Haviland Le Mesurier (1856 - 1913)

Born 6 Feb 1856 in Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Susan Augusta (Murray) Le Mesurier — married 1878 in London, England

Died 25 Nov 1913 at age 57 in North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

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Biography

Colonel Haviland Le Mesurier was born on 6th February 1856 at Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia. He was a son of William Le Mesurier, deputy commissary general of Western Australia, and Amelia Brown.^[1] He was educated at Bedford Grammar School, England, and also in Europe.^[2]

He married Susie Murray in 1878 at London City, England.^[3]

Le Mesurier arrived in New South Wales, Australia in 1884, and obtained a commission in the New South Wales Artillery in 1886 and was the acting adjutant of the 1st Garrison Division between December 1890 and September 1891 and acting staff officer between October 1891 and June 1893. Promoted to Captain in 1893, he passed the gunnery course at Woolwich and Shoeburyness in 1894, for which he received a first-class certificate with honours.

Whilst second in command of the New South Wales Imperial Bushmen he took part in operations in Rhodesia, Transvaal, Transvaal Orange River Colony, and Cape Colony, during the Second Boer War. He was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with four Clasps.^[4] Upon return to Australia he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and appointed to command the 8th Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse, however the war concluded whilst his battalion was still at sea.^[5]

Following the war, Le Mesurier joined the instructional staff in New South Wales, before becoming assistant adjutant-general for artillery in 1903. He was a member of the Commonwealth Headquarters Staff in 1904. In 1905 he was appointed chief of ordnance in the Board of Military Administration until 1906, when he was appointed commandant of the Western Australian Military Forces, where he remained until 1909. This appointment was followed in December 1909 as quartermaster-general of New South Wales, and then on 8th December 1910, commandant of military forces in South Australia.^[2]

It was in this last position that he passed away of cancer, aged 57 years, on 25th November 1913 at a North Adelaide private hospital.^[6] Three weeks before his death, whilst in hospital, Le Mesurier commented to the captain in the bed beside him: "I've got my marching orders, and it's no use complaining. I've got to obey."^[7]