# John Leak > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/John_Leak > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/John_Leak.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Leak > Source revision: 1353087678 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross}} {{For|those of a similar name|John Leake (disambiguation)|John Leek (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox military person |name = John Leak |honorific_suffix = VC |image = John Leak P02939.jpg |alt = |caption = John Leak, {{circa|1916}} |birth_date = 1892 |death_date = 20 October {{death year and age|1972|1892}} |birth_place = [Portsmouth](/source/Portsmouth), United Kingdom |death_place = [Redwood Park, South Australia](/source/Redwood_Park%2C_South_Australia) |burial_place = |nickname = |allegiance = Australia |branch = [Australian Imperial Force](/source/First_Australian_Imperial_Force) |service_years = 1915–1919 |rank = [Private](/source/Private_(rank)) |service_number = |unit = [9th Battalion](/source/9th_Battalion%2C_Royal_Queensland_Regiment) |commands = |battles = {{tree list}} * [World War I](/source/World_War_I) ** [Gallipoli Campaign](/source/Gallipoli_Campaign) ** [Western Front](/source/Western_Front_(World_War_I)) *** [Battle of Pozières](/source/Battle_of_Pozi%C3%A8res) *** [Battle of Mouquet Farm](/source/Battle_of_Mouquet_Farm) {{tree list/end}} |awards = [Victoria Cross](/source/Victoria_Cross) |relations = |other_work = }} '''John Leak''', [VC](/source/Victoria_Cross) ({{circa|1892}}{{snd}}20 October 1972) was an [Australian recipient](/source/List_of_Australian_Victoria_Cross_recipients) of the [Victoria Cross](/source/Victoria_Cross), the highest award for [gallantry](/source/courage) in battle that could be awarded at that time to a member of the [Australian armed forces](/source/Australian_Defence_Force). Leak enlisted in the [Australian Imperial Force](/source/First_Australian_Imperial_Force) in early 1915, and served with the [9th Battalion](/source/9th_Battalion%2C_Royal_Queensland_Regiment) in the [Gallipoli Campaign](/source/Gallipoli_Campaign) during the [First World War](/source/First_World_War). Evacuated suffering from [dysentery](/source/dysentery), Leak rejoined his battalion after it had been withdrawn to Egypt. Along with his unit, he transferred to the [Western Front](/source/Western_Front_(World_War_I)) in France and Belgium, where he participated in the [Battle of Pozières](/source/Battle_of_Pozi%C3%A8res) in July 1916. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the battle. The following month he was seriously wounded in the [Battle of Mouquet Farm](/source/Battle_of_Mouquet_Farm). Leak was evacuated to the United Kingdom, and did not return to his unit until October 1917. Suffering from the effects of his service, Leak was convicted of [desertion](/source/desertion) by a [court-martial](/source/court-martial) in November, but his sentence was ultimately suspended, and he returned to the 9th Battalion. In early March 1918 he was [gassed](/source/Chemical_warfare), and did not rejoin to his unit until the [Armistice of 11 November 1918](/source/Armistice_of_11_November_1918). He returned to Australia and was discharged in 1919. After jobs in [Queensland](/source/Queensland), [New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales), [South Australia](/source/South_Australia) and [Western Australia](/source/Western_Australia) over the next twenty years, Leak settled in South Australia in 1937. He was severely affected by his war experiences, and was very reticent to discuss his VC exploits. He did not talk about his service, even to his family, until very late in life. He died in October 1972 and is buried in [Stirling](/source/Stirling%2C_South_Australia), South Australia. ==Early life== According to his war record,{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=1}} John Leak was born in [Portsmouth](/source/Portsmouth), United Kingdom, around 1892,{{sfn|Staunton|2005|p=55}} although there is no record of his birth in that city.{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=82}} He was the son of a miner, James Leak.{{sfn|Mays|1986}}{{sfn|Wigmore|Harding|1986|p=84}} His parents were originally from [South Wales](/source/South_Wales), and apparently migrated to [New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales), Australia, well before World War{{nbsp}}I,{{sfn|''The Brisbane Courier'' 12 January 1917}} although there is no record of his arrival in Australia.{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=82}} By the outbreak of the war, his parents had died,{{sfn|''The Brisbane Courier'' 12 January 1917}} and Leak was living at [Clermont, Queensland](/source/Clermont%2C_Queensland),{{sfn|''The Morning Bulletin'' 11 April 1919}} and working as a [teamster](/source/teamster).{{sfn|Staunton|2005|p=55}}{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=82}} ==World War I== On 28 January 1915, Leak enlisted in [Rockhampton](/source/Rockhampton) as a [private](/source/private_(rank)) in the [Australian Imperial Force](/source/First_Australian_Imperial_Force) (AIF) and was assigned to the fifth reinforcement draft for the [9th Battalion](/source/9th_Battalion%2C_Royal_Queensland_Regiment), [3rd Brigade](/source/3rd_Brigade_(Australia)), [1st Division](/source/1st_Division_(Australia)).{{sfn|Mays|1986}}{{sfn|National Archives|2019|pp=1–3}}{{sfn|Australian War Memorial|2019a}} On 16 April, he embarked from [Brisbane](/source/Brisbane), Queensland, on board the transport ''[Kyarra](/source/Kyarra)''.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=18}} He joined his battalion on 22 June while it was involved in [trench warfare](/source/trench_warfare) defending the [Anzac Cove](/source/Anzac_Cove) beachhead on the [Gallipoli Peninsula](/source/Gallipoli) in the [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire). This fighting was part of the [Gallipoli Campaign](/source/Gallipoli_Campaign).{{sfn|Australian War Memorial|2019a}}{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=18}} Six days after Leak's arrival, the 9th Battalion was involved in a two-pronged attack against the Ottoman positions on what were known as "Sniper's Ridge" and "Knife Edge", close to [Lone Pine](/source/Battle_of_Lone_Pine). The attack was abortive, and resulted in the battalion suffering casualties of 37 killed and 62 wounded.{{sfn|Bean|1944|pp=300–305}} Leak was with his battalion during the fruitless [August Offensive](/source/Battle_of_Sari_Bair), which was intended as a breakout from the beachhead.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=18}}{{sfn|Bean|1941|p=766}}{{sfn|Bean|1968|pp=140–141}} On 31 August, Leak reported sick and was evacuated with [gastroenteritis](/source/gastroenteritis), first via [hospital ship](/source/hospital_ship) to [Malta](/source/Malta), where he was hospitalised and diagnosed with [dysentery](/source/dysentery). In late September he was evacuated to the United Kingdom where he was again hospitalised. He did not return to his unit until 23 February 1916, by which time it, along with the rest of the AIF, had been withdrawn back to [Egypt](/source/Sultanate_of_Egypt) for re-organisation.{{sfn|Australian War Memorial|2019a}}{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=18}} In March 1916, Leak and the rest of his battalion sailed for [France](/source/French_Third_Republic) and the [Western Front](/source/Western_Front_(World_War_I)). They spent several weeks in a quiet sector of the line near [Armentières](/source/Armenti%C3%A8res), before deploying south to the [Somme river](/source/Somme_(river)) valley, where they experienced their first fighting in France. On 1{{nbsp}}July, the [Battle of the Somme](/source/Battle_of_the_Somme_(1916)) commenced. This mainly British offensive involved attacks against German trench systems on either side of the Somme. British troops pushed slowly forward towards [Bapaume](/source/Bapaume) until they were just short of the village of [Pozières](/source/Pozi%C3%A8res), at which time the Australian 1st Division entered the fray in the [Battle of Pozières](/source/Battle_of_Pozi%C3%A8res). The German positions at Pozières were known as the "Old German" (OG) trenches{{snd}}OG{{nbsp}}1 and OG{{nbsp}}2. The Australians launched a preliminary operation on 22 July, but were repulsed. The following day, the division attacked again, this time with the [1st Brigade](/source/1st_Brigade_(Australia)) on the left, and the 3rd Brigade on the right. Leak's battalion was allocated a {{convert|500|m|yd|adj=on|order=flip}} sector on the far right flank of the divisional attack. The troops captured the first objective, but were held up by a German position where OG{{nbsp}}1 met "Pozières Trench".{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=82}}{{sfn|Australian War Memorial|2019a}} thumb|upright=0.7|The Victoria Cross|alt=a bronze Cross pattée suspended from a crimson ribbon The 9th Battalion was being held up by a pair of German machine guns. An intense bomb ([hand grenade](/source/hand_grenade)) fight began, during which the heavier [Mills bomb](/source/Mills_bomb)s used by the Australians were outranged by the lighter German [Model 17 grenade](/source/Model_17_grenade)s. Leak ran forward and threw three Mills bombs into the machine gun post, then leapt into the post, attacking the garrison with his [bayonet](/source/bayonet). By the time the rest of his [platoon](/source/platoon) got to the post, Leak was wiping blood off his bayonet with his [slouch hat](/source/slouch_hat). The fighting around Pozières continued after this incident, and two days later the Germans laid down a tremendous artillery barrage on the positions that had been captured from them, described by the official Australian war correspondent, [Charles Bean](/source/Charles_Bean), as "among the heaviest that occurred either on the Somme or at Verdun".{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=82}} During the fighting and the subsequent deluge of shells, the 9th Battalion had been reduced from a strength of 1,016 men to 623.{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=82}} On 31 July, Leak was recommended for the award of the [Victoria Cross](/source/Victoria_Cross) (VC) for his actions at Pozières.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=30}} At that time, the VC was the highest award for [gallantry](/source/courage) in battle that could be awarded to a member of the [Australian armed forces](/source/Australian_Defence_Force).{{sfn|Wigmore|Harding|1986|p=9}} After Pozières, the 9th Battalion was relieved, but it was back in action in mid-August during the [Battle of Mouquet Farm](/source/Battle_of_Mouquet_Farm). During this fighting, the 9th Battalion suffered another 163 casualties.{{sfn|Bean|1941|p=802}} One of those casualties was Leak, who had suffered a serious wound to the back on 21 August, during a German artillery bombardment near the "Gibraltar" blockhouse. While he was in a medical facility in France,{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=4}}{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=83}} his VC was gazetted. The citation read:{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=81}} {{blockquote|For most conspicuous bravery. He was one of a party which finally captured an enemy strong point. At one assault, when the enemy's bombs were outranging ours, Private Leak jumped out of the trench, ran forward under heavy machine-gun fire, and threw three bombs into the enemy's bombing post. He then jumped into the post and bayoneted three unwounded enemy bombers. Later, when the enemy in overwhelming numbers was driving his party back, he was always the last to withdraw at each stage, and kept on throwing bombs. His courage and energy had such an effect on the enemy that, on the arrival of reinforcements, the whole trench was recaptured.|''The London Gazette'', September 1916}} thumb|left|upright=1.5|Leak (centre) with friends and admirers, taken after his investiture by King George{{nbsp}}V at Buckingham Palace. He is holding hands with a woman, likely to be Beatrice May Chapman, whom he married two years later.{{sfn|Australian War Memorial|2019b}}|alt=a black and white group photograph of a uniformed Leak with a group of admirers. Leak is holding the hand of a woman standing next to him. Leak was evacuated to hospital in the United Kingdom on 13 September.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=4}} On 4{{nbsp}}November, he was invested with his VC by [King George V](/source/King_George_V) at [Buckingham Palace](/source/Buckingham_Palace).{{sfn|''The Daily Telegraph'' 6 November 1916}} While in the UK, he breached military discipline on two occasions. In the first instance, he was charged for entering the [Sergeants' Mess](/source/Mess) and demanding a drink, and disobeying his [regimental sergeant major](/source/regimental_sergeant_major) in January 1917. For this he was convicted and underwent fourteen days' detention. On 23 February, he went [absent without leave](/source/AWOL) until 2{{nbsp}}March, and following this conviction was punished with four days' detention and fifteen days' loss of pay.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=4}} On 23 March, Leak was transferred from the 9th Battalion to the 69th Battalion.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=4}} The 69th Battalion was being raised in the United Kingdom as part of the short-lived [16th Brigade](/source/16th_Brigade_(Australia)), [6th Division](/source/6th_Division_(Australia)), which was being formed using men who were recovering from wounds or illness in the United Kingdom.{{sfn|Bean|1937|p=17}} In June, Leak gave evidence at the trial of an Australian soldier accused of wearing a VC ribbon on his uniform when he was not a recipient of the award. In his evidence, Leak said he had never asked the man about his VC, because "he objected to [being] questioned himself about his own deed."{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=83}} He went absent without leave again in July, but this time only received a fine.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=19}} The 69th Battalion was disbanded to provide reinforcements to existing units, and on 11 August Leak was transferred back to the 9th Battalion and marched out to the Overseas Training Depot.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=4}} Leak returned to the Western Front in October, after his battalion had fought in the Battles of [Broodseinde](/source/Battle_of_Broodseinde) and [Passchendaele](/source/Battle_of_Passchendaele) in Belgium. By this stage, Leak was clearly affected by [combat-related trauma](/source/Combat_stress_reaction) and was not coping with the effects of the relentless shell-fire, and went absent without leave from his unit as it deployed forward into the front line to relieve Canadian troops on 1{{nbsp}}November. He was arrested five days later, was [court-martial](/source/court-martial)led on 23 November, and found guilty of desertion from the line between 1{{nbsp}}and 6{{nbsp}}November. During his trial, Leak said he was unable to stand artillery fire. His sentence was [life imprisonment](/source/life_imprisonment), but this was commuted to two years [hard labour](/source/hard_labour). Ultimately, the sentence was suspended, and Leak returned to his unit on 23 December. Leak continued to serve on the Western Front with his battalion until 7{{nbsp}}March 1918, when he was [gassed](/source/Chemical_warfare) during a lengthy bombardment of his unit's positions near [Hollebeke](/source/Hollebeke). Medically evacuated to the United Kingdom once again, he did not return to his unit before the [Armistice of 11 November 1918](/source/Armistice_of_11_November_1918).{{sfn|Staunton|2005|p=55}}{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|pp=83–84}}{{sfn|Stanley|2010|p=242}} On 30 December 1918, after his court-martial sentence was finally remitted, Leak married Beatrice May Chapman in [Cardiff](/source/Cardiff), Wales.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=5}} On 9{{nbsp}}February 1919, Leak and Beatrice sailed for Australia aboard the {{SS|Ascanius}},{{sfn|Staunton|2005|p=55}}{{sfn|Wigmore|Harding|1986|p=85}} arriving in Queensland on 26 March.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=64}} On 10 April, he attended a reception in his honour at Rockhampton, but declined to speak, then returned to Clermont by train.{{sfn|''The Morning Bulletin'' 11 April 1919}} He was discharged from the AIF on 31 May.{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=64}} In addition to his VC, he received the [1914–15 Star](/source/1914%E2%80%9315_Star), [British War Medal](/source/British_War_Medal) and [Victory Medal](/source/Victory_Medal_(United_Kingdom)).{{sfn|National Archives|2019|p=65}} ==Later life and legacy== For a short time, Leak was involved in a firewood business with a couple of other returned servicemen, then spent time working in regional New South Wales. Next, he moved to remote mid-north [South Australia](/source/South_Australia) where he found work [boring wells](/source/Borehole).{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=84}} At some point he and his wife separated; it is unknown what happened to her.{{sfn|Staunton|2005|p=55}} On 12 January 1927, he married Ada Victoria Bood-Smith; the couple were devoted to one another. In 1932, they moved to [Esperance, Western Australia](/source/Esperance%2C_Western_Australia), where Leak worked in a garage.{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=84}} In 1937, Leak was awarded the [King George VI Coronation Medal](/source/King_George_VI_Coronation_Medal).{{sfn|''The West Australian'' 12 May 1937}} In the same year, the Leak family moved back to South Australia, and settled near [Crafers](/source/Crafers%2C_South_Australia). They had eight children in total, although their first died within a year of her birth; the last was born in 1946.{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=84}} Leak struggled his whole life with his war experiences, and was reluctant to talk about them for many years. One of his sons observed that "World War One destroyed him."{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=84}} He did not attend reunions or [Anzac Day](/source/Anzac_Day) marches, and faded into obscurity.{{sfn|Staunton|2005|p=55}} Later in life he shared some of his experiences with his children, remembering dead comrades and also those he had killed. He stored his VC in a box in his bedroom and it largely stayed there.{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=84}} In later life, Leak suffered from [bronchitis](/source/bronchitis) and [emphysema](/source/emphysema) caused by his gassing in 1918.{{sfn|Mays|1986}} In 1953, Leak was awarded the [Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal](/source/Queen_Elizabeth_II_Coronation_Medal).{{sfn|''The Advertiser'' 2 June 1953}} In 1964, Ada died suddenly.{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=84}} Two years later, a fake VC with Leak's name engraved on it surfaced in [Melbourne](/source/Melbourne), Victoria;{{sfn|''The Canberra Times'' 23 February 1966}} the dealer was fined for being in possession of a forged VC.{{sfn|Staunton|2005|p=55}} On 20 October 1972, Leak died at [Redwood Park](/source/Redwood_Park%2C_South_Australia) and was buried alongside Ada in the [Stirling](/source/Stirling%2C_South_Australia) cemetery.{{sfn|Blanch|Pegram|2018|p=84}} A street in [Gallipoli Barracks](/source/Gallipoli_Barracks) in [Enoggera, Queensland](/source/Enoggera%2C_Queensland), is named after him.{{sfn|Brisbane City Council|2019}} The [John Leak monument](/source/John_Leak_monument) was unveiled in Rockhampton on 20 April 2012 to honour Leak, who enlisted in the city.{{sfn|Thomson 18 June 2011}} In 2015, while delivering the [Ode of Remembrance](/source/For_the_Fallen), Leak's grandson Peter Townsend said his family always travel to Rockhampton for the [Remembrance Day](/source/Remembrance_Day) service, which is held annually at his grandfather's memorial.{{sfn|McDonald 12 November 2015}} As of 2018, Leak's medals were in private hands.{{sfn|Madden|2018|p=108}} ==Footnotes== {{Reflist|30em}} ==References== ===Books=== * {{cite book | last = Bean | first = C.E.W. | author-link = Charles Bean | title = The Story of Anzac: From 4 May 1915 to the Evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula | year = 1944 | series = [Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918](/source/Official_History_of_Australia_in_the_War_of_1914%E2%80%931918) | volume = 2 | edition = 13 | location = Sydney, New South Wales | publisher = Angus & Robertson | oclc = 220897812 }} * {{cite book | last = Bean | first = C.E.W. | title = The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1916 | year = 1941 | series = Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 | volume = 3 | edition = 12 | location = Sydney, New South Wales | publisher = Angus & Robertson | oclc = 220898466 }} * {{cite book | last = Bean | first = C.E.W. | title = The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1917 | year = 1937 | series = Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 | volume = 4 | edition = 5 | location = Sydney, New South Wales | publisher = Angus & Robertson | oclc = 216975066 }} * {{cite book | last = Bean | first = C. E. W. | title = Anzac to Amiens: A Shorter History of the Australian Fighting Services in the First World War | year = 1968 | edition = 5 | location = Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | publisher = Australian War Memorial | oclc = 5973074 }} * {{cite book|last1=Blanch|first1=Craig |last2= Pegram|first2=Aaron|title=For Valour: Australians Awarded the Victoria Cross|year=2018|publisher=NewSouth Publishing|location=Sydney, New South Wales|isbn=978-1-74223-542-4}} * {{cite book |last1=Madden |first1=Michael |title=The Victoria Cross, Australia Remembers |date=2018 |publisher=Big Sky Publishing |location=Melbourne, Victoria |isbn=978-1-925520-98-9}} * {{cite book |last1=Stanley |first1=Peter |author-link1=Peter Stanley |title=Bad characters: Sex, Crime, Murder and Mutiny and the Australian Imperial Force |date=2010 |publisher=Pier 9 |location=Millers Point, New South Wales |isbn=978-1741964806}} * {{cite book | last = Staunton | first = Anthony | title = Victoria Cross: Australia's Finest and the Battles they Fought | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5JesKDclDHYC | year = 2005 | publisher = Hardie Grant | location = Prahran, Victoria | isbn = 978-1-74273-486-6 }} * {{cite book | last1 = Wigmore | first1 = Lionel |author-link1=Lionel Wigmore | last2 = Harding | first2 = Bruce A. | editor-last1 = Williams | editor-first1 = Jeff | editor-last2 = Staunton | editor-first2 = Anthony | title = They Dared Mightily | year = 1986 | edition = 2 | publisher = Australian War Memorial | location = Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | isbn = 978-0-642-99471-4 }} ===News=== * {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article41302998 |title=Coronation Medals |newspaper=[The West Australian](/source/The_West_Australian) |volume=53 |issue=15,872 |location=Western Australia |date=12 May 1937 |access-date=27 January 2019 |page=17 |ref={{harvid|The West Australian 12 May 1937}} }} * {{cite news|last=McDonald|first=Madeline|date=12 November 2015|url=https://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/john-leaks-grandson-pays-tribute-remembrance-day/2838130|title=John Leak's Grandson Pays Tribute at Remembrance Service|newspaper=The Morning Bulletin|location=Rockhampton, Queensland|access-date=22 November 2019|ref={{harvid|McDonald 12 November 2015}}|archive-date=27 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027013905/https://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/john-leaks-grandson-pays-tribute-remembrance-day/2838130/|url-status=dead}} * {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article152738536 |title=Private John Leak VC |newspaper=[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph_(Launceston)) |volume=XXXVI |issue=265 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=6 November 1916 |access-date=2 January 2019 |page=6 |ref={{harvid|The Daily Telegraph 6 November 1916}} }} * {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article53865621 |title=Private John Leak VC |newspaper=[The Morning Bulletin](/source/The_Morning_Bulletin) |issue=16,951 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=11 April 1919 |access-date=2 January 2019 |page=9 |ref={{harvid|The Morning Bulletin 11 April 1919}} }} * {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48256691 |title=S.A. Coronation Medal List |newspaper=[The Advertiser](/source/The_Advertiser_(Adelaide)) |volume=95 |issue=29,527 |location=South Australia |date=2 June 1953 |access-date=27 January 2019 |page=5 |ref={{harvid|The Advertiser 2 June 1953}} }} * {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105888209 |title='Spare' VC poser for Hero |newspaper=[The Canberra Times](/source/The_Canberra_Times) |volume=40 |issue=11,399 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=23 February 1966 |access-date=2 January 2019 |page=1 |ref={{harvid|The Canberra Times 23 February 1966}} }} * {{cite news|last=Thomson|first=Alister|date=18 June 2011|url=https://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/pozieres-hero-gets-memorial-eventually-john-leak/881555|title=War Hero Finally Gets Memorial|newspaper=The Morning Bulletin|location=Rockhampton, Queensland|access-date=24 November 2019|ref={{harvid|Thomson 18 June 2011}}|archive-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720034701/https://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/pozieres-hero-gets-memorial-eventually-john-leak/881555/|url-status=dead}} * {{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20168084 |title=Very Proud of You |newspaper=[The Brisbane Courier](/source/The_Courier-Mail) |issue=18,406 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=12 January 1917 |access-date=2 January 2019 |page=7 |ref={{harvid|The Brisbane Courier 12 January 1917}} }} ===Websites=== * {{cite web | url =https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51449 | title = 9th Australian Infantry Battalion | website = [Australian War Memorial](/source/Australian_War_Memorial) | access-date = 2 January 2019 | ref ={{harvid|Australian War Memorial|2019a}} }} * {{cite web | url = https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/leak-john-7136 | title = Leak, John (1892–1972) | last1 = Mays | first1 = Helen | date = 1986 | volume = 10 | website = [Australian Dictionary of Biography](/source/Australian_Dictionary_of_Biography) | publisher = Australian National University | location = Canberra | access-date = 2 January 2019 }} * {{cite web | url =https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=7378889 | title = NAA: B2455, Leak John | website = [National Archives of Australia](/source/National_Archives_of_Australia) | access-date = 2 January 2019 | ref ={{harvid|National Archives|2019}} }} * {{cite web | url =https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1007481?image=1 | title = Private John Leak VC, of the 9th Battalion surrounded by friends and well-wishers outside Buckingham Palace | website = Australian War Memorial | access-date = 28 January 2019 | ref ={{harvid|Australian War Memorial|2019b}} }} * {{cite web | url =https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-transport/roads-infrastructure-bikeways/streets-remembrance/streets-remembrance-j-p | title = Streets of Remembrance J–P | website = [Brisbane City Council](/source/Brisbane_City_Council) | access-date = 5 May 2019 | ref ={{harvid|Brisbane City Council|2019}} }} {{Authority control}} {{featured article}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Leak, John}} Category:1890s births Category:1972 deaths Category:Military personnel from Portsmouth Category:Australian Army soldiers Category:Australian Battle of the Somme recipients of the Victoria Cross Category:Australian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Category:Australian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Category:People convicted of desertion Category:20th-century Australian military personnel Category:British emigrants to Australia Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the Commonwealth of Australia --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [John Leak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Leak) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Leak?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.