Leslie Burgess – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Navy Division

Able Seaman Leslie Burgess – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Navy Division

Family Background and Early Life

Leslie Burgess was born in 1892 in Swansea, the son of Thomas Burgess and Kate Eliza Hall, who were married in 1885 in Swansea.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Burgess family were residing at 45 Pentregethin Road, Swansea. Leslie’s father, Thomas (43), born in Herefordshire, was employed at the tin works, while his mother Kate (39), born in Exeter, managed the household. Their children were Ada Blanche (15); Bertie (12); Leslie (9); Mabel (7); Maud (4); and Stanley (11 months).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 6 Major Street, Manselton, Swansea. Thomas Burgess, now 54, was working as a tinplate weigher, and Kate, aged 47, continued to manage the household. Their children were Ada Blanche (25), a dressmaker; Bertie (22) and Leslie (19), both employed as tinplate assorters; Maud (14); Stanley (10); and Winifred (8), all of whom were attending school.

Military Service

Leslie Burgess enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, serving as an Able Seaman with the Howe Battalion of the Royal Navy Division, a formation composed largely of naval reservists trained and employed as infantry on the Western Front.

On 28^th April 1917, Howe Battalion was engaged in active operations during the Battle of Arras, one of the major British offensives of the First World War. Following the initial assault of 9^th April 1917, British forces continued a series of attacks and consolidation actions against strongly defended German positions east of Arras, particularly in the sectors around Gavrelle, Oppy Wood, and the Scarpe Valley. Howe Battalion operated as frontline infantry, undertaking trench assaults, patrols, and the holding of newly captured ground under persistent artillery and machine-gun fire.

By late April, the fighting had become increasingly attritional. German defences, though breached in places, remained formidable, with well-constructed trench systems, concrete strongpoints, and extensive defensive artillery. Units such as Howe Battalion suffered heavy casualties from shellfire, snipers, and counter-attacks, often while consolidating exposed positions or advancing across open ground swept by enemy fire. The area around Gavrelle, where Naval Trench Cemetery is located, saw particularly intense fighting during this phase of the battle.

Death and Burial

Leslie Burgess
Naval Trench Cemetery, Gavrelle, Pas-de-Calais, France
credit - findagrave

Able Seaman Leslie Burgess was killed in action on 28^th April 1917 during these operations. He was buried close to where he fell and now rests at Naval Trench Cemetery, Gavrelle, Pas-de-Calais, France, one of several battlefield cemeteries associated with the heavy losses sustained by the Royal Navy Division during the Arras fighting.