The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. L W Harvey

Leslie Walter Harvey was born on 22nd May 1920 in Ware, Hertfordshire and attended the Cooper Boys School there. When his family moved to Greenwich in London he went to Christ Church Boys School.

On leaving he was taken on as an engineering apprentice at Miles Aircraft at Woodley in Reading, Berkshire. He worked on the Miles Magister.

Harvey joined the RAFVR about October 1938 as an Airman u/t Pilot. Called up on 1st September 1939, he completed his training at 8 EFTS and 10 FTS before going to 5 OTU Aston Down in early August 1940.

While there he crashed in Master N7781 on the 6th but was unhurt.

On 10th August he was one of two trainees being led in a formation take-off by F/Lt. PP Hanks, the other being Sgt. ECJ Wilson. As they accelerated down the runway they were unaware of a Blenheim taxying towards them, hidden by a slight rise in the ground.

Sgt. Wilson, in Spitfire L1063, collided with the Blenheim, L6799, and was killed as were P/O GG Crawford and Sgt. JM Oxtoby in the Blenheim.

(On 25th July F/Lt. Hanks had come across Ju88 9K + GN of 5.KG51 taking part in a raid on the Gloster Aircraft Company’s factory at Hucclecote. It was being engaged by P/O CA Bird in Hurricane P3271 of 4 Ferry Pilots Pool. It is believed that P/O Bird collided with the Ju88. Hanks, in Spitfire P9501, also engaged the Ju88, which came down at Chatford in Gloucestershire with one crew member killed. P/O Bird was also killed. The engagement did not meet the parameters for a Clasp award).

Harvey joined 54 Squadron at Hornchurch on 22nd August and served with them before being posted to 245 Squadron at Aldergrove on 22nd September.

Whilst with 245 Squadron he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident and did not return to flying duties until July 1941, when he was posted as an instructor to 56 OTU.

In August 1941 he was posted to 601 Squadron, operating Airacobras at Duxford. In November he was posted to 94 Squadron, operating Hurricanes in North Africa and tasked with sweeps and top cover escort to bombers.

While providing top cover to a sweep by 260 Squadron on 14th January 1942 Harvey was bounced by Me109s over Agedabia and set alight by cannon fire. He baled out with burns at 1,000 feet.

He landed wearing only a shirt. Some passing Bedouin clothed him as one of them and placed him on a camel. They shortly came across a Honey tank of the 11th Hussars, which took Harvey to their HQ, from where he was evacuated to Benghazi.

Harvey and other casualties were taken to a field hospital at Tobruk. Learning that his old squadron were in the area, despite his injuries he hitch-hiked out to them to retrieve his personal kit. They insisted on throwing a party to celebrate his return and the following morning he had difficulty in finding anyone sober enough to drive him back.

This delay meant that the hospital ship Ramb IV had sailed without him on 10th May 1942. But it had been bombed shortly afterwards and sank with the loss of 150 patients who could not be evacuated in time.

He was taken to hospital in Alexandria by train where he recovered and was posted to 4 Aircraft Delivery Unit. He remained with this unit and later 2 ADU in North Africa and through the Italian campaign, ferrying aircraft on the Takoradi-Cairo route. This was interrupted by a bout of malaria.

On one occasion he landed a new Spitfire Mk.9 in the Salerno beachead, only to be told that a German attack was a short distance away, the Spitfire was set on fire and he was evacuated by LST to Palermo in Sicily.

Harvey was commissioned from Warrant Officer in April 1944 and posted back to UK the following month. Here he was posted to 567 Squadron, an AA Co-Op unit. During July and October he received a number of postings to 695 and 595 Squadrons.

In January 1945 he was posted to 290 Squadron in Belgium and took command in October 1945.

Harvey was released from the RAF in 1946 as a Flight Lieutenant.

He died in November 2002.