The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (N243400) Private Leslie James Arnall, 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion, CMF, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Jana Johnson, the story for this day was on (N243400) Private Leslie James Arnall, 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion, CMF, Second World War.

N243400 Private Leslie James Arnall, 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion, CMF
KIA 19 October 1942

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Leslie James Arnall.

Leslie Arnall was born on 25 October 1921 in Crookwell, New South Wales, the son of Arthur and Julia Arnall. Known as “Les” to his family and friends, he was the second son in a family of seven children. Growing up, Arnall was a keen tennis player, and as a young man he worked as a shearer and farm labourer.

In December 1941, Arnall joined the local militia unit, the 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion. With Japanese forces threatening the territories of Papua and New Guinea, after his initial training Arnall sailed north to Townsville.

Arnall and his younger brother Ray had joined the army at around the same time, and both left Townsville for Port Moresby on the transport ship Bountekoe in May 1942.

Japanese forces had landed on the northern coast of Papua and had begun to cross overland in an attempt to capture the strategic port and airfield at Port Moresby on the southern coast. Initially, Japanese forces made headway along what became known as the Kokoda Trail. The Australian forces fell back, almost to within sight of Port Moresby, but the Japanese offensive was losing momentum.

In early September, Arnall joined Maroubra Force, a selection of Australian troops that were to push back against the Japanese advance. By the end of the month, the Australian troops had taken the initiative and the Japanese forces were beginning to retreat back along the trail.

On 19 October 1942, the 3rd Battalion fought against Japanese positions at a point on Eora Creek known as Templeton’s Crossing. During the fighting, Arnall was killed in action, just days before his twenty-first birthday.

Two days later, Arnall’s comrades buried his remains near the place where he was killed, but the exact location of his grave has since been lost. His name is inscribed on the Port Moresby Memorial in Papua New Guinea, which commemorates more than 700 Australian, Papuan, and New Guinean men who lost their lives during the operations in Papua and have no known grave.

Arnall’s younger brother Ray was also a member of Maroubra Force. He later told the family he was a few metres away from his brother when Les was killed. After fighting on the Kokoda Trail, Ray contracted malaria and was discharged from the army in June 1943, returning to the Crookwell district.

Les Arnall’s uncle, George Arnall, also joined the army. As he was older than military age, he served on the Australian mainland in the 2nd Garrison Battalion.

Arnall was survived in Australia by his parents and his brothers and sisters, Thomas, Bertie, Ollie, Annie, and Lynda.

Les Arnall’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among almost 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Leslie James Arnall, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Thomas Rogers
Historian, Military History Section