Second Lieutenant, Royal Engineers
Born: July 20th 1898
Died: November 30th 1917
Age at Death: 19
Killed in action, France, November 30th 1917
Son of William J. Lee of Eaton Place, Brighton.
A donation to the memorial statue has been made in honour of this soldier by the Faull Family (Matthew Faull (BCPS/Ha. 2004-2015).
"We wanted to remember this young man who was killed in action (in the infamous Battle of Cambrai) in November 1917, aged just 19. He had spent 5 (no doubt wonderfully happy) years as a Hampden boy (like our son Matt) before making the ultimate sacrifice."
Maurice & Laura Faull April 2016
Leonard Bernard Lee
Leonard Lee was born on 20th July 1898 in Streatham, London. He was the elder son of William Lee, a stockbroker, and his wife Florence (née Keeble). After both the brothers were born the family moved from London to Brighton and they attended the College. While a pupil Lee played in the 2nd XI cricket team and was a Sergeant in the OTC. On leaving school in summer 1915 Lee immediately volunteered for service in the Royal Engineers and, after undergoing officer training, received his commission in 83rd Field Company, Royal Engineers on 18th February 1916.
The 83rd Field Company was attached to the 20th Light Division which took part in the battle of Mount Sorrel in Spring 1916, the later stages of the Somme campaign in autumn 1916, the advance to the Hindenburg Line in spring 1917. Although it did not take part in the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) it did take part in the Battle of Cambrai, the first massed tank attack in history, in November 1917. In this attack the British, somewhat to their commanders’ surprise, succeeded in completely breaking through the German lines but failed to adequately consolidate their gains. The Germans then responded with a successful counter-attack which experimented not with new weapons, like the British, but new tactics in the form of elite stormtroopers; both the British and German approaches were a foretaste of how the decisive battles of the following year would be fought. It was during the German riposte that on 30th November 1917 Lee was killed in action as the German attacks penetrated right through the British lines to the support troops, such as the engineers, behind.
Lee is buried in the Flesquieres Hill Cemetery, Cambrai, France.
Source: LEST WE FORGET PROJECT, Brighton College 2014/15