1939  HMS Hardy                           1960 HMS Cavalier                            Reunion 2004

Les started his naval service in HMS Ganges as a  15 year old Boy2cl. 27th May 1935 on the 10th Nov.1935 he made Boy 1cl and stayed till 1^st April 1936.

Then a short stay in Drake until the 20^th April 1936 when he joined HMS Queen Elizabeth till June 1937,thence back to Drake for three months before joining HMS Rodney (Malta, Med & Home Fleet)

Specially rated O.Sea. 10^th Sept.1937 and then on 12^th March 1938 signed up for commencement of time 12 years.

10^th Sept. 1938 promoted to A/B.Sea and a year later drafted to St Angelo (HMS Hardy) on 1^st August 1939(Med & S.Atlantic & Norway (Narvic) twice

(Les’s Story of Narvic) off site link

Returned to Drake promoted to A/L.Sea(Ty) 7^th Sept 1940

Next was HMS Pytchley(North Sea Convoys) promoted to A/PO.(Ty) 25^th May 1941 then back into Drake till 13^th Oct.1941 when drafted to HMS Illustrious (USA & Indian Ocean)

22^nd May 1942 drafted to HMS Tana (Mombasa) 25^th May 1942 confirmed PO(Ty)    Fractured Femur and transferred to Nairobi General Hospital.

20^th Nov 1942 Transferred to convalescent duties HMS Assegai (Durban S.Africa) until 25^th Jan.1944 thence HMS Caradoc (Durban to Bombay) till 31^st March 1944.

HMS Lanka till 7^th April 1944 then back to Drake for 1 week.

15^th April 1944 HMS Comet (Home Waters) till 23^rd Nov.1945 then (China) till  30 June 1946 then 1^st July 1946 (Far East) till 31st Jan 1948

20^th February 1950 Signed to complete time for pension.

Drafted back to Drake ,Royal Arthur, & Raleigh promoted to CPO 10^th July 1950

Drafted to HMS Indifatigable (Portland Training Sqdn) until 10^th Sept.1950 

Drafted back to Drake till 15^th Jan 1954

Drafted to HMS Implacable until 20^th Aug.1954

,then back to Drake until 15^th Jan 1957.

Drafted then to HMS Raleigh until 12^th June 1960.

Drafted then to HMS Cavalier until 10^th Dec 1961

Drafted back to Drake until 17th Jan.1962

Drafted then to HMS Raleigh till 16^th Sept.1963

Drafted to HMS Penelope till 29^th Oct 1963

Drafted to HMS Cambridge till 3^rd Feb.1965

Back to Drake for release 11^th March 1965  -  Pension

After leaving the Navy in 1965 Leslie joined the Coastguards and was stationed at the Needles lookout on the Isle of Wight.

 After teaching his son Colin to drive in 1968 he decided to start a driving school, part time at first, to fit around the Coastguard

duties, having a high driving test pass rate resulted in a waiting list of new pupils and around 1970 he left the Coastguards and became a full time driving instructor which he continued to do until 1978 when he moved back to Crediton in Devon ( he was born in Upton Hellions about 4 mile North of Crediton ) with his wife Barbara as Barbara's  mothers health was failing. He soon found a job in the maintenance department of Ernest Jacksons a local factory making cold remedies etc. He was elected as shop steward and got the workers a pay rise that was five times the amount they normally settled for. He retired in the early 1980s after a mild heart attack and went on to   11-06-2011 to the ripe old age of 91