Leonard Pat - The fighting padre: Pat Leonards letters from the trenches 1915-1918

First published in Great Britain in 2010 by

Pen & Sword Military

an imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

47 Church Street

Barnsley

South Yorkshire

S70 2AS

Copyright John Leonard and Philip Leonard-Johnson, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-84884-159-8

eISBN: 978-1-84468-332-1

The right of John Leonard and Philip Leonard-Johnson to be identified as Authors of this Work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.

Typeset in 11/13pt Sabon by Concept, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Printed and bound in England by CPI UK

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Cartoons drawn for Leonard by artist Bruce Bairnsfather when they met in the Trenches. They illustrate an increasingly cheerful Tommy Atkins. ( The Leonard Family )

Family portrait of Leonard (3rd on the right) and his siblings. Note that Hal (on the left) also served on the Western Front until he was wounded in 1918. ( The Leonard Family )

Temporary Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class, M.P.G. Leonard DSO. ( The Leonard Family )

Leonard and his dog Spot in the village of Eecke. Both dog and village are much mentioned. ( The Leonard Family )

Leonard at war end. ( The Leonard Family )

Colonel Smith - popular commanding officer of 8th Battalion, the Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment. ( Kings Own Museum, Lancaster )

Bishop Gwynne, Deputy Chaplain General. ( From Ray Mentzer Photos of the Great War )

Leonards stole and medal ribbons ( The Leonard Family )

One of Leonards field services. ( The Leonard Family )

Revd Tubby Clayton, founder of TocH, outside Talbot House, Poperinghe. ( TocH archieves )

Artillery spotting. ( From Ray Menters Photos of the Great War)

Leaving the trenches over the top. ( From Ray Menterzs Photos of the Great War)

Wounded back in the trenches. ( From Ray Mentzers Photos of the Great War)

Massed Indian cavalry. ( From Ray Mentzers Photos of the Great War)

Boxing match. ( From Ray Mentzers Photos of the Great War)

By bus to the front. ( From Ray Mentzers Photos of the Great War)

RFC crew being debriefed after a sortie. ( TocH archives )

The giant Handley Page bomber. ( From Ray Mentzers Photos of the Great War)

A German Taube aircraft - mentioned frequently. ( From Ray Mentzers Photos of the Great War)

The Upper Room Chapel in Talbot House, Poperinghe, 1917. ( The Leonard Family )

The Upper Room as it is today. ( TocH archives )

One of many letters to bereaved relatives. ( Written by Leonard )