Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth John Walters LEATHER CBE
20th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry

Date of birth: 6th July 1878
Date of death: 2nd May 1963

Died aged 84
Unknown
Kenneth John Walters Leather was born at “The Friary”, Tickhill on the 6th of July 1878 the second son of Frederick John Leather JP of Middleton Hall, Belford, Northumberland and Gertrude Elizabeth Sophia (nee Walters) of “The Friary”, Tickhill in Yorkshire.

He was educated at Tickhill School and at Hazelwood School until July 1892 where he was described by the school magazine as: - "One of our very best all round athletes."

He went on to Wellington College from 1892 to 1895 where he was in Mr. Brougham’s House from September 1982 to 1895. He went on to Trinity College Cambridge on the 1st of October 1896.

He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion Durham Light Infantry (Militia) on the 1st of April 1898 and was successful in the examinations for the Royal Military College Sandhurst later that year.

He served with the 1st Battalion of his regiment during the South African War where he served under General Buller from 1899 to 1900. He was present at the siege of Ladysmith and saw action at Colenso from the 17th to the 24th of January 1900. He also saw action in the operations at Van Kranz from the 5th to the 7th of February 1900 and at Tugela Heights from the 14th to the 27th of February 1900. He was present at the actions at Pieters Hill and during operations in Natal from March to June 1900, including the action at Laings Nek from the 6th to the 9th of June. He was awarded the Queen’s Medal with four clasps.

He represented the Durham Light Infantry in the Army Racquet Doubles competition of 1903. He resigned his commission on the 19th of October 1904.

He was married to Beatrice Evelyn (nee Bewicke) at Haddon-on-the-Wall in Northumberland on the 4th of December 1904 but she died on the 30th of October 1905. He was remarried at St George's Church, Hanover Square to Sybil Margaret (nee Laing) on the 21st of October 1908 and they had a son, Kenneth Mark Walters, born in 1910, who won a Military Cross in the Second World War and went on to command the 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry in the 1950s.

He was promoted to Major on the 11th of March 1912.

At the outbreak of the war he was Commanding Officer of the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry and on the 11th of August 1915 he was given command of the newly formed 20th (Service) Battalion. He embarked, with his battalion, at Southampton on the 4th of May 1916 on board the SS “Arundel”, landing at Le Havre the following day. He was severely wounded by shellfire on the 22nd of July 1916 when in the Le Bizet area of Flanders and command of the battalion passed to Major Hills.

On his recovery he served with Eastern Command Headquarters in 1917 and 1918 and commanded the 4th Battalion Durham Light Infantry in 1918. He was appointed as a Commander of the British Empire in the King's Birthday Honours List of the 3rd of June 1919.

He was a Freemason and was admitted as a member of the Lambton Lodge from the 9th of January 1920 to the 24th of April 1925. He was a member of the Wyndham and Royal Automobile Clubs and of the Army and Navy Club. He lived at Whalton, Morpeth, Northumberland. He was married again in 1943 to Gladys (nee Crinkley).

His brothers, Lieutenant Christopher Leather 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, was killed in action on the 26th of October 1914 and Captain Edward Wilberforce Leather 2nd Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, was killed in action on the 18th of April 1915.
Went on to Wellington College

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