Name
Leonard Percy Squire
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
23/08/1918
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Cadet
T.R. 10/54304
Royal Air Force
34th Training Depot Station
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
LINCOLN (NEWPORT) CEMETERY
C. D. Red. 24.
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Rickmansworth UDC Memorial, St Mary’s Church Roll of Honour, Rickmansworth, Watford Grammar School Memorial, Watford, Watford Grammar School Book of Remembrance
Pre War
Leonard Squire was born in Balham, Surrey on 10th December 1898 and baptised at St Mary’s, Balham. He was the youngest son of Percy Cowley and Louisa Oakley (nee DYSON) Squire.
His parents married 14 September 1889 at St Mary’s, Long Ditton, Surrey. Percy died 8 September 1941 in Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey, aged 76; Louisa died 1957 in the Surrey North district aged 91.
In 1901, they were living at ‘Tregarrick,’Reginald Road, Ruislip. Percy Squire was a Solicitor’s Clerk. Leonard had an elder sister, Elsie and 2 elder brothers, Bernard Arthur and Geoffrey William. The family had domestic servant, aged 13 living with them. Between 1907 and 1910 the family were living at ‘Dromore,’ Watford Road, Croxley Green. They later moved to ‘Ryemead,’ an 8 roomed house in Nightingale Road, Rickmansworth.
Following his elder brother, Leonard entered Watford Grammar School for Boys in September 1911 with a County minor scholarship and studied there until March 1916. He then worked as a clerk with the Kleinworth Loan Company in London and was then living in Maida Vale, London.
Wartime Service
Leonard enlisted in London as Private T.R.10/54304 in the Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex) Regiment. He later transferred to No. 1 Cadet Wing of the Royal Flying Corps at St Leonard’s-on-Sea on 1 January 1918. He died at Scampton in an Avro 504 F2209 whilst on his on his second solo flight and looping when the tail plane broke and the machine crashed to earth.
The court of enquiry report recorded "The cause of the accident was due to an error of judgement on the part of the pilot in pulling the machine out of a vertical nose dive too quickly, thereby twisting the fuselage in front of the tail."
RAF Scampton was a WW1 Royal Training Corps landing field in Lincolnshire. (originally called Brattleby).
Additional Information
The published Watford Grammar School Book of Remembrance entry reads:
“SQUIRE, LEONARD PERCY. School period: September, 1911, to March, 1916. Flight-Cadet, R.A.F. Killed as result of accident due to engine trouble while flying near Lincoln.”
Leonard's log book for his training can be found in the HAW Archive under Digital Publications - Books and Publications - Here
Acknowledgments
Pat Hamilton
Malcolm Lennox, Our Watford History, Charles Dixon-Payne, Sue Carter (Research) and Watford Museum (ROH online via www.ourwatfordhistory.org.uk)
