Officers of the British Army 1939-1945 -- L

British Army Officers
1939-1945

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Lamonby, K.B.
to
Lyon-Clark, A.W.P.

K.B. Lamonby to A.W.P. Lyon-Clark

Lamonby,
Kenneth Butler

Son of Harold and Dora
Lamonby, of Colchester,
Essex.

1920 ?
-
11.07.1943
[age 23]
[Suda Bay War
Cemetery,
Greece, 13.E.12]

Cadet	?
2nd Lt.	14.12.1940 [160965]
WS/Lt.	?

?	-	14.12.1940	Officer Cadet Training Unit
14.12.1940			commissioned, The Suffolk Regiment [emergency commission]
?	-	11.07.943	seconded, Special Boat Service, Special Air Service Regiment, Army Air Corps

Lampier,
John Francis Rex

07.07.1915
Truro
-
23.11.1973
Beaconsfield,
Buckinghamshire

2nd Lt.	29.11.1941 [219629]
WS/Lt.	01.10.1942
A/Capt.	15.09.1943-(04.1944)
WS/Capt.	03.06.1945
T/Maj.	03.06.1945-(04.1946)
Capt. TA	01.05.1947, seniority 03.06.1945
Hon. Maj.	13.05.1955

29.11.1941			commissioned, Royal Regiment of Artillery [emergency commission]
01.05.1947	-	13.05.1955	served Territorial Army
13.05.1955	-	07.07.1965	Territorial Army Reserve of Officers [age limit]

Assistant bank manager.

Lander,
John

Son of John Meads Lander
and Jessie Lander, of
Chilwell, Nottinghamshire.

1895 ?
-
13.07.1943
(KIA) [age 47]
[Catania War Cemetery, Sicily, IV.C.33]

T/2nd Lt.	? [30338] (reld 01.09.1921; retaining rank of 2nd Lt.)
Lt.	01.07.1926
Capt.	03.06.1930
Bt. Maj.	01.01.1936
Maj.	30.03.1939

TD	03.04.1942	-
14\|15 St	-	-
BWM 14\|20	-	-
VM	-	-

Education: University of Birmingham (BSc)

?	-	01.09.1921	commissioned, Sherwood Foresters (SR) - Regular Forces (served in France & Belgium 02.08.1915-19.10.1917)
01.09.1921?	-	30.06.1924	served, Sherwood Foresters (SR) - Territorial Army
01.07.1924	-	(06.1933)	transferred, Royal Corps of Signals (46th (North Midland) Divisional Signals) (Derby)
(01.1937)	-	(01.1939)	236th Field Artillery Signal Section (Chesterfield)
24.08.1939			mobilized TA
18.03.1942			transferred, Glider Pilot Regiment - Army Air Corps
06.1942	-	13.07.1943	Officer Commanding, 21st Independent Parachute Company (killed when the plane he travelled in was shot down over Sicily)

Lane,
Leonard Patrick

Son of Denis Lane, farmer.
Married (25.03.1916,
London) Elsie Elizabeth
Cullen; one son (Fusilier
Leonard Patrick Lane, Royal
Northumberland Fusiliers,
kiled in action 31.05.1940 at
De Panne, Belgium), two
daughters.

17.03.1891
Kilumney, Ovens, Co. Cork, Ireland
-

Pte. ?	1915 [10792]
T/2nd Lt.	09.10.1918 [48045] (reld 1920; retaining rank of 2nd Lt.)
2nd Lt.	15.01.1941 [161813]
WS/Lt.	15.07.1942 (reld < 04.1946) (reactivated, or never formally released?)
T/Capt.	?
Hon. Capt.	< 04.1946
WS/Capt.	? (reld 29.05.1949)
T/Maj.	?
Hon. Maj.	29.05.1949

Served Irish Constabulary, then Hong Kong Police (1912-1915).

1915			joined Irish Guards
09.10.1918			commissioned, Royal Highlanders
			transferred to Chinese Labour Corps
Inspector of police, Hong Kong, 1920s-1938.
15.01.1941			commissioned, Royal Regiment of Artillery [emergency commission]

Lane-Joynt,
Philip Robert

From Heckfield.

24.12.1901
-
died between 02.1967 and 02.1985

2nd Lt.	23.12.1921 [12118]
Lt.	23.12.1923
Capt.	04.04.1935
Maj.	23.12.1938
A/Lt.Col.	17.07.1944-16.10.1944
T/Lt.Col.	17.10.1944-(01.1946)
Lt.Col.	10.08.1947 (supernumerary 10.08.1950) (retd 29.08.1952)

DSO

01.03.1945

NW Europe

23.12.1921			commissioned into The Royal Irish Rifles
16.08.1922			transferred to The Prince of Wales's Volunteers
04.04.1935			transferred to The South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers)
19.02.1936	-	28.01.1938	employed wIth the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF)
17.07.1944	-	11.1944	Commanding Officer, 8th Battalion The Royal Scots
10.08.1947			transferred to the Employed List
29.08.1952	-	09.02.1957	Regular Army Reserve of Officers [age limit]

Lapraik,
John Neilson

From Glasgow.

13.09.1915
-
03.1985
Chiltern and Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire

Cadet	?
2nd Lt.	25.05.1940 [132519]
WS/Lt.	23.06.1941
A/Capt.	?
T/Capt.	23.06.1941-(04.1944)
WS/Capt.	23.08.1943
local Maj.	01.10.1943-(04.1944)
T/Maj.	06.04.1944-(04.1946)
Maj.	13.09.1949, seniority 20.01.1948
local Lt.Col.	?
A/Lt.Col.	10.06.1952-12.09.1953
Lt.Col.	13.09.1953, seniority 10.06.1952
Bt. Col.	10.05.1956

DSO	18.10.1945	gallant & distinguished services in the field
OBE	09.08.1945	gallant & distinguished services in the field
MC	19.08.1941	Middle East
MC	03.02.1944	gallant & distinguished services in the field
TD	14.09.1956	?
MID	25.01.1945	gallant & distinguished services in the field

Lion of Judah (Abessynia); Military Cross, Class B (Greece) (14.10.1949)

Education: High School of Glasgow (1927-1934)
Qualified as a lawyer.

?	-	25.04.1940	Officer Cadet Training Unit
25.05.1940			commissioned, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders [emergency commission]
			seconded, Special Boat Squadron
			transferred, Special Air Service Regiment, Army Air Corps - Territorial Army

Honorary Colonel, The Artists Rifles, 01.04.1973-01.01.1983.

Lascelles,
Reginald George
"Pip"

14.09.1908
-
1985
Somerset

2nd Lt.	31.01.1929 [41140]
Lt.	31.01.1932
Capt.	01.08.1938
A/Maj.	22.04.1941-21.07.1941
T/Maj.	22.07.1941-07.09.1943
WS/Maj.	08.09.1943
A/Lt.Col.	08.06.1943-07.09.1943
T/Lt.Col.	08.09.1943-(01.1946)
Maj.	31.01.1946 (retd 24.07.1950)
Hon. Lt.Col.	24.07.1950

31.01.1929			commissioned, Royal Regiment of Artillery
(03.1931)			21st Field Brigade, RA (Catterick)
(06.1933)			1st Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA (Blackdown)
(01.1937)			24th Mountain Brigade, RA (Quetta)
(01.1939)			20th Mountain Regiment, RA (Quetta)
25.10.1940	-	(04.1941)	General Staff Officer, 3rd grade (GSO3), Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence, General Staff Branch, HQ Staff of the Army in India
(1944)	-	(1945)	Commanding Officer, 1st Indian Anti-Tank Regiment (Mayu Peninsula, Arakan)
01.10.1945	-	(04.1946)	a Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General, War Office
24.07.1950	-	27.05.1964	Regular Army Reserve of Officers [age limit]

Lassen,
Anders Frederik Emil Victor Schau
A.F.E.V.S. Lassen

Son of Emil Victor Schau
Lassen and Suzanne Maria
Signe Lassen, of Nyhavn,
Copenhagen, Denmark.

Wikipedia
biographical sketch

22.09.1920
Høvdingegård, Denmark
-
09.04.1945
Commachio, Italy
(KIA) [age 24]
[Argenta Gap War Cemetery, Italy, II.E.11]

2nd Lt.	20.05.1942 [234907]
WS/Lt.	20.11.1942
WS/Capt.	13.09.1943
T/Maj.	09.10.1944-09.04.1945

VC	04.09.1945	Italy *
MC	21.02.1946 [07.12.1942]	gallant & distinguished services in the field
MC	21.02.1946 [27.09.1943]	gallant & distinguished services in the field
MC	21.02.1946 [15.02.1944]	gallant & distinguished services in the field

* In Italy, on the night of 8th/9th April, 1945, Major Lassen was ordered to take out a patrol and raid the north shore of Lake Comacchio. His task was to cause casualties, capture prisoners and give the impression of a major landing. The patrol was challenged and came under machine-gun fire. Major Lassen himself attacked with grenades and silenced two enemy posts, capturing two prisoners and killing several Germans. The patrol had suffered casualties and was still under fire. Major Lassen moved forward and flung more grenades into a third enemy position, calling upon the enemy to surrender. He was then hit and mortally wounded, but whilst falling he flung a grenade, wounding more of the enemy and enabling his patrol to capture this last position. Finally, he refused to be evacuated lest he should impede the withdrawal and endanger further lives. His high sense of devotion to duty and the esteem in which he was held by the men he led, added to his own magnificent courage, enabled Major Lassen to carry out with complete success all the tasks he had been given.

1940			joined the British Army as a private in The Buffs
02.1941			joined the British Commandos
20.05.1942			commissioned, General List [emergency commission] [not borne on the published Army List]
?	-	09.04.1945	Special Boat Service, Special Air Service Regiment, Army Air Corps (killed in action, Italy)
27.06.1947			posthumously transferred from General List to The Buffs, with effect from 01.03.1943

Laurance,
Patrick Knowles
P. Laurance

24.12.1919
Southend-on-Sea
-
11.01.2008

Cadet	?
2nd Lt.	13.12.1942 [261292]
WS/Lt.	13.06.1943
T/Capt.	?

MID

19.07.1945

Italy

13.12.1942

commissioned, Royal Army Service Corps [emergency commission]

Laurence,
[Sir] Peter Harold
P.H. Laurence

From Quetta.

Telegraph obituary

18.02.1923
-
26.11.2007

Cadet	?
2nd Lt.	18.04.1942 [232555]
WS/Lt.	18.10.1942
A/Capt.	1944?
T/Capt.	08.01.1945-(04.1946)

KCMG 1981 (CMG 1976); MC 03.08.1944 (Italy); DL

18.04.1942

commissioned, The King's Royal Rifle Corps [emergency commission]

HM Diplomatic Service.

Lawson,
Francis Ryall
F.R. Lawson

Son of Thomas and Emily
Henrietta Lawson, of Dublin,
Irish Republic.
Husband of Barbara
Lawson, of Cheltenham.

1913 ?
-
22.11.1945
[age 32]
[Gloucester Old
Cemetery,
Gloucestershire,
plot B, grave
10176]

Cadet	?
2nd Lt.	01.03.1941 [176155]
WS/Lt.	01.09.1942

			Officer Cadet Training Unit
01.03.1941			commissioned, The Gloucestershire Regiment [emergency commission]

Laycock,
[Sir] Robert Edward

Leaphard,
Clark Edmond John
C.E.J. Leaphard

Son of Charles Edmund and Claire Isabel Leaphard.
Brother of Capt. M.J.A. Marshall.
Married Buxey Cooper from Hove, Sussex; one daughter.

28.04.1913
-
14.12.1996
Thailand

2nd Lt.	21.12.1940 [164608]
WS/Lt.	21.06.1942
A/Capt.	10.07.1943-09.10.1943
T/Capt.	10.10.1943-12.09.1944
WS/Capt.	13.09.1944
T/Maj.	13.09.1944-14.09.1944, 20.11.1944-12.03.1948
Lt.	21.12.1946, seniority 28.04.1939
Capt.	21.12.1946, seniority 01.07.1946
T/Maj.	20.01.1949-27.04.1949
Maj.	28.04.1949 (Employed List 5 12.07.1962-15.06.1965) (retd 28.04.1958)

21.06.1945

NW Europe

			served in the ranks for 162 days
21.12.1940			commissioned, The Gloucestershire Regiment [emergency commission to 20.12.1946]
14.10.1941			transferred, Reconnaissance Corps - Royal Armoured Corps
			attached, No. 12 Commando
30.05.1943 (06.1944)	- -	1945 (08.1944)	attached, No. 6 Commando Officer Commanding, No. 6 Troop
29.11.1945			transferred, Parachute Regiment - Army Air Corps
21.12.1946			permanent commission, Royal Armoured Corps
16.08.1947			transferred, The Queen's Bays
01.01.1959			transferred, Queen's Dragoon Guards

Leaphard,
Marshall John Adam
"Spot"
M.J.A. Leaphard

Son of Charles Edmund and Claire Isabel Leaphard.
Brother of Maj. C.E.J. Leaphard.

1915 ?
-
30.01.1945
(KIA) [age 30]
[Nederweert
War Cemetery,
The Netherlands,
IV.E.2]

2nd Lt.	12.07.1941 [197175]
WS/Lt.	01.10.1942
A/Capt. ? T/Capt. ? WS/Capt. ?	?

12.07.1941			commissioned, The Gloucestershire Regiment [emergency commission]
10.08.1941			transferred, Reconnaissance Corps - Royal Armoured Corps
30.05.1943 30.05.1943 09.06.1944	- - -	30.01.1945 08.06.1944 30.01.1945	attached, No. 6 Commando No. 3 Troop Officer Commanding, No. 1 Troop

Lee,
Geoffrey Charles
G.C. Lee

11.06.1914
-
01.2004
Salisbury,
Wiltshire

Lt.	27.05.1940 [131410]
A/Capt.	01.05.1941-31.07.1941
T/Capt.	01.08.1941-04.05.1943
WS/Capt.	05.05.1943
A/Maj.	05.02.1943-04.05.1943
T/Maj.	05.05.1943-30.06.1943, 13.05.1946-10.06.1950
Lt.	30.01.1946, seniority 11.06.1937
Capt.	30.01.1946, seniority 11.06.1945
Maj.	11.06.1950
T/Lt.Col.	03.05.1956-31.03.1958
Lt.Col.	01.04.1958 (retd 11.06.1969)

MID

11.01.1945

Italy

27.05.1940			commissioned into the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (as Ordnance Mechanical Engineer 4th Class (with rank of Lieutenant)) [emergency commission to 29.01.1946]
01.10.1942			transferred to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (as Electrical Mechanical Engineer 4th Class (with rank of Lieutenant))
30.01.1946	-	11.06.1969	permanent commission:
15.08.1947	-	21.07.1950	Deputy Assistant Director Mechanical Engineers (DADME) (Organisation), HQ EA [= East Africa?] Command
15.08.1961	-	29.10.1964	Assistant Director Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (ADEME), HQ Northern Command

MBIM, later FBIM.

Lees,
Thomas William
T.W. Lees

21.11.1913
-
11.1995
Wiltshire

Staff Sergeant	?
2nd Lt.	15.03.1941 [175973]
WS/Lt.	?
Lt. (Electrical Mechanical Assistant Engineer)	01.11.1943
WS/Capt. (Electrical Mechanical Assistant Engineer)	15.03.1944
Capt. (Electrical Mechanical Assistant Engineer)	01.11.1946, seniority 15.03.1944 (reld 24.03.1948)
T/Maj. (Electrical Mechanical Assistant Engineer)	14.10.1945-(04.1946)
Hon. Maj.	24.03.1948

15.03.1941			commissioned, Royal Army Ordnance Corps [Motor Mechanics Branch] [emergency commission to 31.10.1946]
01.10.1942			transferred, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
01.11.1946	-	24.03.1948	short service commission

Leese,
Sir Oliver William Hargreaves

Le Fanu,
[Sir] George Victor Sheridan
G.V.S. Le Fanu

Son of late Maj.Gen. Roland Le Fanu, DSO, MC, and Marguerite (née Lumsden).
Married (1956) Elizabeth,
daughter of late Major Herbert Hall and Kitty (née Gauvain); three sons.

Independent obituary

24.01.1925
-
05.02.2007
London

2nd Lt.	01.10.1943 [295094]
WS/Lt.	01.04.1944
2nd Lt.	06.03.1946, seniority 24.01.1946
Lt.	24.07.1947
A/Capt.	27.02.1947-26.05.1947
T/Capt.	27.05.1947-23.01.1952
Capt.	24.01.1952
T/Maj.	09.12.1952-(02.1957)
Maj.	24.01.1959 (retd 28.02.1963)

KCVO

13.06.1987

HM's birthday

Education: Shrewsbury School; Staff College, Camberley (1959; psc)

			served in the ranks for 245 days
01.10.1943			commissioned, The Coldstream Guards [emergency commission to 05.03.1946]
28.05.1944	-	15.07.1944	2nd Battalion The Coldstream Guards (Italy [wounded])
09.09.1944	-	(1945?)	2nd Battalion The Coldstream Guards
06.03.1946			permanent commission
1949	-	1952	Assistant Adjutant, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
1952	-	1955	Adjutant, 2nd Battalion The Coldstream Guards
1960	-	1961	Staff Captain to Vice-Quartermaster-General to the Forces, War Office
1961	-	1963	General Staff Officer, 2nd grade (GSO2), Headquarters London District

Deputy Assistant Serjeant at Arms, House of Commons 1963-76, Assistant Serjeant at Arms 1976-81, Deputy Serjeant at Arms 1981-82, Serjeant at Arms 1982-89.
Chairman, Morley College, 1993-. Trustee, Wall Trust, 1991-.

Le Fanu,
Roland
R. Le Fanu

Married Marguerite Lumsden; at least one son.

02.06.1887
-
died between
06.1947 and
02.1957

2nd Lt.	04.11.1908 [4301]
Lt.	14.09.1911
Capt.	11.11.1914
Maj.	02.03.1928
Bt. Lt.Col.	01.07.1929
Col.	22.12.1935, seniority 01.07.1932
Maj.Gen.	29.08.1939, seniority 19.07.1938 (retd 26.10.1940)

DSO	16.08.1938	Waziristan
MC	01.01.1919	?
MID	17.10.1939	?
CdeG	29.01.1919	?

Order "Al Rafidain" Fourth Class (Iraq) (29.10.1929)

Education: psc, ns

			served in the ranks for 2 years, 125 days
04.11.1908			commissioned into the Leicestershire Regiment
...			...
01.03.1932	-	25.04.1935	GSO2, War Office
22.12.1935	-	31.07.1939	GSO1, Rawalpindi District (India)
29.08.1939	-	23.08.1940	General Officer Commanding, 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division (UK)
26.10.1940	-	02.06.1947	Regular Army Reserve of Officers

Lentaigne,
Walter David Alexander

see:

Indian Army

Lever,
the Rev. Clifford

?
-

[perhaps:
21.12.1899
-
08.1987
Droxford,
Hampshire ??]

Chaplain to the Forces 4th class

03.07.1939 [...] (ranking as Capt.)

03.07.1939			commissioned, Royal Army Chaplain's Department - Reserve of Officers [Methodist]
24.08.1939	-	(04.1946)	mobilized

Published: On my heart too! : the epic of Calais, 1940 (1943)

Lewes,
John Steel
"Jock"
J.S. Lewes

Son of Arthur Harold and Elsie Steel Lewes, of Hanworth, Middlesex.

Wikipedia

21.12.1913
-
30.12.1941
(KIA) [age 28]
[Alamein Memorial, column 53]

2nd Lt.	28.10.1939 [65419]
WS/Lt.	?

Education: M.A. (Oxon.): Christchurch College. President O.U.B.C., 1937.

28.10.1939			commissioned, Welsh Guards [emergency commission]
			founding member of the Special Air Service (SAS)
?	-	30.12.1941	seconded, "L" Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade (killed in action while returning from Nofilia airfield raid when the truck he was travelling in was attacked by a Messerschmitt)

Literature: John Lewes, Jock Lewes : co-founder of the SAS (2000)

Lewis,
Cyril Kenneth Hugh
C.K.H. Lewis

?
-
1989
Surrey

2nd Lt.	19.09.1942 [245276]
WS/Lt.	? (reld 18.04.1944; ill-health)
Hon. Lt.	18.04.1944

19.09.1942			commissioned, Reconnaissance Regiment - Royal Armoured Corps [emergency commission]
			served in North Africa

Lewis,
John Theodore
J.T. Lewis

?
-

2nd Lt.	22.04.1942 [232642]
WS/Lt.	22.10.1942

22.04.1942

commissioned, Royal Regiment of Artillery [emergency commission]

Lewis,
John Thomas

10.08.1908
-
12.1997
Kings Lynn,
Norfolk

2nd Lt.	11.01.1942 [223715]
WS/Lt.	01.10.1942
Lt.	01.12.1946, seniority 11.01.1942
Capt.	10.12.1948, seniority 11.01.1948
Lt. (QM)	01.12.1951, seniority 25.05.1951
Maj. (QM)	29.11.1953 (retd 01.09.1956)

11.01.1942			commissioned, Corps of Royal Engineers [emergency commission]