Award Military Cross Capt. C.D.C.K. Leslie, HLI attd M.O.4. (Escaper & Evader Italy)

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T/Capt. Clement David Charles Kenneth Leslie, Highland Light Infantry attached M.O.4.
Service No.: 48353
Award: Military Cross

ESCAPES FROM CAMP 49 (FONTANELLATO). ITALY
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AWARDS|​

(1) After the Armistice with Italy, the Italian Commandant of this camp handed over to the Senior British Officer, who organised P/W into companies and ordered them to be ready to march out at five minutes’ notice on the sounding of the alarm by the camp bugler. The alarm was sounded at 1300 hours on 9th September 1943 and everything went according to plan.

(2) I recommend the following officers for the awards shown, brief particulars being given in the enclosures stated opposite their names:-

WO 373/96/471

 

The fascinating story of Major C.D.C.K Leslie MC by Jennifer Upton (18th December 2017) ​

The fascinating Second World War Special Operations Executive MO4 and Force 133 Escaper's Military Cross and 1978 Rhodesian Police Medal for Meritorious Service group awarded to Major C.D.C.K. Leslie, Highland Light Infantry, sometime 5th Ski Battalion, Scots Guards, 6 Commando, MO4 and Force 133, who was captured whilst conducting a 'special mission' and later made an escape with various adventures, once shooting a German officer who he believed was about to kill him.

The fascinating Second World War Special Operations Executive MO4 and Force 133 Escaper's Military Cross and 1978 Rhodesian Police Medal for Meritorious Service (BSAP) group awarded to Major C.D.C.K. Leslie, Highland Light Infantry, sometime 5th Ski Battalion, Scots Guards, 6 Commando, MO4 and Force 133, who was captured whilst conducting a 'special mission' and later made an escape with various adventures, once killing a German officer who he believed was about to shoot him.

The Major went on to become Sergeant at Arms for the Rhodesian Parliament, and commanded the British South Africa Police recce's during the Bush War period, having originally seen service in North Russia in 1919! Group of 11: Military Cross, GVI 1st type cypher, reverse dated: 1944; 1939-1945 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star with 8th Army Clasp; Italy Star; Defence Medal; War Medal; Zimbabwe: Independence Medal 1980, rim numbered: '02344'; Rhodesia: Police Medal for Meritorious Service, Security Forces Division; (6948B SEC/LDR C.D.C.K. LESLIE); Rhodesia: General Service Medal 1965-1979; (6948B F/R C.D.C.K. LESLIE); Rhodesia: Police Reserve Long Service Medal; (6948B F/R C.D.C.K. LESLIE), mounted court style for display / wear. Condition: Good Very Fine. Together with recipient's original British South Africa Police Medal for Meritorious Service (Security Forces Division) Awarded Certificate issued to Section Leader Clement David Charles Kenneth Leslie, dated 17th November 1978. This in its original issue folder. Also with five reproduced photographs of recipient, taken at various stages in his life, some wearing his medals.

Clement David Charles Kenneth Leslie was born in 1899 in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, and educated at Dugley Preparation School in Eastbourne, followed by Bedford Public School, and the Royal Military College at Camberley from 1917 to 1918, being then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant into the Highland Light Infantry towards the very end of the Great War, but did not see service overseas till after the end of hostilities.

Promoted to Lieutenant, Leslie was posted with his regiment to Murmansk in North Russia, where he saw service from 26th August to 14th October 1919, and despite being entitled to both the British War Medal and Victory Medal, he never intact claimed them till 1973, with a note on his Medal Index Card stating that they were 'returned undelivered' on 22nd February 1973, they having been sent to Salisbury in Rhodesia, and as such he never received them, they being presumably eventually destroyed by the Medal Office.

Leslie transferred to the Royal Army Reserve of Officers in 1921. In 1925 Leslie married Priea de Maistre, an Austrian Countess, and together with his wife, worked as a variety artist, becoming a well known dancing pair, performing widely in England, Europe, and the United States, and during the 1920's to 1930's Leslie performed a few minor roles in Hollywood films, and in 1938 he and his wife understudied Fred Astaire in Funny Face in London.

With the imminent outbreak of hostilities with Germany, Leslie was recalled, and posted as a Lieutenant (No.58353) to the Highland Light Infantry, and then attached to the 5th Supplementary Reserve Battalion, Scots Guards, a volunteer unit which was hastily formed to fight in Finland against the Soviet Russians. Sent to France for ski training at Chamonix preparatory to being sent to Finland. The battalion was stood down while they were actually loading their ships to embark from Glasgow.

The 5th (supplementary reserve) battalion Scots Guards led by the British bobsleigh champion The Western Allies , Norway 1940 with the veteran Polar explorer Martin Lindsay Sir Martin Lindsay, 1st Baronet as assistant adjutant. Lindsay would much later marry Loelia Ponsonby . Loelia Lindsay nee Ponsonby

(after whom Ian Fleming named James Bond's delectable secretary, whose brother was Lord Bessborough) and one of the colour sergeants in the 5th would in time lead Ian Fleming's Commandos (Unit 30).

He was a stocky fair haired explorer called Quintin Riley, who had been with Lindsay on the British Arctic Air Route expedition of 1930-1 and been the meteorologist on the British Graham Land Expedition to Antarctica of 1933-7. Ian Flemings Commandos - British Graham Land Expedition to Antarctica of 1933-7.

Also involved in some way with the setting up of this Battalion was Colin Gubbins . He was the leader of several secret organisations. He signed his orders ‘M’ — he could not use ‘C’ as this had been taken by the leader of the SIS and G was in common use by the Army.

Gubbins was a Scot from the Western Isles and an Officer in the Royal Artillery and his middle name was McVeigh so he used ‘M’ - which was later copied by Ian Fleming for the head man in the James Bond books. Leslie then joined No.6 Commando which was formed in July 1940. 6 Commando's first involvement in operations came in late 1941 when it contributed small forces to raids in Norway. In April 1942 the whole unit was scheduled to take part in Operation Myrmidon, in France. However, this raid was eventually cancelled.

As a result, the first full-scale operation that No. 6 Commando took part in was Operation Torch, the Allied landings in Algeria in November 1942. Later, it joined the advance into Tunisia in 1943. Leslie is noted in records as having served with 6 Commando for only one year, this is believed to have been from 1940 to 1941. He is next noted as having transferred on attachment to the Department of Military Intelligence, MO4, a branch of MI5, which had originally been formed back in the early 1920's to deal with the Irish Republican Army, but during the Second World War was employed handling and dealing with enemy agents, and Leslie was employed with 'Para-Naval' intelligence work, as a result of which he found himself as a Captain serving in North Africa and on 'a special mission' in the southern Aegean sea, as a result of which he was taken prisoner of war.

The recommendation for his Military Cross takes up the story: 'Captain Leslie was captured near Rhodes on 15th March 1943 whilst employed on a special mission. With three other members of his party he tried to escape from a small prisoner of war camp in the mountains of Rhodes, but the effort failed when Captain Leslie, the first through the wire, was seen by a sentry. Before his transfer to Italy he also participated in an unsuccessful tunnel scheme. At the time of the Italian Armistice he was imprisoned at Camp 49 (Fontanellato) and on 9th September 1943 he left with three other officers. Two days later he continued with a different companion to San Sebastiano.


Major Leslie's Medals

Towards the end of November 1943 he made an attempt to cross the lines and, although he was arrested by German officer who seemed about to shoot him, he escaped by killing his captor. He prolonged his effort for a further three days, during which he was shelled by English guns, before he returned to Pescasseroli. He made three more attempts to reach Allied forces before he eventually met a patrol of the Essex Regiment in San Donato on 3rd June 1944.

He then returned to guide another prisoner of war to safety and finally led Allied patrols to Pescasseroli. During his stay in Pescasseroli, Captain Leslie ran an underground News Service for Italians, in this way he did good work by frustrating German propaganda.' Leslie's award of the Military Cross was published in the London Gazette for 9th November 1944. On his returning to the British forces, MO4 had been retitled Force 133 of the Special Operations Executive, and instead of being repatriated despite being in poor shape, Leslie is then believed to have seen further service in the southern Aegean sea, capturing German caiques which were carrying supplies to the various garrisons still holding out there, though this may in turn be the work he was involved in at the time of his original capture, the details are rather vague.

He is however known to have returned to Force 133. Leslie ended the war in Palestine, and was then sent to work in Cairo in Egypt with the British Military Disposals Mission, travelling around that country selling off military equipment, and continued in this work through to 1949, having in the meantime married Dorothy Roberts, the daughter of the then Director of Public Works for Southern Rhodesia, Major W.J. Roberts, O.B.E.

On the Disposal Mission closing down in 1949, he followed his wife to Southern Rhodesia where he then settled. Leslie went on to lead a distinguished career in Southern Rhodesia during the period up to Independence, holding a number of civilian jobs with well known companies, he was also a member of the British South Africa Police Reserve, rising to the rank of Section Leader, and being awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service on 17th November 1978, this award being for his services during the Rhodesian Bush War of 1965 to 1980,


Major Leslie was also Sergeant of Arms for the Rhodesian Parliament from the early 1970's, and served as a Major and commanding officer of the BSAP Recce's unit during the Bush War period. Serving through the the occasion of the formation of Zimbabwe in 1980, Leslie died aged 94 in June 1993.

The fascinating story of Major C.D.C.K Leslie MC (linkedin.com)

 

HS 9/916/8 C D C K LESLIE - born 30.11.1899 Date: 1939-1946 (SOE Personnel file)

Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria (25 & 26 June 2014): Lot 1174 | Noonans Mayfair

 

Clement David Charles Kenneth Leslie was born in Ireland in 1899 and was educated at Bedford College and the R.M.C. Camberley. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry in 1918, but too late to see action on the Western Front, he did however serve in North Russia in the 2nd Battalion in August-October 1919 - entitled to the British War & Victory Medals, he did not make a claim until early 1973, at which point the relevant awards were ‘returned undelivered’.

Medal card of Leslie, Clement David Charles Kenneth Corps: Highland Light... | The National Archives

Having transferred to the Reserve of Officers in 1920, and married the Austrian Countess Priea de Maistre, Leslie and his wife travelled extensively in Europe and the U.S.A. as variety artists and dancers, and took part in a few minor Hollywood films in the 20s and 30s - he and Priea understudied Fred and Adele Astaire in Funny Face back in London in 1938.

Recalled to active service on the renewal of hostilities, Leslie was among those who volunteered for the 5th (Ski) Battalion, Scots Guards, for service in Finland, following which he served with the 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry in the B.E.F. in 1940. Back home that summer, he volunteered for No. 6 Commando, was advanced to Captain, and served as a Troop Commander for 18 months, in which period he completed a number of courses, among them fieldcraft, demolition and small arms, in addition to training in small craft at Inverary.

Having then attended the parachute course at Ringway, he was embarked for the Middle East, where, in late 1942, he applied for a posting to Special Operations Executive (S.O.E.), a successful application in light of his pre-war experience as a yachtsman in Mediterranean waters, in addition to all of his Commando irregular warfare courses. Duly employed by M.O. 4’s Marine Section (a.k.a. Para Naval Force) - a forerunner of S.O.E’s Force 133 - and onetime working alongside the New Zealander Major Donald Stott, a well-known ‘Greek hand’, he was ultimately captured on a special mission near Rhodes in March 1943 and, as cited above, awarded the M.C. for his subsequent escape in Italy. Accompanying research also confirms that Leslie had close contact with the likes of Commander Francis “Skipper” Pool, a former Section D member who had opened up sea routes to occupied Crete and elsewhere, and Major Hon. C “Monty” Woodhouse, another distinguished S.O.E. operative.

Unable to find further operational work in Force 133 on his return in August 1944, Leslie was employed by the Allied Control Mission in Cairo, and soon after the War met his second wife, Dorothy, a daughter of the Director of Public Works for Southern Rhodesia, where he settled in 1949. Onetime commanding officer of the Recce Unit of the Police Reserve, and latterly Sergeant-at-Arms in the Rhodesian Senate, Leslie died in June 1993, aged 94 years.