Leslie Francis Rouse

Memorial: Patchway

Regiment: Army Service Corps

Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Private (Service No. S3/030354)

Parents: Henry and Rose Ellen (nee Webb) Rouse

Marital status: Married

Home address: Home Address: 6 Fishponds Cottages, Westbury On Trym. Lived: 1901 Census – 12 Bradley Crescent, Shirehampton.

Pre-war occupation: Baker and Confectioner

Date of birth: 1893

Date of death: 29/05/1918

Buried/Commemorated at: No known Grave, Commemorated Chatby Memorial, Egypt

Age: 25

Further information:

On the Patchway memorial, Leslie is listed as serving with the Gloucestershire regiment with a death year of 1915. These facts seem incorrect as there is no match for the regiment or year with that name. There was a Frederick Rouse, Gloucestershire Regiment killed in 1915, but he was born and lived in St Pauls area of Bristol.

Leslie was born in 1893 (Baptised All Saints Church, Compton Greenfield, Easter Compton on 4 April 1893). The birth and baptism records show the Christian names as Francis Leslie, but the subsequent Census records have the names are reversed, and on the Army records just Leslie.

Leslie enlisted in December 1914 but was not posted overseas until the end of February 1915 and he was attached to the 29th Field Bakery, later transferred to the 50th Field Bakery, based in Egypt.

On the 1911 Census, Leslie was an apprentice to a Baker in Clevedon. Leslie married Ada Constance Shipman on 21/01/1915 in Bristol. Leslie and Ada had one son Cyril Albert Rouse born 28.5.1915 (Cyril died in 2002).

Leslie died on 29/05/1918 Presumed Drowned – Based in Alexandria, Egypt, he went missing and was assumed to have drowned.

Leslie is also commemorated on the Westbury On Trym, Bristol memorial.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Findmypast (Soldiers Died during the Great War, 1901 & 1911 Census etc), Researcher John Davis.