Summary
Charles Symonds Leaf, FSA (13 November 1895 – 19 February 1947) was a British sailor who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.[1] He contributed to the design and build of the Merlin Rocket sailing dinghy.
Charles Leaf | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Symonds Leaf 13 November 1895 |
| Died | 19 February 1947 (aged 51) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Harrow School |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Children | 3 Derek Leaf DSC with bar, Freydis Sharland, Robin Leaf |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army Royal Marines |
| Years of service | 1914–1918 1943–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sailing | ||
 |
1936 Berlin | 6 metre class |
Biography edit
Leaf was educated at Harrow School, an all-boys independent boarding school, and at Trinity College, Cambridge.[2]
Leaf was an amateur archaeologist.[3] On 11 January 1934, he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA).[4] He donated the majority of his archaeological finds to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.[2]
In 1936 he was a crew member of the British boat Lalage which won the gold medal in the 6 metre class.
On 22 August 1917, Leaf married Catherine Blanche Kay-Shuttleworth, daughter of Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baron Shuttleworth.[5] They had two children. His daughter Freydis went on to be one of the first women to qualify for RAF wings.[6]
Military service edit
Leaf served in the British Army during the First World War. On 18 October 1914, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 5th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment).[7] He was promoted to temporary lieutenant on 22 January 1916.[8] He was seconded to the Machine Gun Corps (MGC) on 3 April 1917.[9] He was promoted to substantive lieutenant on 12 May 1917 with seniority in that rank from 1 June 1916.[10] He ceased to be employed by the MGC on 30 December 1918,[11] and rejoined his regiment the same day.[12]
He served in the Royal Marines during the Second World War. He was commissioned in the Royal Marines as a probationary temporary lieutenant on 21 June 1943.[13] His commission was confirmed on 21 December 1943 and he became a temporary lieutenant.[14] His commission was terminated on 27 July 1945.[15]
References edit
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Charles Leaf". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Charles Leaf". www.teamgb.com. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ "Person Details: Charles S Leaf B. A., F. S. A." archaeologydataservice.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries". The Antiquaries Journal. 14 (2): 233–234. 1934. doi:10.1017/S0003581500051362. S2CID 246041812.
- ^ "Life story: Charles Symonds Leaf". Lives of the First World War. Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ Fountain, Nigel (10 June 2014). "Freydis Sharland obituary". the Guardian.
- ^ "No. 28941". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 October 1914. p. 8331.
- ^ "No. 29605". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 May 1916. p. 5443.
- ^ "No. 30024". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 April 1917. p. 3714.
- ^ "No. 30063". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 May 1917. p. 4585.
- ^ "No. 31229". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 March 1919. p. 3464.
- ^ "No. 31470". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 July 1919. p. 9406.
- ^ "No. 36077". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 July 1943. p. 2996.
- ^ "No. 36352". The London Gazette. 28 January 1944. p. 543.
- ^ "No. 37296". The London Gazette. 5 October 1945. p. 4906.
External links edit
- Charles Symonds Leaf at World Sailing
- Charles Symonds Leaf at Olympics.com
- Charles Leaf at Olympedia
- Charles Leaf at databaseOlympics.com (archived)
