Melbourne 1942

During World War II many American servicemen were stationed in Australia to counter Japanese threat.  Camp Pell, situated at Royal Park, Parkville was the site for one such military camp in Melbourne.

Melbourne at night was restricted to 'brownout' conditions.  A 'brownout' is a less stringent version of a wartime blackout.  All windows had to be covered completely and street and car lights were reduced to the merest slits.  Speeds were limited to 20 miles per hour at night.  

The Murders

Victim #1

Ivy Violet McLeod

On May 3, 1942, the semi-naked body of 40 year old, Ivy Violet McLeod was found in Victoria Avenue, Albert Park.  The body was found in the recessed entrance leading to a dry cleaners on one side and a ladies hairdressing salon on the other.  Next door was a hotel, across the road the waterfront at Albert Park. 

Harold Gibson had arrived to hose down the foothpath outside the hotel just before 7am.  He noticed an American soldier getting up from a stooping position in the shop doorway.  Curious, he looked and found Mrs. McLeod's body.  She had been badly beaten, strangled and all her clothing torn.  The soldier too far away to go after, he ran to a phone box and called Russell St police.

The investigation found that a stronger man had committed the crime, and that robbery was not a motive for the attack.  The woman’s purse, found nearby, still contained over a pound in change.  The incident sparked panic through the streets and bars of Melbourne.

Victim #2

Pauline Thompson

Six days later on May 9, the body of 31 year-old, Pauline Thompson was found on the steps of Morningside House, Spring Street.  Pauline was a busy lady, working as a stenographer by day and switchboard operator and receptionist for a local radio station by night, as well as being involved in her charity work.  She was the wife of a police constable from Bendigo and had two children.

That night, she had planned to meet Private Justin Jones, an American soldier whom she had met casually only a week before.  The plan was to meet at the American Hospitality Club at 7pm to attend a charity event to raise funds to buy an ambulance and for entertainment for the troops.  It was supposedly held at the Music Lovers’ Club.  She had spoken to her husband and son that night before leaving.  Thompson played down the situation to her husband to comfort his concern about strangers.  She lied, saying that she was attending a dance with a group of girls and an American soldier who was only 20 years old.

Pauline Thompson waited for Private Justin Jones, who appeared to be late.  Thirty minutes later, she was convinced he was not going to show and left.  Private Jones arrived minutes later to see no sign of Thompson, waited and soon left returning to Camp Pell, Parkville.  Pauline was next seen at the Astoria Hotel with another soldier having drinks.  It was a little before midnight when she was witnessed leaving this location and walking out into the dark, rainy, miserable night. 

Working near Spring Street, night watchman Henry Ernest McGowan found a woman's handbag in a lane.  Soon afterwards he discovered the body of Pauline Thompson.  She had been strangled to death, and her body left on the steps of Morningside House, Spring Street.  The investigation found that this murder was almost identical to the previous.  She had been throttled, the bruising on her neck attributed to large fingers, her clothing was torn and in total disarray.  As the investigation continued, it was discovered that she had a previous injury to her arm.  Therefore, it was also concluded that the victim, Pauline Thompson, would not have had the strength to fight off the attacker.

Victim #3

Gladys Hosking

Gladys Hosking a 41-year-old single lady, was the third victim, found May 19, in a slit trench at Camp Pell. 

Gladys was employed as a secretary and librarian at Melbourne University near Camp Pell.  She was also an accomplished musician who had an interest and involvement in the local operas and ballet.  Gladys lived in walking distance from her place of employment and also had a girlfriend, Dorothy Pettigrew, who lived nearby.

On the night of May 18, after finishing work, Hosking and Pettigrew walked some of the way home together until they had to split and go their separate ways for the short walk back to their respective homes.  Hosking was witnessed by several people walking with an American soldier sharing her umbrella.  All witnesses said she seemed quite relaxed and did not seem like she was being harmed.

Some time later Australian soldier, Private Noel Seymour, who was on duty guarding trucks on the fringe of Camp Pell heard a noise.  He flashed his torch and saw a US soldier coming under a railing, from the direction of Camp Pell.  He was covered with yellow mud from his tie down to his feet.  The soldier told Private Seymour that he had spent the day with his girl and was on his way back to base when he slipped and fell into mud.  This was a short conversation and the Australian soldier did not suspect any foul play at the time. 

Hours later, at 7am, an Australian soldier, Private Donald Wallace, discovered an umbrella, a short time later a hat, and finally a body in a slit trench nearby.  The body was later identified as that of Gladys Lillian Hosking.

Melbourne's Reaction

Melbourne became a city gripped with fear.  Police issued warnings to the public.  People became weary of being out late at night.  Milk cans were put out long before dusk.  Few women dared to come out after dark, and some businesses let women go home early.  Young women began leaving vital war jobs to stay with relatives in the country until the whole thing was over.  

The murders were made well known to the people of the local area with the media jumping on the stories.  The Courier Mail in Brisbane even suggested that there was a ‘maniac on the loose’ involved in ‘Jack the Ripper-type killings’.  The offender had now been given the name ‘The Brownout Strangler’ by the media. 

All evidence in the investigation pointed to one conclusion; the murders were linked and committed by the same person, most likely a US soldier.  Convinced that the suspect was amongst the men staying at Camp Pell, and with fear that the murderer would be shipped out of Melbourne and escape capture, all 15,000 American soldiers were confined to the base.  The camp was closed and placed under armed guard.  Witnesses were escorted through the military camp in an attempt to identify the offender.  Witness after witness was walked through the camp but no one could identify the suspect. 

Authorities were beginning to wonder about their theory that a US soldier had committed the murders.  It was then that one witness spotted his niece's attacker walking by and alerted authorities.  This was a breakthrough; the soldier was now officially a suspect and was arrested.  Australian soldier, Private Noel Seymour who briefly conversed with the offender after the third murder was brought in to confirm the accusation.  The suspect was soon charged for three counts of murder, handcuffed to a bed rail and placed under armed guard in the Camp Pell stockade.

Murderer found!

Edward Joseph Leonski (No: 32 007 434) was a 24 year-old American soldier from the 52^nd Battalion who disembarked from the ‘Mariposa’ in late January, 1942.  He enlisted for service in February, 1941.  According to the American military, Edward Leonski was the soldier from hell.  Three months after joining the army, he attempted to strangle a young girl in San Antonio, Texas. Leonski was charged with assault but was not prosecuted.  A brother of Leonski had been committed to a mental institution and another was supposedly well known to the authorities.  In Melbourne, Leonski was known to be a binge drinker.  He had been seen drinking 30 beers a night, and at times tended to be violent, according to his fellow soldiers.  At the same time he was also known to be quite charming.  Some volunteers from a canteen setup in a church hall in Gatehouse Street, Parkville, described the man as ‘a young GI with an open, boyish face’ who ‘liked to play checkers’.

Leonski was held in an Australian gaol, but charges were never laid against him under Australian law.  As reported in the Truth, Sunday June 4, 1942, the trial of Edward Joseph Leonski trial was unique in Australia's legal or civil history.  "It was the first time that any person has ever been tried in this country by a military tribunal for a crime which violated civilian law."

The trial was well-publicized and held in the Melbourne Criminal Court.  Leonski pleaded ‘not guilty by means of insanity’, but was denied due to the analysis by American and Australian psychiatrists who concluded he was perfectly sane at the time of the murders.  That day, justice was served and Leonski was served a guilty verdict and was sentenced ‘death by hanging’.  It was confirmed by Commander-in-Chief Douglas MacArthur on November 4, 1942, that Leonski was to be hung 5 days later.  The morning of November 9, 1942, while Leonski was escorted from his cell to the gallows in Pentridge Prison, he was singing to himself the words “It’s a lovely day tomorrow, tomorrow is a lovely day”.