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| Leslie Andrew | |
|---|---|
| Name | Leslie Andrew |
| Birth date | 19 February 1897 |
| Death date | 17 August 1969 |
| Birth place | Dunedin |
| Serviceyears | 1915–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
| Awards | Victoria Cross; Military Cross; Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George |
Leslie Andrew Leslie Andrew was a New Zealand Army officer and Victoria Cross recipient whose service during the First World War and later roles in the Second World War and public life made him a prominent figure in New Zealand military history. He gained recognition for leadership during the Battle of Broodseinde and subsequent actions on the Western Front, later serving in the New Zealand Staff Corps and as a civic figure in Dunedin and Wellington. His career intersected with major formations and personalities of early 20th-century Imperial and New Zealand military institutions.
Andrew was born in Dunedin and educated at Otago Boys' High School before attending Victoria University of Wellington where he engaged with student cadet units linked to the Territorial Force (New Zealand). Influenced by colonial ties to the British Empire and contemporary recruitment drives surrounding the First World War, he volunteered for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and undertook initial training at camps modelled on Camp Ballance and facilities used by the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. His formative years connected him to communities and institutions in Otago and Wellington that supplied officers to the New Zealand Division.
Commissioned into the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1915, Andrew served with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade on the Western Front and took part in major engagements including the Somme (1916) sector and the Battle of Messines (1917). Promoted through the ranks, he operated within the command structures of the New Zealand Division and coordinated with formations such as the British Expeditionary Force and corps headquarters during offensive operations in Flanders and the Passchendaele campaign. Between wars he remained active in the New Zealand Staff Corps and contributed to interwar professional military education influenced by schools like the Staff College, Camberley and exchanges with the British Army. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Andrew served in administrative and training capacities, interacting with formations including the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force and liaison elements attached to Middle East Command.
During the Third Battle of Ypres operations in October 1917, specifically actions associated with the Battle of Broodseinde and the wider Passchendaele offensive, Andrew exhibited conspicuous gallantry while commanding a company of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. Under heavy fire from German positions established along lines used by the Imperial German Army, he led counter-attacks and consolidated captured ground despite intensive artillery and machine-gun fire typical of the Western Front in 1917. His conduct during these assaults — including reorganising parties, rescuing wounded under fire, and holding isolated posts against superior numbers — drew commendation from division and corps commanders such as those in II ANZAC Corps and from liaison with British Corps officers. The citation for the Victoria Cross recognised his leadership during operations that formed part of the campaign planned by commanders involved in the Ypres Salient battles.
Following the First World War, Andrew remained engaged with veterans' organisations like the Returned Services Association and participated in commemorative activities tied to memorials such as those on the Messines Ridge and at Tyne Cot Cemetery. He held staff and training appointments within the New Zealand Military Forces and contributed to national defence planning during the interwar years, liaising with civilian ministries in Wellington and with Imperial defence channels in London. During the Second World War his administrative roles supported deployment and training of New Zealand forces bound for theatres including the Middle East and the Pacific War, and he worked alongside senior New Zealand commanders and administrators. After retirement from active service he engaged in public service and local affairs in Dunedin, participating in civic organisations and supporting initiatives for war memorialisation and military education until his death in 1969.
Andrew's decorations — notably the Victoria Cross, the Military Cross, and appointment as a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George — placed him among New Zealand's most decorated officers of the early 20th century, linking him to a tradition that includes figures recognised at sites such as Auckland War Memorial Museum and within records maintained by the Imperial War Museum and national archives in Wellington. His medals and personal papers have been exhibited and cited in histories of the New Zealand Division and studies of the Western Front and have informed scholarship on leadership and small-unit actions during trench warfare. Commemorations in Dunedin and at regimental museums reflect his role in national remembrance, and his example is often discussed alongside other Victoria Cross holders from New Zealand and Commonwealth campaigns. Category:New Zealand military personnel