Donald Clive McLeod

Corporal · NZ #32434 · T2 Patrol

What this roll records

A BROTHER, ALSO OF THIS GROUP, NAMED IN HIS DEATH NOTICE. The Auckland Star of 18 October 1944, reporting his death in action in Italy: “A younger brother, Fraser McLeod, who left with a later reinforcement, also served in the Long Range Desert Group, but is now a prisoner of war in Germany.” That is Trooper Roy Fraser McLeod, NZ #439511, also of this roll. The same report has him posted to the Group after training in Egypt and remaining with it until the end of 1943, then to the Divisional Cavalry and to Italy. TWO SMALL DISAGREEMENTS, RECORDED RATHER THAN RESOLVED: the paper prints his second name as Clyde where this roll has Clive, and gives his age as 25 where the Online Cenotaph gives 26. Source: Auckland Star, 18 October 1944, via Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand).

Cenotaph record linked. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.

Aged 26 at death. Buried/commemorated: Ravenna War Cemetery, Italy (V.A.13.). Labourer in civilian life. Embarked/served with 29 Infantry Battalion. Son of Percy James and Rita McLeod, of Helensville. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.

AWMM records the forenames as “Donald Clive” (held here as Douglas C.) — first name differs (Douglas vs Donald); this is a killed-in-action record, so worth confirming. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.

New Zealand (A) Squadron, LRDG — T2 Patrol at disbandment, 10 December 1943. Source: Brendan O’Carroll, ‘The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean’ (Appendix IV, New Zealand (A) Squadron Disbandment Roll, 10 December 1943).

His last rank and unit were CORPORAL, New Zealand Armoured Corps, 2nd Divisional Cavalry — not the 29 Infantry Battalion he embarked with — and he served with B Force, 8th Brigade, New Zealand 3rd Division (Archives New Zealand R22440171). The Cenotaph gives the cause of his death as KILLED IN ACTION. Besides the Ravenna grave already recorded here he is named on the Kaipara Memorial RSA at Helensville and at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 2 Hall of Memories. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph, record C29588.

See him in the full roll →

Where this comes from

• Additional sources (AWMM Online Cenotaph). Nominal Roll 2NZEF No. 3, p.306; No. 5, p.137. Unit history: Loughnan, R. (1963). Divisional Cavalry (p.374); Gillespie, O. (1952). The Pacific. External links: Commonwealth War Graves Commission: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2223114 Also cited: B-Force 8th Infantry Brigade Group Embarkation Roll, Archives NZ AAYS 8638 AD1/1421 (R22440171); Roll of Honour, Auckland Province 1939-1945, AWMM Library MS 93/139.

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Not By Strength But By Guile