Private
Gardiner, Leo
Unit
5th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Western Cavalry)
Branch
Infantry
Service Component
Canadian Expeditionary Force
Service Number
887818
birth
1896/11/15
Saskatchewan, Canada
death
1918/05/24
Aldershot, England
grave
Aldershot Military Cemetery, England
Gender
Male
Leo Gardiner was born in Battleford, Saskatchewan, on 15 November 1896.
A labourer, he enlisted in the 232nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Saskatchewan) on 20 December 1915 in his hometown. After initial training in Canada, he sailed to England on SS Northland. Upon arrival, on 29 April 1917, Gardiner was assigned to the 15th Reserve Battalion. On 24 November 1917, he was transferred to the 5th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Western Cavalry) as a reinforcement. He joined his new unit in France on 8 December 1917.
Reported sick with trench fever, Gardiner was sent behind the lines for treatment on 5 May 1918. Since his condition was judged serious, on 14 May he was evacuated to Frensham Hill Military Hospital, in Surrey, England, where he was diagnosed as suffering from spinal meningitis as well as trench fever. As a result, he was transferred to the Military Isolation Hospital in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, on 17 May 1918. Gardiner died at the hospital seven days later, on 24 May 1918.
Leo Gardiner is buried in Aldershot Military Cemetery, in England.
