Les died on 2 November 2002 after a long illness.
He enlisted into the band of the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars as a band boy in 1951 and arrived at Ludgershall, awaiting the arrival of the Regiment on their return from Korea. In 1952 Les left Ludgershall with the band for BAOR. (Lüneburg, Germany).
In 1958 The 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars were to amalgamate with the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars in Hohne, to become the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars. Les was still enjoying himself in the band, in the back-end of 1960, the Regiment was told that they would deploy to the Middle East ‘Aden’.
In March 1961 the band was told that they would be posted to Shorncliff for approximately 18 months. After their tour in Shorncliff, the band embarked on the SS Oxfordshire from Southampton, then steamed quietly into steamer point ‘Aden’.The Regiment boarded the ship to the sound of music of the regimental march, the band was now reunited back with the Regiment and until arriving at Penang ‘Malaya’. The band enlivened the shipboard scene with daily concerts.
The band settled in Ipoh Malaya from 1962 until 1964. Les, on his return from Malaya in 1964 had made his mind up that it was time to go. He took his discharge in September 1964.
Les was a well-liked member of the band and a character in his own right. Les will be missed by all who knew him. We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to his wife Doris and the family.
