BORN HULL 20/02/1895. THE ONLY SON OF LEONARD WHITAKER (1866-1942) & LOUISA BROOKS (1865-1931), OF 76 PEEL STREET, HULL. HE HAD TWO OLDER SISTERS, DAISY AND ELSIE. A FORMER HULL & BARNSLEY RAILWAY CLERK, LIVING AT 70 BLAKE STREET, HULL (1911 CENSUS). HE HAD PERSONA REFERENCES FROMREVEREND, WH HEAP, QUEENS HALL, HULL & R PAWLEY, ESQ, CHIEF ENGINERR ATHE H&B RAILWAY LINE.
HE ENLISTED AS A TEENAGER, ON 18/08/1914. TRANSFERRED AS PRIVATE, 15501, “B” COMPANY, 8TH SOMERSET LIGHT INFANTRY, ON 23/10/1914. POSTED TO FRANCE AND LANDED AT LE HAVRE, ON 10/09/1915. THE BATTALION FOUGHT AT LOOS, ON 26/09/1915, WHERE HIS DIVISON SUFFERED 3,800 CASUALTIES. IT ALSO ATTACKED BEAUMONT HAMEL, ON THE SOMME, IN 1916.
DURING THIS TIME, LEONARD WAS PROMOTED TO CORPORAL AND SERGEANT AND WAS OBVIOUSLY A CAPABLE AND EFFICIENT SOLDIER. HE SERVED AT THE FRONT FOR 18 MONTHS. AND RECEIVED HIS COMMISSION ON 29/05/1917. HE HAD ONLY BEEN WITH THE 7TH KING’S YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY (KOYLI), FOR FOUR WEEKS, WHEN HE WAS KILLED, LEADING HIS MEN, ON 16/08/1917, AGED 22. ON THIS DAY THE 7BN KOYLI, CROSSED THE STEENBEEK EARLY IN THE MORNING, WITH THE 7TH SOMERSET LIGHT INFANTRY. THE ADVANCE WAS HELD UP BY FIRE FROM THE BLOCKHOUSES TO THE WEST OF LANGEMAACK VILLAGE. THESE WERE CLEARED BY MEN OF THE THE 7TH KOYLI BATTALION, INCLUDING PRIVATE, WILFRED EDWARDS, WHO WON THE VICTORIA CROSS. LANGEMAACK WAS RETAKEN, HAVING BEEN LOST TO TE GERMANS IN APRIL 1915.
LEONARD WHITAKER LEFT EVERYTHING IN HIS WILL TO HIS MOTHER.
HE IS COMMEMORATED ON THE TYNE COT MEMORIAL, BELGIUM. HIS DEATH, ADDRESS AND PHOTOGRAPH WERE REPORTED IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL, ON 01/09/1917. *
LEONARD WHITAKER IS ALSO REMEMBERED ON HULL’S CLIFTON STREET SCHOOL MEMORIAL.
