Leslie Laver, Rear Gunner
At the time of the crash Leslie was just 20 years old -his birthday had been on 30th September. His mother's name was Jenny. She and her husband, Edward Cyril Laver, were Catholics and both came from struggling working-class families. However, it is not Edward Cyril Laver on Leslie's birth certificate but William Laver, a 'Draper's Carman' (delivery man).
Leslie was born at home, at 6 Calmington Road, in the poor densely built streets of south London, between Elephant and Castle and Peckham. The address was about half a mile from the original matrimonial home of 50 Carter Street - for whatever reason, Jenny had changed partners, perhaps to a brother or cousin of her husband's.
Later Jenny remarried and became a Mrs Crockett, but her last husband died prematurely.
The family now consisted of eight members, the mother Jenny, the three boys, Cyril, Walter (or Wally), and Leslie, and the four sisters, Marjorie, Irene, Jessie and Dorothy. The only work Jenny could get now was as a cleaner at the London theatres, and the family was extremely poor, yet they were all quite happy together. The children helped out by running errands or earning little sums of money. Brought up as Catholics, they all took turns to be the one who stayed behind on Sundays and cooked the breakfast for those returning from Communion.
Leslie grew up to be a good-looking lad, with fine features, dark brown hair, and strikingly beautiful grey-green eyes. He was very slight, just under five foot six in height, but his slimness of build would prove a great advantage when he became a rear gunner because of the appallingly cramped nature of the gun turret. Like his skipper who had also been brought up by a mother on her own, Leslie left school early, between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and began work as a milkman. Again as with Ted, the war would offer him chances otherwise not provided by his background.
Leslie joined the RAF just before his nineteenth birthday but was not called to the Volunteer Reserve until 22nd March, 1943 - he would only be in the RAF for 10 months. His first ambition had been to train as a pilot and his initial mustering is shown on his papers as Aircrafthand/Pilot.
However, at his own request he was regraded to Air Gunner after almost seven months of waiting to be called up. He had been told it would take even longer before he could commence training as a pilot and Leslie did not want to wait. His brother Wally told him he was mad, but Leslie said it would all take too long - he wanted to get into action as quickly as possible. Just over three weeks later, he commenced his training.
Leslie was born at home, at 6 Calmington Road, in the poor densely built streets of south London, between Elephant and Castle and Peckham. The address was about half a mile from the original matrimonial home of 50 Carter Street - for whatever reason, Jenny had changed partners, perhaps to a brother or cousin of her husband's.
Later Jenny remarried and became a Mrs Crockett, but her last husband died prematurely.
The family now consisted of eight members, the mother Jenny, the three boys, Cyril, Walter (or Wally), and Leslie, and the four sisters, Marjorie, Irene, Jessie and Dorothy. The only work Jenny could get now was as a cleaner at the London theatres, and the family was extremely poor, yet they were all quite happy together. The children helped out by running errands or earning little sums of money. Brought up as Catholics, they all took turns to be the one who stayed behind on Sundays and cooked the breakfast for those returning from Communion.
Leslie grew up to be a good-looking lad, with fine features, dark brown hair, and strikingly beautiful grey-green eyes. He was very slight, just under five foot six in height, but his slimness of build would prove a great advantage when he became a rear gunner because of the appallingly cramped nature of the gun turret. Like his skipper who had also been brought up by a mother on her own, Leslie left school early, between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and began work as a milkman. Again as with Ted, the war would offer him chances otherwise not provided by his background.
Leslie joined the RAF just before his nineteenth birthday but was not called to the Volunteer Reserve until 22nd March, 1943 - he would only be in the RAF for 10 months. His first ambition had been to train as a pilot and his initial mustering is shown on his papers as Aircrafthand/Pilot.
However, at his own request he was regraded to Air Gunner after almost seven months of waiting to be called up. He had been told it would take even longer before he could commence training as a pilot and Leslie did not want to wait. His brother Wally told him he was mad, but Leslie said it would all take too long - he wanted to get into action as quickly as possible. Just over three weeks later, he commenced his training.
At the time of the outbreak of war, on September 3rd 1939, Joe was seventeen years old. He had left school some three months earlier, and was then on a business course, prior to officially joining the very prosperous and succesful family company in April 1940.
Joe hated being tied down to anything serious; he loved clowning about and acting the fool. He had done extremely badly at his detested public school, Sedbergh, which is why his father had taken him away early.
Joe was neither academic nor gifted at sports, and his school reports had been almost uniformly appalling. His teachers, however, had acknowledged his exceptional aptitude for music, a near genius which had begun to show itself when he was only five years old.
Yet even here Joe shied away from anything serious and instead turned his talents to amusing people. He was a brilliant improviser, had an excellent voice, and could be extremely funny when in high spirits, showing off at the piano or with a trumpet. People loved his company and he made friends easily.
The family company, Andrew Chalmers, was a large imports firm specialising in tobacco. The prospect of being a tobacco merchant had never filled Joe with any degree of enthusiasm; he had wanted to have a career in music but had lacked the will to stand up to his practical father.
Andrew Chalmers was to keep him in considerable affluence all his life. But at seventeen years old, viewing the sensible but unalluring prospects before him, he must have thought there was a lot more in him than would ever be called forth by the tobacco business. It would be the war which would give him his one great independent chance to prove himself. The RAF would be the biggest adventure of his life, and nothing which came thereafter would ever equal its emotional impact.
Joe's life changed forever when, shortly after his nineteenth birthday, he joined the RAF Volunteer Reserves on 24th April 1941. He first began training as a navigator, but by March of 1942 the authorities had decided that he would not make the grade and should retrain as a wireless operator.
After many detours along the way, and two years of training, Joe finally arrived at No 17 Operational Training Unit, based at Silverstone between Banbury and Milton Keynes. This was where his real training for flying in heavy bombers would begin and where at last he would join his crew.
Joe was neither academic nor gifted at sports, and his school reports had been almost uniformly appalling. His teachers, however, had acknowledged his exceptional aptitude for music, a near genius which had begun to show itself when he was only five years old.
Yet even here Joe shied away from anything serious and instead turned his talents to amusing people. He was a brilliant improviser, had an excellent voice, and could be extremely funny when in high spirits, showing off at the piano or with a trumpet. People loved his company and he made friends easily.
The family company, Andrew Chalmers, was a large imports firm specialising in tobacco. The prospect of being a tobacco merchant had never filled Joe with any degree of enthusiasm; he had wanted to have a career in music but had lacked the will to stand up to his practical father.
Andrew Chalmers was to keep him in considerable affluence all his life. But at seventeen years old, viewing the sensible but unalluring prospects before him, he must have thought there was a lot more in him than would ever be called forth by the tobacco business. It would be the war which would give him his one great independent chance to prove himself. The RAF would be the biggest adventure of his life, and nothing which came thereafter would ever equal its emotional impact.
Joe's life changed forever when, shortly after his nineteenth birthday, he joined the RAF Volunteer Reserves on 24th April 1941. He first began training as a navigator, but by March of 1942 the authorities had decided that he would not make the grade and should retrain as a wireless operator.
After many detours along the way, and two years of training, Joe finally arrived at No 17 Operational Training Unit, based at Silverstone between Banbury and Milton Keynes. This was where his real training for flying in heavy bombers would begin and where at last he would join his crew.
PAGE TAGS
Edward Thackway, Jack Powell, George Grundy, Peter Hughes Mack, Robert Anthony Lawrence, Leslie Laver, Leslie Kenneth Alexander Grant, 97 Squadron, 16/17 December 1943
Edward Thackway, Jack Powell, George Grundy, Peter Hughes Mack, Robert Anthony Lawrence, Leslie Laver, Leslie Kenneth Alexander Grant, 97 Squadron, 16/17 December 1943
Aircrew on Berlin op - December 16/17 1943