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07/07/1882 - 03/06/1917

Place of birth: Forest Hill, Kent
Last known address in Bromley: 30 Wendover Road

Military information

Regiment/Service: Rifle Brigade
Battalion/Ship: 5th attd 9th Bn
Rank: Lieutenant
Number: Unknown

Family information

Parents: Rev Owen & Alice Davies (nee Hollingdrake)
Parents' occupation: Wesleyan Minister
Siblings: Alice Hollingdrake, Mary Knowles, Hamilton, Reginald, older half siblings Anne Clymo, Ada Elizabeth, Ethel Ladeveze (d), Edith Vivian, Owen Hartley, William James Ladeveze, Herbert Henry

Census information

1891
Address: Wesleyan Parsonage, The Avenue, Lewisham
1901
Address: 4 Church Street, Southport

Extra details

Leonard was the second of Owen and Alice Davies's five children. Owen had married Alice in 1878 following the death of his first wife Jane Amelia (nee Seccombe) in 1875. They had had seven children. Being a Wesleyan minister the family moved home every couple of years then in 1912, following her husband's death in Hull, Alice moved to 30 Wendover Road to be near her family.

When the family were living in Truro Leonard attended the Methodist College there from 1892 to 1895. He was awarded the Form II Dux prize at Speech Day in 1893 and was promoted to form III. In his final term at Truro College he sat the College of Preceptors midsummer exam and gained a 2nd class, 1st division certificate, and was awarded an exam prize for being ‘first in Class II, College of Preceptors' at Speech Day. The school magazine records that Leonard played in the school's 3rd XI football team as a forward on three occasions.

After Truro Leonard studied at Harrogate College before taking a BA at London University. He then taught at Hymers College in Hull before being was admitted to Queen's College, Oxford on 15th October 1907 where he gained a first in moderations, won a scholarship and achieved second class honours in Literae Humaniores (Classics) in 1911.The degree of MA, which required no further study or residence was conferred on 24 May 1913. Leonard was an excellent oarsman who rowed for the Leander Club and was an above average musician. After Oxford Leonard took a position as a teacher and Set Tutor at St. Edward's School, Oxford 1911-1915.

Although he hated the whole aspect of war Leonard felt it was his duty to answer the call to fight. He joined the Army in July 1915, and was gazetted Second-Lieutenant in October. After serving through the Somme campaign he was promoted to Lieutenant, and while commanding a company was killed at 9am on Sunday, June 3rd 1917 when sitting in a trench. He was struck by a bomb fragment, lost consciousness and died within 30 minutes. He was an 'Acting Captain' at the time.

In the picture below Leonard is in the back row, third from the left.