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Wing Commander Reginald Frederick Stuart LESLIE (02210) DSC DFC AFC Italian Bronze Medal for Valour
Royal Air Force Date of birth: 25th December 1890 Date of death: 11th July 1943 Killed in action aged 52 Buried at Medjez-El-Bab War Cemetery Plot 13 Row D Grave 20
Reginald Frederick Stuart Leslie was born at Maidenhead in Berkshire on the 25th of December 1890 the son of Frederick Jonah Leslie, a stockbroker, and Emily Mary (nee Chamberlain) Leslie of Amberley in Gloucestershire. He was educated at Lancing College where he was in Heads House from September 1905 to July 1907. On leaving school he went to work at the Stock Exchange. Following the outbreak of war he acted as a drive for the Red Cross before being commissioned as a Probationary Flight Sub Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Air Service on the 2nd of May 1915. He obtained his Aero Certificate (No. 1354) on the 27th of June 1915 while stationed at the Royal Naval Flying School at Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey flying a Short Biplane. He was confirmed in his rank on the 14th of July 1915 and was posted to the training establishment HMS Fisgard on the same day. He transferred to Eastchurch on the 29th of May 1915 and was posted to No. 2 Squadron on the 5th of July 1915 and to No. 4 Squadron on the 16th of August 1915. A report on his progress at the time recorded that he was an: - "Excellent and trustworthy pilot. Good pilot of fast machines and for testing work. Has been continually employed on reconnaissance work and hostile aircraft patrols over the enemy lines. Specially recommended for promotion. Would make good experimental pilot. Has good ability to command." He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant on the 1st of April 1916 and returned to the gunnery school at Eastchurch on the 30th of July 1916. On the 14th of June 1916 he was granted fourteen days sick leave while suffering from rubella and was admitted to Chatham Hospital from the 28th of June to the 4th of July 1916. He was placed on extended sick leave until he was declared as being clear of the infection. On the 7th of December 1916 he was posted to "M" Section at the Air Department of the Admiralty. He was married in London to Phyllis Brodie (nee Gordon) in 1916. Up until the 25th of May 1917 the Germans had used airships to attack and bomb mainland Britain but that day was the first time they used the Gotha bomber. A force of twenty three Gothas of No. 3 Bombengeschwader took off at 2pm that afternoon to attack targets of opportunity in the South East of England. They made landfall over the Essex coast and reached the Thames area over Gravesend. They swung away from London and broke into smaller formations to better defend themselves. At 5.42pm the first bombs fell in the area of Wrotham doing no damage. Bombs were also dropped at Linton, Marden and on Ashford where the first casualties were inflicted. The formations continued on, dropping more bombs on Lympne, Hythe, and on the military camp at Shorncliffe where sixteen Canadian soldiers were killed and a further ninety were wounded. Having dropped more bombs on Folkestone causing more casualties the Gothas moved out over the coast to head for home. They came under anti aircraft fire from guns at Capel and from Dover but with no result. Reginald Leslie took off from Dover in Sopwith Pup 3691 as one of a large number of aircraft from both the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service who were detailed to intercept the raiders. Although many of the British aircraft despatched did not make contact with the raiders, Reginald Leslie managed to intercept the formation between Dover and Gravelines at about 6pm and engaged a Gotha at a height of around 11,000 feet. He fired 150 rounds at a range of one hundred yards and his bullets were seen to enter both the fuselage and the engine of one of the enemy aircraft causing a large amount of black smoke to come from the engine. He was forced to break off the combat due to the attentions of the other Gothas. Although British pilots flying from Dunkirk claimed two Gothas destroyed, only one was actually lost which the Germans claimed was brought down by anti aircraft fire. In all this, the first German Gotha raid over Britain, had claimed the lives of 95 people on the ground with a further 192 injured. For his actions that day Reginald Leslie was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross which was announced in the London Gazette of the 20th of July 1917. The citation read: - “In recognition of his gallantry in pursuing hostile raiding aeroplanes out to sea in a land machine on 25th May 1917. He attacked one hostile aeroplane and caused it to descend in a steep nose-dive, emitting smoke and steam. He was unable to observe its fate, as he was himself immediately attacked from behind by two other hostile machines and temporarily lost control. When he regained control, the machine which he had first attacked had disappeared and two others were proceeding eastwards at a considerable height above him. He then returned to the aerodrome.” He was promoted to Flight Commander on the 30th of June 1917. Later in 1917 he was an experimental pilot for the Admiralty and on the 13th of February 1918 he travelled via Boulogne and Marseilles to Malta where he served in the Mediterranean where he served on the Staff of the Malta Wing and later commanded 226 Squadron in Italy for a time. He entered the Royal Air Force, when the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps merged, on the 1st of April 1918 with the rank of Captain and was promoted to Acting Major in June 1918. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross “In recognition of distinguished service” in the King’s New Years Honours List of the 1st of January 1919, was promoted to Acting Major on the 1st of May 1919 and was granted a permanent commission in the Royal Air Force on the 1st of August 1919. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in recognition of his war service which was announced by the Air Ministry on the 10th of October 1919; he was also awarded the Italian Bronze Medal for Valour. In 1920 he served in Bulgaria and from the 22nd of February 1921 to 1922 he was Aide de Camp to General Seeley, to Air Vice Marshall Salmond, and to the Marquis of Reading who was Viceroy of India. He then served on the aircraft carrier HMS Argus and in staff positions at coastal stations until the 16th of September 1929 when he was appointed as Commanding Officer of the Home Communications Flight at Hendon. He was elected as a member of the Royal Aero Club at a meeting of the committee held at 3 Clifford Street in London W1 on the 3rd of October 1929. From the 31st of July 1931 he served with 99 (Bomber) Squadron at Upper Heyford and at Group Headquarters in a staff role. He went on half pay from the 25th of May 1932 until accepting a vacancy on the Staff at 21 Group Headquarters at West Drayton in August 1933. On the 11th of February 1934 he was posted to Headquarters Air Defence Great Britain at Uxbridge and retired from the service on the 25th of December 1934 at the age of 45. He was married again at Chelsea on the 16th of July 1935 to Nancy Elizabeth (nee Brassey), of Chelsea; they lived at 9 Ralston Street, Chelsea. He rejoined the Royal Air Force on the outbreak of the Second World War and by July 1943 he was serving in Tunisia. On the 10th of July 1943 the allies invaded the island of Sicily in Operation "Husky". As paratroopers were to spearhead the invasion it was decided that during the night of the 11th/12th of July, a number of dummy parachutists, codenamed "Ruperts", would be dropped behind enemy lines to sow confusion amongst the defenders of the island. These mannequins, which were made mostly of straw, contained a firecracker type explosive charge which would detonate on landing to lead the enemy to believe that they were being fired upon by real paratroopers. In addition to these, "pintails", or flares were also to be dropped. The fuses for both the dummies and the flares were to be armed during the flight, an operation which took around thirty minutes and which began straight after takeoff. The following night, the 11/12th of July 1943, four Dakota C47 aircraft from 267 Squadron Royal Air Force were detailed to drop the dummies and accompanying flares. Reginald Leslie was in the third of the aircraft to take off which was Dakota C47 Mk 1 FD815 with a load of twelve dummy parachutists and twenty three "pintails" which were to be armed in the air by Major Frank Baxter MC RE. The door of the aircraft had been removed to facilitate the dropping of the dummies. The aircraft took off at 9.08pm from Tunis for the operation and only three minutes elapsed before other aircraft saw a fire on board the aeroplane. The flames crept along the stricken aircraft and it crashed about five miles from the airfield killing all on board. The crew was: - Flying Officer Gowan Vernon Gibson RCAF (Pilot) Flying Officer Harry Grant Spencer RCAF (Second Pilot) Lieutenant S. A. Yaldwyn SAAF (Navigator) Warrant Officer Kennedy Paterson (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner), Wing Commander Reginald Frederick Stuart Leslie DSC DFC AFC (Air Ministry Observer) Major Frank Godfrey Baxter MC, Royal Engineers (15th Army Group in charge of Special Equipment) A Court of Inquiry was convened the following day at the Headquarters of 216 Group at La Marsa, Tunisia under the Chairmanship of Wing Commander Sir Richard Barlow AFC, which included the gathering of eyewitness accounts. Statement of Captain R.L. Leeper, GSO 3, Tunis Area: - “At approximately 21.35 hours on 11 July 1943 I saw an aircraft coming over the hill west of El Ouma in the direction of Le Bardo, i.e. almost due west. I was climbing. Just before the aircraft reached Le Bardo, about 400 yards from me, I remarked to another officer that I could see a fire inside the fuselage, and the port door seemed to be open. As the aircraft passed me I saw right into the fuselage and I saw that there was definitely a fire inside the fuselage by the door. The aircraft turned right over Le Bardo and went back towards El Ouima on a reciprocal course. Immediately it had completed 180 degrees turn the whole of the rear end of the fuselage was on fire. The aircraft started a 45 degree dive and the flames crept forward. The aircraft exploded either as it hit the ground or just before it hit. It was a petrol explosion.” Statement of Leading Aircraftsman F. Harvey, No. 2 Base Personnel Depot, Tunis: - "At 21.15 hours approx. on 11th July 1943, I was sitting on the balcony outside my billet facing N.E. I saw a DC3 aircraft coming straight towards me about 3 miles away. I saw a flash from the port engine and about 20 seconds later I saw a large fire between the two engines. It appeared like a ball of flame between the engines. The aircraft continued to close towards me but was losing height. It disappeared from view behind a range of hills. I did not see any burning object fall from the aircraft." Statement of Aircraftsman 1st Class E. Flynn, No. 2 Base Area, Tunis: - "I was walking along Avenue de Lessepe, Tunis at 21.20 hours on 11th July 1943 when I saw a DC3 aircraft pass overhead. It was flashing its navigation lights on and off. It was going S.W. wards. There was nothing abnormal about it. It disappeared from view behind houses. A short time afterwards I saw what I believe to be the same aircraft coming back towards me. I saw a flash from its port engine and directly afterwards the port engine appeared to catch fire. It was gradually losing height and I lost sight of it. I saw a cloud of whitish smoke and the sky lit up. I assumed the aircraft had crashed and I went towards the crash. It took about half an hour to get there. I saw the fuselage blazing with flames apparently coming from the ground. The aircraft was scattered all over the place. There were a number of little fires from small objects. A house on the right of what looked like the fuselage was also on fire and burning fiercely. There were mutilated bodies lying about. About 10 minutes after I arrived a fire engine arrived and the fuselage fire was extinguished but the house remained alight. The little fires were put out. I stayed about one hour. The flash I saw seemed to come from just behind the propeller." Statement of Lieutenant Colonel D.I. Strangeways, Duke of Wellingtons Regiment: - "I was in charge of the operation on the night of the 11th/12th July in which dummy parachutists and pintails were dropped. I was in No. 4 Dakota. Major Baxter who was G2 Camouflage 15th Group, was in No. 3 aircraft. Major Baxter took part in the operation at my request. I had personally not operated the particular equipment previously from an aircraft, but I am satisfied that the instructions I received from Major Bromley-Davenport as to the handling of the equipment was adequate, and especially as regards Major Baxter who had been handling the equipment that afternoon. Major Baxter was also qualified to deal with explosives and was not the kind of man to make a mistake in the handling of an explosive device. As far as my aircraft was concerned the operation went according to plan." The Court concluded that Major Baxter had been correctly briefed but that the fire was caused by either a malfunction or a mistake during his arming of the flares or dummies.

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