Leslie Adams (14 November 1909 – 31 January 1945), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "Juicy", was an English professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played at representative level for

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and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, and at club level for

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

(two spells, including the second as a

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Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

and

Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins the ...

, as a .

Background

Les 'Juicy' Adams' birth was registered in

district,

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, England, and he died aged 35 in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

Playing career

International honours

Adams won caps for

while at Leeds in 1931 against Wales, while at Castleford in 1936 against Wales, in 1939 against France, and won a cap for

while at Leeds on Saturday 18 June 1932 against Australia at Brisbane Cricket Ground (the Gabba).

County honours

He won caps playing for

while at Castleford in the 0–10 defeat by Cumberland at

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It is th ...

's stadium on 29 September 1934, the 5–5 draw with Lancashire at

' stadium on 9 January 35, the 16–5 victory over Lancashire at

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...

' stadium on 12 October 1935, the 16–10 victory over Cumberland at

Workington Town Workington Town R.L.F.C. is a semi-professional rugby league club playing in Workington in west Cumbria. Their stadium is Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team. They became Rugby League Champions in 1951 and ...

's stadium on 10 October 1936, the 6–28 defeat by Lancashire at

's stadium on 21 October 1936, and the 7–7 draw with Cumberland at

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...

's stadium on 10 November 1937.

Challenge Cup Final appearances

He played in

' 11–8 victory over Swinton in the

1931–32 Challenge Cup The 1931–32 Challenge Cup was the 32nd staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup. First round Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1931-32 Challenge Cup Challeng ...

Final during the 1931–32 season at

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on Saturday 7 May 1932, played in

's 21–17 victory over

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

in the

1932–33 Challenge Cup The 1932–33 Challenge Cup was the 33rd staging of rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a ...

Final during the 1932–33 season at

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London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on Saturday 6 May 1933, and played , and scored a

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's 11–8 victory over

in the

1934–35 Challenge Cup The 1934–35 Challenge Cup was the 35th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup. First round Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final Castleford beat Huddersfield Giants, Huddersfield 11–8 in the fin ...

Final during the 1934–35 season at

on Saturday 4 May 1935, in front of a crowd of 39,000, In doing so, he became the first player to win the Challenge Cup with three different clubs.

County League appearances

Adams played in Castleford's victories in the Yorkshire League during the 1932–33 season and 1938–39 season.

Club career

He made his début for

against Featherstone Rovers at Headingley,

on 26 March 1927.Dalby, Ken (1955). ''The Headingley Story - 1890-1955 - Volume One - Rugby''. The Leeds Cricket, Football & Athletic Co. Ltd ASIN: B0018JNGVM His transfer from Huddersfield to Castleford on 18 January 1934, for a reported fee of £500, came at his own request.

Genealogical information

Leslie Adams' marriage to Gladys (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Collinson) was registered in June 1934 in

North district. They had children; June M. Adams, born in March 1937 and registered in

North district. Adams was the uncle of the

footballer who played in the 1960s for

and Bramley,

Philip Adams Sir Philip George Doyne Adams KCMG (17 December 1915 – 14 October 2001) was a British career diplomat. He was born in Wellington, New Zealand and was educated at Lancing College, Sussex, before going on to read Philosophy, Politics and Eco ...

(born ).

Death

Adams became a landlord in Leeds, and subsequently volunteered for war duty with the

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) and ...

, becoming a rear gunner with the rank of flight sergeant. He was killed in action on 31 January 1945 while serving as an air gunner on an

aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of ima ...

operation during the Burma campaign. The Liberator B Mk V in which he was flying suffered fatal engine trouble caused by bullets from a Japanese night fighter at 3:10 am south-west of

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

British Burma British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. Of the nine men on the plane, three of the occupants, including Adams, are believed to have trapped in the back of the plane, causing them to be killed in the crash. The remaining six men were captured, the 2 officers were separated from the Flight Sergeants and sent to Rangoon Jail, where they survived. The Flight Sergeants, including

Stan Woodbridge Flight Sergeant Stanley James Woodbridge, (29 August 1921 – 7 February 1945), known as Stan Woodbridge, was a British Second World War recipient of the George Cross. He was born in Chelsea, London, and during the Second World War served as a ...

, later awarded the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...

, were beheaded by the Japanese Military on 7 February 1945, and are buried in the

Taukkyan War Cemetery The Taukkyan War Cemetery ( my, ထောက်ကြံ့ စစ်သင်္ချိုင်း) is a cemetery for Allied soldiers from the British Commonwealth who died in battle in Burma during the Second World War. The cemetery is in th ...

. After the war the Japanese military officers responsible for the execution were tried for war crimes, and were subsequently executed. Despite numerous searches of the area around the crash site, and discussions with villagers who found the plane, no trace of the body of Adams, or his colleagues, was found.

Honoured at Castleford Tigers

Adams is a Tigers Hall of Fame Inductee.

References

External links

Les 'Juicy' Adams – RAF rear gunnerFinal replay evokes emotional feelingsLeslie Adams Memory Box Search at archive.castigersheritage.comLes Adams Memory Box Search at archive.castigersheritage.comJuicy Adams Memory Box Search at archive.castigersheritage.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Leslie 1909 births 1945 deaths Military personnel from Leeds Aviators killed by being shot down Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Castleford Tigers players England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Great Britain national rugby league team players Huddersfield Giants players Leeds Rhinos players Royal Air Force airmen Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Leeds Yorkshire rugby league team players