Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Frederick Sturgess, a hosiery trade worker, born in the April quarter of 1847 in Smeeton Westerby, Leicestershire and baptised on the 13th June 1847 in St. Wilfrid’s Church, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire (son of John Sturgess, 1806 and Maria Swingler, 1819-1883), and his wife Mary Ann Sturgess (nee Freer, married on the 3rd March 1873 in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Great Glen, Leicestershire), born in the October quarter of 1851 in Great Glen and baptised on the 23rd May 1852 in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Great Glen (daughter of Thomas Freer and Mary Foster). Leonard was born in the October quarter of 1891 in Fleckney, Leicestershire and baptised on the 23rd May 1893 in St. Nicholas’s Church, Fleckney, his siblings were, Thomas Herbert, a hosiery trade worker, born in the January quarter of 1883 and baptised on the 18th October 1883 in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Great Glen and Arthur, a hosiery trade worker, born in the April quarter of 1884 and baptised on the 2nd June 1884 in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Great Glen, the latter two siblings were both born in Great Glen, and Alfred, born in the April quarter of 1894 in Fleckney and baptised on the 22nd July 1894 in St. Nicholas’s Church, Fleckney, in March 1901 the family home was at 37, Nelson Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire. On the 1st March 1911, Leonard’s father died in the Union Workhouse, Great Bowden, Leicestershire, aged 64. In April 1911 Leonard was employed as a hosiery trade worker and was residing in the family home at Saddington, Leicestershire together with his widowed mother, brother Alfred, a hosiery trade spool winder, his married sister Annie Maria Parkes, a hosiery trade spool winder, born in the January quarter of 1876 in Great Glen and baptised on the 6th August 1876 in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Great Glen, and Leonard’s niece, Laura Sarah Sturgess, a schoolgirl, born 1899 in Market Harborough. Leonard also had the following siblings, Sarah Ann, born in the January quarter of 1874 in Great Glen and baptised on the 25th April 1874 in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Great Glen, Edith Mary, born in the July quarter of 1878 in Great Glen and baptised on the 4th August 1878 in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Great Glen, Margaret, born in the April quarter of 1880, in Great Glen and Laura, born in the January quarter of 1886 in Great Glen and baptised on the 14th June 1886 in St. Cuthbert’s Church, Great Glen. On the 26th December 1914, Leonard married Grace Annie Newcombe in St. Wilfrid’s Church, Kibworth Beauchamp, Grace was born on the15th August 1892 in Fleckney, they resided in Victoria Street, Kibworth Beauchamp. In the April quarter of 1922 in the Brentford, Middlesex district, Leonard’s widow married Ernest A. Richards, they resided at 7, Lawn Gardens, Hanwell, Middlesex.
Leonard’s army service enlistment documents do not survive, therefore the currently available information pertaining to his military service has been obtained from the following sources: - 1921 HMSO Publication, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914 - 1919, WW1 Service Medal and Award Rolls, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards, WW1 Pension Ledgers and Index Cards and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Registers.
Enlisted/Attested in. Place and date not known.
Allotted. Service number. 47440.
Posted. To Leicestershire Regiment, Private.
First entered the theatre of war in France after the 31st December 1915, date not known.
Posted to the 7th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, “C” Company. Date not known.
Died in the 41st Stationary Hospital, Les Amiens, France from broncho pneumonia on the 16th February 1919.
Buried in St. Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, France.
Awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
On the 27th August 1919 Leonard’s widow was awarded a weekly Army Pension of thirteen shillings and nine pence, to commence on the 1st September 1919.
On Wednesday, March 26th, 1919, The Leicester Daily Post published the following article under the heading. LOCAL NEWS. – KIBWORTH SOLDIER’S DEATH. – Drummer Alf Sturgess, 7th Leicester’s, whose wife lives at Smeeton-lane, Kibworth, died in France from pneumonia on February 16. He served three years in the Army, and was home on leave only a fortnight before his demise.