Leslie was born on 27 July 1913 in Old Harbour, St Catherine, Jamaica to Jamaican parents Cyril and Ivy nee Barrow and had two sisters Phyllis and Thelma. An older brother had died aged six months. Cyril who was a produce dealer died four weeks before Leslie was killed. Before enlisting Leslie worked as a clerk for a fruit producer and regularly travelled to England. Leslie married Lorna Dear on 9 July 1940 in Kingston, Jamaica before travelling to England to enlist.

Leslie was an air gunner on Lancaster R5516 which departed RAF Waddington on a night operation to Essen. The aircraft was shot down by a night- fighter, Mjr Gunther Radusch NJG1 and crashed in the North Sea whether outbound or home-bound cannot be established. Four of the crew were never found and three bodies were washed up on the Dutch coast.

Pilot, 76009, Leslie Oscar Halls DFC, Runnymede Memorial.

F/E, 116488, Roger Mortlock Ranson, buried Bergen op Zoom War Cemetery. His body washed up on Callantsoog beach on 28 June.

Nav, 1013747, John Alfred Bloomfield, Runnymede Memorial.

B/A, 1380961 Allan Blyth Croft, Runnymede Memorial Panel.

A/G, 1384447 Sgt Leslie Stanhope Melhado, Bergen General Cemetery. His body washed up at Schoorl on 12 July.

A/G, 1378215 Handel Jones, Texel (Den Burg) Cemetery. His body washed up south of De Slufter at De Cocksdorp on 9 June.

Pilot, Roger Ranson, 116488, buried Bergen General Cemetery

W/O A/G, 777667 Abe Isadore Gottlieb, Runnymede Memorial. Abe was also Jewish and has a Memorial page on the website.