A MEMORIAL IN BRONZE
Leslie Charles Brown - 31st Battalion

Designed by Edward Carter Preston and issued to the next of kin of those who died as a result of their service during the First World War, the death plaque (or death penny) may appear, these days, to be a rather simple five inch bronze plaque depicting Britannia and a lion.

However to the families of those they commemorated they were a tangible link to their lost loved one and it was not uncommon to see them framed and displayed proudly in the family home, alongside medals, photos and other mementos.

So it is little wonder that when the family of Private Leslie Charles Brown received their death plaque, only to find his name was incorrect, they went to great lengths to have the error officially corrected.

Born in Collingwood , Victoria , 22 year old plasterer Leslie Charles Brown enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on the 5th of July 1915 , becoming a part of the 31st battalion. After spending time in camp at Broadmeadows he embarked for the Middle East onboard the troop transport ship Wandilla, arriving on December 7, 1915 . Evidently he had fallen ill while onboard and was immediately sent to hospital, rejoining his unit several days later.

Following a promotion to Lance Corporal, Brown was sent to duties on the Ferry Post where he was once again sick, this time suffering the effects of a ‘Hammer Toe.' This injury kept him out of action for over a week in late April, finally rejoining his unit on the 27th.

In May Brown entered a request to revert to the rank of Private, a wish that was granted, and soon after his battalion set sail for France , with Brown travelling on the Hororata and arriving on the 23rd of June. After moving with the rest of his battalion to Northern France and to billets around Estaires, Brown took part in the allied attack on Fromelles on the 19th of July where he was killed in action.

With no known grave, Brown is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux memorial. 

Research notes:

1) Edward Carter Preston, who designed the death plaque also designed other medals like the Distinguished Flying Cross and British War Medal 39-45.

2) Brown's parents were William Thomas Brown and Sarah Brown (nee Crush) they had two other children; Elliott Gordon and Charlotte Isabel.

3) Brown's death plaque was initially named to Charles Leslie Brown, which interestingly is the name on his birth certificate.

Photos:

1) Leslie Brown's medal trio and renamed death plaque in original box.

2) Villers-Bretonneux memorial, photo by Robert Pike.