Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

Humphrey de Verd Leigh, OBE, DFC, AFC (1897–1980) was a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

officer. Leigh's idea during World War II for an anti-submarine spotlight for

Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

was developed and named the Leigh Light.

Early life

Humphrey de Verd Leigh was born at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

on 26 July 1897, the son of Agnes Mary Leigh (1859–1944) and John de Verd Leigh (1861–1947), the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Aldershot from 1889 to 1912. He was christened by his father at that church in August 1897.

Military career

He was commissioned in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in 1915, gaining his Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate as a Flight Sub-Lieutenant on 13 June 1915 at Hendon. He was promoted Flight Lieutenant in 1916 and served in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

(now

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

) flying

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteri ...

s for the relief of

Kut Kūt ( ar, ٱلْكُوت, al-Kūt), officially Al-Kut, also spelled Kutulamare or Kut al-Imara, is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about south east of Baghdad. the estimated population is about 389,400 people. It ...

, and went on to serve in the early

(RAF) 1918–19. Resigning his commission in 1919 Leigh went into business, working for many years in

the Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

in the cotton industry. A Freemason, he was initiated into the Walden Lodge No. 1280 at

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...

in 1921, at which time he gave his profession as 'Engineer'. In 1935 he married Johanna Emily Whitefield Hayes (1910–1999) at Chelsea in London. Their daughter was Ursula de Verd Leigh. In 1939 he and his wife were living at

Great Cumberland Place Great Cumberland Place is a street in the City of Westminster, part of Greater London, England. There is also a hotel bearing the same name on the street. Description The street runs from Oxford Street at Marble Arch to George Street at Bryan ...

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...

in London with Leigh listing his occupation as Sales Manager for a Bituminous Roofing company.

WWII

Upon the outbreak of World War II Leigh re-joined the RAF in September 1939, serving in Personnel and Staff Duties for Coastal Command from 1939 until 1945. His successful development of the Leigh Light, at his own volition and risk, and without approval of his senior commanders at the time made a significant contribution to the Battle of the Atlantic (1942). Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 1 January 1943, having been awarded the Air Force Cross on 8 June 1941, in 1954 he resigned his military commission.

Later life

In his latter years he lived at Richmond Hill in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

in London, and here he died on 6 June 1980. In his will he left £19,221.England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Humphrey De Verd Leigh, 1982: Ancestry.com
/ref>

References

External links

(Vol. I), CHAPTER 14 Battle of the Atlantic, 1942. See note 1

and photo of Wg Cdr de Verd Leigh.
Imperial War Museum

RAF Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leigh, Humphrey Royal Air Force officers Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Officers of the Order of the British Empire English aviators Royal Naval Air Service aviators Royal Navy officers Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War II 1897 births 1980 deaths Military personnel from Aldershot Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England