This site is a tribute to Les, who was born on December 21, 1927. He is much loved and will always be remembered.

Les, the youngest child from a large family, was born in Stepney, London, making him a true cockney. Like many others, he was evacuated during the war to Devon, an experience he always talked of fondly. Indeed, he often returned to the area for holidays in later years. He was a keen and talented footballer as he was growing up, playing for a team called St Aiden’s. 

The family moved to Ruislip and after leaving school, Les became a vehicle body builder. Ironically, despite working with vehicles for many years, he never learnt to drive himself. His family say he did have a scooter once but after falling off never drove again!

It was through a football team-mate, later to become his brother-in-Law, John, that he met Molly and the couple married in 1970, Les becoming father to her children Sandra and Wayne. Les and Molly were in many ways a great example of how opposites attract; Les quiet and laid-back, Molly forthright and a force to be reckoned with! Their relationship though was a loving one throughout their 47 year marriage and their granddaughter, Tory, remembers how when she was staying with them she always heard them kiss each other and say, ”I love you” before going to bed each night. 

The family moved to Hayes in Middlesex, then later to Newent, where Les worked in a chicken factory. His family remember how he would come home from work wearing a sou’wester and overalls several sizes too large and smelling terrible! He eventually retired at 69.

Les retained a love of sports throughout his life. His absolute passion was football and he was a life-long West Ham supporter. Wayne recalls how he regularly took him to Brentford home games with his uncle, John. Other sports he enjoyed playing included tennis when he was younger and darts. He had a talent for the latter, playing for the Queen Vic team. Indeed, the combination of his small physique and formidable playing ability led to him being called “The Poison Dwarf” by their rivals! He was also a keen spectator and as well as liking to watch cricket and rugby, more recently he had become a fan of women’s wrestling!
Les loved spending time with the family. His grandchildren Tory and Ian spent lots of time with him and Molly, and Tory has many happy memories of him as she was growing up, including how he always encouraged her to get involved in sports, even when they were on holiday. In later years he became a proud grandfather to Adrian, William, James, Alex and Ben, as well as a great-grandfather to Jack, Emily, Jack and Lily, 

Les and Molly enjoyed many lovely holidays together to destinations such as Italy, Spain, Jersey, Guernsey and later Cyprus. They also went on holiday with close family, as well as with Molly’s brother Cyril and his wife Jean. Despite their travels, however, Les was very traditional in his food tastes – very much a “meat and two veg” man according to his family, although he was also fussy about what veg he ate!

When Molly passed away in 2017, Les initially coped better than expected, but he struggled with her loss. Both he and Molly were cared for during their final years by Ian, who lived with them, which ensured Les was able to remain at home and living independently as he wished.

There is so much we are going to miss about this quiet, laid-back, gentle man, with a cheeky sense of humour. We are blessed to have had him as part of our lives and to have shared his journey through this world with him.