Soldier Record
Leslie Tinnams
Contributed by: Martin Rix, on 2008-11-12
| Rank | |
|---|---|
| First Name | Leslie |
| Surname | Tinnams |
| Year of Birth | 1899 |
| Year of Death | 2001 |
| Regiment | Wiltshire Regiment |
| Place of Wartime Residence | Bratton/Westbury, Wiltshire |
Leslie's Story
He lived through 3 centuries and died age 102. He was awarded the Legion d'Honneur on his 100th Birthday surrounded by friends and family. As a member of the First World War Veterans Association he made a trip back to France in 1999 without a passport (the veterens were told they didn't need one the last time they were there back in 1917!! He remembers the days in the trenches when he said he never slept, the trench railway that took them to the front line. He hated the taste of grog (rum and water) but was always ordered to drink it. The trenches were hell - full of water, mud and rats.
Lived through three centuries. He once said "in war there are no winners"
Times were hard, he had lost his mother to childbirth at age of 1 and his father died when he was just 15, 2 years later he was at war.
Another soldier he was with had a bullet enter his helmet spin round the back and lodge the other side of his head - a very lucky escape.
No additional memories have been submitted