233304, Captain, 2nd Battalion, London Irish Rifles.
Died 19th September 1944 aged 31.
Leslie was the son of John & Ellen Laving and the husband of Janet Laving. (April –June 1941)
On the 19th September 1944 the Battalion were at Kolis where they involved in an assault crossing of the Escaut Canal. Leslie was second in command of “C” Company HQ. Initially, there had been some confusion over the arrival of boats for the assault, due mainly to the fact that they arrived in total darkness. Additionally, the Battalion had only been given a few hours notice about the attack and it was not possible to make full preparations, including a full recconisance of the area.
The assault got underway and, initially, seemed to have caught the emeny by surprise as there was little resistance. Soon, however, the German defenders began to put up a strong fight and it was during this action that Leslie Laving was killed.
He is buried in the Leopoldsburg War Cemetery, Belgium. (4.D.1.)