'Excuse me sir, would you like your plume back?'
Faithe JonesThe Story of the Light Horseman - the Bugler
Leonard Francis Hall was born in Burwood in 1897 and was part of the celebrated 10th Light Horse Regiment, which included some of the best riders in the world.
Hall enlisted in the First Australian Imperial Force in 19165 after the Major of the Light Horse Regiment heard him play the bugle - and begged him to join as their regiment did not have one.
As Hall boarded the boat to the Great War with his bugle in hand, he plucked an emu feather from his slouch hat and placed it in the hands of a girl waving in the crowd.
After experiencing the terrors of war and losing his fellow diggers over the four years, Hall returned to Australia in 1919. He went on to live a life filled with courage, strength, two children and a wonderful wife - who unbelievably, was the young lady who met Hall on his return and said, 'Excuse me sir, would you like your plume back?'
