7th Machine Gun Battalion. 2nd AIF
Private: NX163225 Leslie Harold DICKS
Born: 6th March 1923. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Birth Cert:4007/1923.
Married: 1951. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Marriage Cert: 16720/1951.
Wife: Doreen "Dawn" Dicks. nee: Broder. (1925-2011)
Died: 15th April 1992. Peakhurst, New South Wales, Australia. Death Cert:7315/1992.
Father: William Henry Dicks. (1888-29/04/1941) Died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital via Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Mother: Edith Louisa May Dicks. nee: Hanley. (1885-1966) Died at Newtown via Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
INFORMATION
Leslie Harold Dicks enlisted at the Addison Street Depot at Marrickville, N.S.W. Service Number:N247462 on the 29th October 1941, he was allocated to the 55th Battalion AMF and embarked from Australia to New Guinea on the 18th May 1942. He was transferred to full time service on the 15th April 1943 at Wau, New Guinea. Leslie returned to Darwin on the 16th August 1943 before being sent to Morotai, Borneo from the 24th March 1945 until the 10th January 1946.
Morotai was an island in the Halmahera group of the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) that was a key staging point and airbase for American operations in the Philippines and Australian operations in Borneo. US troops originally landed on the island on 15 September 1944 and secured a perimeter around the island's airfield. Although that perimeter was subsequently enlarged, Japanese forces on the rest of the island were essentially left alone for the rest of the war.
Morotai was cleared of Japanese resistance on 14 Jan 1945. 870 Japanese were killed and 10 captured. 46 Americans were killed and 104 wounded. The island later played an important role in the Australian invasion of Borneo and the American operation to reclaim Leyte.
Source: World War II Magazine.
Leslie was discharged of the 21st January 1946 with the 55th Australian Infantry Battalion.
Family Information
Leslie was a single 20 year old Apprentice Cooper from 28 Newington Road, Marrickville, N.S.W.
William Henry Dicks was born in Cobar, N.S.W. on the 28th December 1888 NSW Birth Cert:16352/1889 to Joseph and Annie Dicks. He married Edith Louisa May Hanley at Cobar, N.S.W. on the 25th July 1910, Marriage Cert:8238/1910. They had 5 children. Annie Ester May Dicks (1911-1918) - William Ronald Dicks (1913-2005) - Mona Verdon Dicks (1916-1998) - Leslie Harold Dicks (1923-1992) - Marjorie Edith Dicks (1929-2003)
Mary Ann Dicks nee: O'Melley. (1848-1933)
Mary Ann O'Melley was born on the 24th January 1848 at Yass, New South Wales, Australia. Father James Meally O'Meally (Convict) to Australia in 1932. (1814-1896) 30th December 1896 at "Moppity" via Young, New South Wales
Military Records
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