HURST, Leslie Norman (1886-1937)Leslie Hurst was born at Macarthur on 26 March 1886, the son of Joseph Richard Hurst and Margaret Morten nee Todd. He was enrolled as a day student at Geelong College on 31 July 1900. His address at entry was 'Eumeralla', Skene St. He was a member of the 1st Football XVIII of 1903 and served for 4 years in the Geelong College Cadets.
The Annual Report lists diclose him winning the following awards:
1901 2nd, Arithmetic, 3rd Class.
1902 2nd, Writing, Middle 4th Class.
He worked as a wool classer before World War I. He enlisted (No 546) on 21 September 1914 in C Squadron, 4th Australian Light Horse and subsequently embarked on
HMAT Wiltshire on 19 October 1914 for Egypt and Gallipoli. Hurst served in the infantry at Gallipoli, where he was promoted to Lieutenant on 22 October 1915, shortly before he was wounded by at shell at Anzac, Gallipoli with injuries including a fractured skull. He suffered headaches, memory loss and speech impairment and was returned to Australia, embarking on 11 April 1916, undergoing 7 operations to remove shrapnel from his head. Later that year, on 7 Dec 1916 he married Claire Maberly-Smith in Geelong and the couple subsequently had two children.
Leslie Hurst was a friend of
Lieut Eric Whitehead (1890-1915), and as such wrote to Whitehead’s parents after he was killed at 'The Nek', Gallipoli on 7 August 1915.
Leslie Norman Hurst died on 11 March 1937 in Geelong Hospital.
His brothers,
Harold Edward Hurst (1888-1972) and
Evelyn Joseph Hurst (1894-1945) were also educated at Geelong College.
Sources: Based on an edited extract from Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck. p 222 (citing Pegasus; National Archives).