Petty Officer Geoffrey Edward Francis Coward LEIGH (FAA/FX 90822) RN
827 Squadron Fleet Air Arm Royal Navy

Date of birth: 12th November 1923
Date of death: 18th May 1945

Killed on active service aged 21
Commemorated on the Lee on Solent Memorial Bay 6 Panel 1
He was born at Oakhill, near Bath on the 12th of November 1923, the only son of Frank W. Leigh, architect, and Elizabeth Mary (nee Toogood) of 163 Newbridge Hill, Bath.

He was educated at St Christopher's, Bath, and at the King's School Canterbury from September 1937 to July 1941 where he was in Lattergate Waiting House and in The Grange. He was a King's Scholar, a School Monitor, played in the Rugby XV and was awarded his colours in 1940 being also awarded colours for PT (1939-41). He was a Sergeant in the JTC and was a house monitor of The Grange. When the school flight of the Air Training Corps was formed he joined it at once and rose to the rank of Flight Sergeant.

On leaving school he joined the Fleet Air Arm where he trained as a pilot and rose to the rank of Petty Officer.

On the 18th of May 1945 he was flying a Fairey Barracuda Mk III operating from the light aircraft carrier HMS Colossus off Alexandria when the aircraft developed hydraulic trouble. The crew attempted to hand pump the under carriage down. According to the observer who was the only survivor of the incident, the crew were overcome by fumes from the hydraulic gear and the aircraft crashed into the sea.

The other victim of the crash was Leading Aircraftsman Eric Franklin Randle RN.
The Grange

Back