Private Leslie Samuel Gluning
| Date of Birth | 1 June 1898 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 17 |
| Date of Death | 25 September 1915 |
| Service Number | 3853 |
| Military Service | 1st Battalion Honourable Artillery Company |
| Merton Address | 28 Queens Road, Wimbledon |
| Local Memorial | Rutlish School, Merton |
Additional Information
Samuel Gluning whose occupation was that of a fishmonger lived at 28 Queen’s Row in Walworth married on the 2nd May 1897, to 18 year old Maud Farmer at the same address.
According to the 1901 Census, the Gluning family now resided at 243 North End Road in Fulham. The family consisted of 25 year old Samuel who was a self-employed fishmonger, with his 22 year old wife Maud and their 2 sons, 2 year old Leslie and 0ne year old Samuel.
The Census also reveals that Maud’s sister, 23 year old Lilian Farmer was employed by her brother-in-law as a fishmonger along with 18 year old Cissie Danko, a servant who was also employed as a fishmonger’s assistant. The family also employed 18 year old Florence Matthews as a cook/servant.
The 1911 Census reveals that the family now lived at 28 Queen’s road in Wimbledon and that Samuel and Maud had been married for a total of 13 years and that they had a total of 5 children, four of whom lived with their parents. Leslie was now aged 12 years, his brother Samuel age 11 years with their sister Maud age 3 and Clifford who was only a year old.
By the time that he enlisted on 14th June 1915 at Armoury House in the Honourable artillery Company, Leslie Samuel who had given his age as being of 19 years old was residing at Ferndale Queen’s road in Wimbledon. He is recorded as being a fit young man who was 5 ft 9 3/4 inches tall. His service record reveals that he had been posted to the Expeditionary Force in France on the 3rd September 1915.
Leslie Samuel died of wounds on the 29th September 1915, (Gun shot to his head), and he is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery.
Probate 0f Leslie Samuel’s will reveals that his estate of £105 14s was awarded to his father on the 23rd 0ctober 1915.
During the First World War, the area around Etaples was the scene of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals. It was remote from attack, except from aircraft, and accessible by railway from both the northern or the southern battlefields. In 1917, 100,000 troops were camped among the sand dunes and the hospitals, which included eleven general, one stationary, four Red Cross hospitals and a convalescent depot, could deal with 22,000 wounded or sick. In September 1919, ten months after the Armistice, three hospitals and the Q.M.A.A.C. convalescent depot remained.