Gunner Leslie Ramsay Ebsworth Memorial Plaque, Grafton

About

The memorial is a rectangular bronze plaque dedicated to Gunner Leslie Ramsay Ebsworth, a former Grafton resident, who lost his life in Ypres, Belgium, on 15 October 1917. The plaque is attached to a timber backing board and is decorated with a black incised border, featuring a small fleur de lis in each corner. The memorial is inscribed with decorative black lettering and outlines Ebsworth's service with the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) in the First World War. The plaque is located inside Christ Church Cathedral in Grafton. An article on the history of the cathedral in the Daily Examiner on 30 October 1937 notes the plaque as being on site by 1934.  Leslie Ebsworth was born in Granville, Sydney, the only son of Edward and Emily Ebsworth. As a law clerk, aged 23 years, he enlisted as a Private in the 1st Light Horse Regiment on 9 May 1915. His unit embarked from Sydney on board HMAT A8 Argyllshire on 30 September 1915. As a Gunner in the 13th Field Artillery Brigade he was killed in action on 15 October 1917 at Westhoek in Belgium, aged 26. He was buried in the Hooge Crater Cemetery at Zillebeke in Belgium. The Grafton Argus and Clarence River General Advertiser, 21 November 1917, reported that Leslie's father, Edward Ebsworth, Chairman of the Land Board at Orange, had sent a telegram to Mr D J Lobban to inform him of Leslie's death. Leslie was an article clerk to Mr Lobban in Grafton. The Mayor of Grafton, Alderman McFarlane, wrote to Mr Ebsworth expressing both his and the community's deepest sympathy.  Access to the memorial is restricted to the opening times of the cathedral.