Leonard George Temple

A Third Engineer Officer with S.S. Kyleglen (Liverpool), Leonard died on 15th of December 1940 aged 27. 

Leonard was born at Great Yarmouth on 12 June 1912, a son of Laura Annie Temple. By September 1913, when Leonard’s mother married Daniel Coleman, his family were living at South Quay, Great Yarmouth. By 1921 his family home was at 57 Norwich Road. It appears that by 1939 Leonard’s mother had married Harry Murray and at that time she was still living at 57 Norwich Road, but in 1940 her home was at 27 North Albion Street, Fleetwood. She later returned to live in Lowestoft.  

Leonard went to sea aged 15 and, initially, worked on Lowestoft drifters. He then joined the Merchant Navy as an engineer. A note in the Fleetwood Chronicle, 7 March 1941, states that Leonard had sailed to Spain during the Spanish Civil War and had many narrow escapes when his ship was bombed in a Spanish harbour. On 3 March 1938 Leonard joined S. S. Stanhall, and he served with the Scottish Minstrel from 9 September 1938 Scottish Minstrel. On 27 February 1939 Leonard joined the S. S.  Kyleglen.

In December 1940 the Kyleglen was part of convoy OB-256. The ship became separated from the convoy and on 14 December, about 300 miles west of Rockall, was struck by torpedo from German submarine U-100. All 36 crew took the lifeboats, but were never seen again.

Leonard’s half-brother, Thomas, a fisherman, died in 1941.