Wondai veteran recognised for service

Len is likely the last surviving Australian veteran to be issued the award, which made his recent participation in the Sydney ANZAC Day March even more bittersweet.  

“It was a marvellous reception. They received us very well. It was unbelievable to see,” he says.  

“To see the reception personally and the people lined up along the side of the road – it must have been five or so thousand.”  

“ANZAC Day was one of the best things. I felt bad in a way that my friends and fellow veterans all around the islands we operated in, they didn’t get any recognition.  

“And now I’m going down to Sydney, leading a march, thousands of people lining the streets to clap us along.”  

It was only for his daughter seeing an advert in a local paper calling out for anyone’s parents or family members who had served in the Small Ships to call, that he was made aware of their participation in the ANZAC Day March. 

Len McLeord in Sydney with RSL NSW President Ray James OAM

A COMMUNITY TO MAKE IT REAL

Len is a member of Wondai RSL Sub Branch, which, together with the Wide Bay Burnett District, was able to help fundraise the cost needed to help send Len to Sydney.  

Wondai RSL Sub Branch President David Scrimgeour was clearly moved by Len’s story, showing how much it meant to him and their community to be able to help Len attend the ANZAC Day March.  

“We worked with our District President Trevor Williamson to submit an application to the Charitable Objects Fund to seek a grant to help us get Len to Sydney. It covered his flights and accommodation so that he could take part in this truly special day,” David says.   

“When Len returned from Sydney, we were able to present him with a medallion from the US Army Small Ships Association together with a Certificate of Appreciation which we’ll display in the entry to the Wondai Diggers Memorial and Citizens Club.” 

Wondai RSL Sub Branch President David Scrimgeour and Len McLeod

The hotel that Len and his family stayed in while in Sydney - The Grace Hotel - was also symbolic, as it is the site where Len enlisted in the Small Ships at just 18 years old.   

The US Army Small Ships consisted mostly of Australians who were considered too old, too young, or medically unfit to serve in the Armed Forces during the war. Their work was known as ‘Mission X’ and the 3,000 strong troupe served alongside US Army personnel and other nationalities including New Zealanders, Canadians, Chinese, Danes, and Filipinos.  

But it wasn’t Len’s first time in the Defence Force.  

“I first joined the Army when I was 15,” he shares.  

“I was as tall as any of the 18-year-olds enlisting alongside me. I was about six foot one in those days.  

“I would go in as my friends who were already 18 enlisted. They’d ask me how old I was, and I’d say 21. They’d look me up and down before throwing me out.”   

Hearing Len recount his service history is like hearing the pitch for a Hollywood action movie. By the time he joined Small Ships he had already enlisted four times under three different names, ‘celebrated’ his 16th birthday in Papua New Guinea, served as a ‘biscuit bomber’ dropping essential supplies to troops, and hiked through the Papua New Guinea jungle solo with tropical dysentery and dengue fever to return to safety. 

Len McLeod (second from the left) along with other veterans at ANZAC Day 2022 in Sydney

A SERVICE HISTORY KEPT OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT 

After serving in the Small Ships, he says no-one knew anything of the work he and his peers had done as part of the troupe.  

“I would tell workmates about what we had done, and I felt like they looked at me as if I was making it up,” he says. “So, I decided I wouldn’t say a word to anyone, except my daughters.” 

“For about 50 years I never heard the words Small Ships.”  

Shortly after Len moved into a nursing home, Small Ships’ secretary Daniel O’Brien visited him.  

“It was the first time I had heard the name mentioned in so long. And that’s where this whole journey really started.”   

The visit was organised by Len’s daughter, Denise, who contacted Daniel after reading something about the Small Ships.  

“I found an email address and phone number and called him,” she says.  

“My sister and I knew Dad’s story but no one else talked about it. 

“When I read ‘Small Ships’ all his stories came back to me. When I called Daniel, he came at the first opportunity and the rest is history.”  

Today, Len lives in Wondai with his daughter Denise and son-in-law. 

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