| Leslie Cecil Maygar | |
|---|---|
Lieutenant Leslie Maygar c. 1903 |
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| Nickname | "Elsie" |
| Born | 27 May 1868 Kilmore, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 1 November 1917 (aged 49) Karm, Palestine |
| Buried at | Beersheba War Cemetery |
| Allegiance | Commonwealth of Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1891 – 1917 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held | 8th Light Horse Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches (3) Volunteer Decoration |
Leslie Cecil Maygar VC, DSO, VD (27 May 1868 – 1 November 1917) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, for service in the Second Boer War.
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According to his birth certificate, from Victorian Birth Death & Marriage Registra, Maygar was born on 27 May 1868, (not 1872 like his official documentation states) at Dean Station, near Kilmore, Victoria. His full name was Edgar Leslie Cecil Willis Walker Maygar. His family moved north to the Strathbogie Ranges region of Ruffy when he was about 20 years old.[1]
He was 29 years old, and a lieutenant in the 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles, Australian Forces during the Boer War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 23 November 1901 at Geelhoutboom, Natal, South Africa, Lieutenant Maygar galloped out and ordered men of a detached post, which was being outflanked, to retire. The horse of one of the men was shot under him when the enemy were within 200 yards and Lieutenant Maygar dismounted and lifted the man on to his own horse which bolted into boggy ground, making them both dismount. As the horse could not carry two, the lieutenant again put the man on its back and told him to gallop for cover at once, while he himself went on foot. All this took place under very heavy fire.[2]
Maygar later served in World War I as a Lieutenant Colonel, where he received his Distinguished Service Order[3] and was Mentioned In Dispatches twice.[4]
Leslie Maygar died of wounds suffered in Karm, Palestine, on 1 November 1917. He is buried in the Beersheba War Cemetery, Israel. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia.
The Australian Army base located at Broadmeadows (a northern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)) is named Maygar Barracks in honour of Leslie Maygar, as is a major road in northside Brisbane, Queensland. In 1914, the then Captain Maygar had helped establish Broadmeadows as an Army Base to train soldiers for the First World War.