Arthur Leggett was captured in 1941 following the Battle of Crete, which is estimated to have claimed the lives of more than 3000 Commonwealth troops. Photo: Government House Western Australia.
The Western Australian Government will honour Australian soldier Arthur Leggett OAM with a state funeral on 10 May, allowing the public to commemorate the life of a much-loved WA veteran.
There will be a military-led procession, from Parliament House to St George’s Terrace, featuring the WA army band and a gun carriage.
The march will finish at St George’s Cathedral, where the government will officially honour the state’s oldest surviving ex-prisoner of war.
“It is a fitting tribute to a man who was not only responsible for acts of personal bravery, but a man who gave so much to his community,” Premier Roger Cook said.
“The service and accompanying procession through the city will be an opportunity for Western Australians to pay their respects to a man who protected the way of life we all hold dear.
“I’m so pleased we are able to honour Arthur Leggett’s life with the send-off he deserves – which for many Western Australians will be unlike anything they have seen in their lifetime.”
The tribute will include a performance by Mt Lawley Senior High School’s choir. The school has named its library in honour of Mr Leggett.
The former signalman died on Sunday, 6 April, fewer than 20 days short of Anzac Day. He was born in September 1918, as World War I was still raging in Europe, and went on to bravely serve in the Second World War.
During the war, he served as a signaller, operating vital communications between battalion and company headquarters. He served Australia on three continents, in the Middle East, North Africa (Libya) and in Europe in Greece and Crete, helping to defend those places from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
He was captured in 1941 at the age of 22 after the Battle of Crete and was subsequently shipped to Germany, where he was imprisoned with other Allied troops in a POW camp. He was then marched 800 kilometres as the Nazis tried to keep POWs out of the hands of the Allies as they strode across Europe to destroy the genocidal German army.
Mr Leggett was eventually freed by the US military and returned home to Australia, where he raised a family and dedicated the rest of his life to ensuring that Australia never forgot the sacrifices that diggers made in liberating Europe and the world from the jackboot of fascism.
Veterans Minister Paul Papalia said: “Arthur Leggett was a true Western Australian hero who never missed an opportunity to pay tribute to his fellow veterans.
“The state funeral service is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on Arthur’s courage in the face of war.
“Through his wisdom and stories, our younger generations will know the sacrifices of those who served to protect our way of life.”
Mr Leggett went on to head the Ex-Prisoners of War Association of WA for almost 30 years and was a key figure at the Battle of Crete memorial dedication ceremony in May last year.
He is survived by two daughters, six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
