of 'Willie' and Jessie Marion Armstrong. They resided at Arrandoovong, Branxholme, at the time of his enlistment (No 39191) in the AIF during World War I on 14 March 1917. He embarked with the 6th Field Artillery Brigade, 34 Artillery Reinforcements on HMAT A38 Ulysses on 22 December 1917 for England and France, by way of Suez, Alexandria, Taranto and Cherbourg, arriving in Southampton on 15 February 1918. He served as a Gunner through the German Offensive of March 1918, and the final campaigns of the Great War. He was discharged from the AIF, and returned to Australia with his wife, at his own expense by way of the United States of America, embarking from Liverpool on SS Megantic on 29 March 1919, and then San Francisco on SS Sonoma on 6 May.
Pegasus in March 1933 recorded 'Les' Carty partnering H L Archer in semi-finals of the Hamilton Tennis Tournament in February. The following year Pegasus noted that 'Les' Carty had been elected President of the Hamilton Old Public Schools Association at a re-union meeting at the Victoria Hotel.
'Les' died on 12 June 1961 at Hamilton.
Sources: Based on an edited extract from Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck; p 152 (citing Pegasus; National Archives); Pegasus March 1933 p55; Pegasus June 1934 p51; Pegasus June 1939 p48.