Memories of Leon Fielder. 1926 — 2009 

Principled, courageous, a wise counsellor, a loving faithful husband, a devoted Father and Grandfather, a Christian and a warm gentle courteous man. These were just some of the qualities of Leon Fielder.  Leon was born in Islington London in 1926, the third child of Walter, a silversmith, and Maria, a World War 1 refugee from Belgium.  From 1930 Leon attended the local Catholic elementary school, with his brother Wally and his sister Simonne.  In 1937 Leon joined his elder brother Wally at Saint Ignatius College, Stamford Hill, not renowned for being gentle with its pupils!  In 1939/40 Leon and Wally were evacuated to Welwyn Garden City with the school, but still cycled home each weekend despite the blackout and the air raids.  They lived in some very rough places and not always together; in one billet Leon had to wash and dress the many children of the family.  1942  Leon matriculated and, despite his headmasters protests, transferred to Enfield Grammar School to study science. He recalled diving under a lab bench during an air raid, in the middle of his chemistry exam!

1944…. Leon went to read Electrical Engineering at Queen Mary College, London, which had been evacuated to Cambridge. Here he developed a passion for rowing, though at one point he was thrown out of the college team for being too light!  After graduation Leon began his deferred National Service; in 1946 after his initiation course, he declined officer training, but later accepted, on his Fathers urging, to make it his career. He joined the Officer Training Cadet Unit, where the sergeant major delighted in making their lives as uncomfortable as possible. At that time heavy rain caused severe flooding in Maidenhead, and Leon was awarded a bravery citation for saving the lives of six people in his assault boat which was being swept away. He jumped into the fierce current and secured the craft to a lamp post.

 Commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1948, Leon served in England and then Germany where he was in charge of transport. Keeping the vehicles moving on the roads was a difficult job due to the widespread war damage.  Ever the intrepid experimenter, Leon’s first car was a hybrid, which had the body of a V W on the chassis of an Opel.

 On Christmas leave from Paisley in Scotland.in1954, Leon went home to East Grinstead, and first saw Ann his future wife, then a student at Chelsea College, Eastbourne.  Ann and Leon were married at Our Lady and St. Peter’s in East Grinstead on 18th August 1956, leaving the church under an arch of raised swords. This was the start of their long, devoted and happy marriage, blessed with eight children and numerous grandchildren.

 Leon was knowledgeable on many subjects, with an amazing memory and fierce powers of analysis, and also had a gift for languages speaking Latin and fluent French.  Musically, Leon loved everything from the classics to swing to jazzy blues. He had an amazing voice singing alto, tenor or bass with ease.

Following a successful career in the army, on retiring, Leon was for three years a technical representative for a company which took him all over the world, following which he was a Civil Servant in the MoD until finally retiring in 1988.   He lived in East Sussex for his last 25 years, near to his brother and sister.

Leon always involved himself in church life, first as a choirboy then in his teens as leader of the junior Knights of St Colombia. He was in many church choirs, and at St. Stephens, Welling, sang in the Old Time Music Hall concerts.  At St. Wilfrid’s , Hailsham, he was treasurer for many years. In his 70′s he mastered a Windows computer, and later transferred all the church ledger accounts, and also his own accounts to spreadsheets on his laptop.

Leon was very proud of his wife and family and had an exceptional affinity with his grandchildren,  He is very special to them all.  His natural warmth and interest in people generated much love and affection from both inside and outside his family. He was an essential presence at every important family and wider event for over fifty years. Ann has been a wonderful, capable and selfless loving wife and mother. No one could have followed their wedding vows more thoroughly, especially during the last three years of Leon’s life. She gave him total love and care, which Leon lovingly acknowledged.

Leon will be remembered by Ann, his children, their wives and husbands, his grandchildren and wider families, all his many friends and the many people he helped, influenced and inspired throughout his life.

 May He Rest In Peace