Lionel was born in 1922 in West Ham, Essex to Leonard and Betty née Lublinsky who were married in 1919. He had one brother Raymond who was born in 1929. Research is ongoing for further information on the family.

Lionel was an air bomber on Stirling BF528 which departed from RAF Chedburgh on a night operation to Dortmund. The aircraft crashed near Mönchengladbach killing Lionel and the pilot Jack Wilkins. The other five crew were taken prisoners of war, W.S. Clifton-Mogg, A. Mason, B.A. Kennedy, W.A. Leslie and E.T. Hutching.