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Posted:
Friday 16th April 2010
Source: Stephen Birley
 This
is the early life story of Les (prior to his arrival with
Bernadette to Bradninch in 1976), the words were written by his
brother Tom and read to the packed congregation at his Funeral
by the Dean who conducted the service – and what a service it
was too) – the words that Les’s brother wrote are very deserving
of a wider audience and hence the reason for them being
published here on the Cricket Club website.
Our brother Les………………. Les was born in Battersea, London, on the
16th of July, 1946, his Mother’s 35th birthday….what a wonderful
present for her! It was a birth date he was later to share with
his daughter Tara. Life was pretty tough in the old streets of
Battersea during, and after, the 2nd World War, as it was
elsewhere……………We lived in the only terraced house in the street
without electricity and had gas mantles for lightning a d a
Relay Radio! We sometimes slept three or four in a bed with the
toilet way out in the back-yard…..what luxury!
However, we all survived, even though when Les was a baby our
Mum left him sleeping in his pram outside the local butcher's
shop and went home, and left him there……………….luckily, nobody
wanted him! Then, as a toddler he tumbled head first into the
old tin bath full of water and his sister Joan, yanked him out
by his hair!
When he was about seven or eight Les almost burnt the family
home down when he set light to some comics in the living room
cupboards, and out came the Fire Brigade……………but all we lost
were the lion comics and the family photo’s!
By this time, Les had four brothers and four sisters and was
part of a family of eleven, so you can see he was already used
to being a team player, and many a game of football and cricket
was played was played in the street with goals and wickets drawn
on a wall with chalk…………..we used home made bats and any kind of
ball we could scrounge. Les was always in the thick of
everything and full of life. Our father was always repairing our
school shoes which we wore for everything (there were no
trainers in those days).
He joined in all the pranks we got up to ..like ‘knock down
ginger’ , knocking on the doors of people we disliked and
running away…..with sometimes a dustbin lid or milk bottle
attached to the door with string! (Mind you, it was usually a
policeman who was then to come knocking on our door!!).
Les loved being in Battersea Park, where we often went to the
fun-fair, or were knocking down conkers or simply playing
football on the old dirt pitches and, yes, we were all in those
same old school shoes……………!!
Many times the Chelsea Football team would be training in the
Park and sometimes we were able to get the odd autograph. Hence
his love of Chelsea, which some of us still share!
Les left Secondary School and went to work with our brother Bob
in Battersea and Bermondsay for a tubular construction company.
It was then that his love for greyhound and horse racing took
off…..and with Bob, and other brother Steve, enjoyed many a
night at Wandsworth or Wimbledon Stadium. He then met
Bernadette, and they married in 1973, moving to Bradninch in
1976. With al the family now living in different parts of the
country, each with their own families, we did not get to meet up
too many times over the years.
Most of Les’s life in Bradninch you all know about, and it is no
wonder he took to working and enjoying life in Devon like a
‘duck to water’ because only recently he found out that his
Mum’s grand parents hailed from North Tawton and Beer…(there had
to be an alcoholic connection somewhere!!).
Les was a LOVELY MAN, a gentle giant, who mixed with
everyone……….he loved his life, loved his family, and loved his
sport…………
To say that Les was a star and was brilliant in everything he
did is, of course, debatable, ……………but, when he was a youngster
he had a mop of blond curly hair, and he looked like Shirley
Temple….but then, in his later years, he had the looks of Paul
Newman…….and the charm of Robert Redford!!!! – now that IS STAR
QUALITY………………Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, rolled into one
– that was our Les!
He was indeed truly a STAR to Bernadette, Lucy, Tara and of
course his grandchildren, and all our, love and thoughts are
with them today. He was OUR BROTHER and we love him and he will
NEVER be forgotten.
Rest In Peace Bruv.
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