This is the first in a series about residents of Birch Cliff who made the ultimate sacrifice and died in World War II.
The series was inspired by an extraordinary map called The Poppy File that honours Toronto’s war dead.
If you scroll around the map, you can see the addresses of servicemen who died and it doesn’t take long to discover that at least nine soldiers, sailors and airmen from the Birch Cliff area died in World War II.
As we approach Remembrance Day, we’re telling their stories…lest we forget.
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Sgt. Leonard Wilfred Lehman
Leonard Wilfred Lehman was born on October 27, 1923 in Little Current, Ontario, which is on Manitoulin Island.
His family moved to Toronto and Lehman was living at 115 Kalmar Avenue when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942.
Enlisted at age 19
Sixty years ago, young people grew up a lot faster than they do today.
Lehman was just 19 years old when he enlisted and by the age of 20 he was married to Gladys Lola Lehman (nee Truax).
In July of 1943 he headed overseas.
Sergeant Lehman was an air gunner with 432 Squadron and was stationed in Yorkshire, England.
Lancaster DS649
Lancaster bomber training
At first he flew the Wellington, a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber but before long his crew began training on the Lancaster, a heavy bomber.
On November 6, 1943, Lehman was part of a crew of six that took off on a training flight from East Moor airfield, in Yorkshire.
At 5:00pm, the Lancaster’s nose and starboard wing struck a tree and the plane crashed in a field near the village of Terrington.
All six members of the crew, including Lehman, died instantly.
Letter to Lehman’s parents
On November 17, 1942, Lehman’s parents, Mr. Franklin Lehman and Mary Lehman, received the following letter from the Royal Canadian Air Force:
Sgt. Leonard Wilfred Lehman's grave, in Harrogate Stonefall Cemetary, in Yorkshire, England
**R.C.A.F. Station
Yorks, England
17th November, 1943
Dear Mrs. Lehman:
Before you receive this letter you will have been informed by the Air Ministry Records Office of the very sad loss of your son, Sgt. Leonard Wilfred Lehman.
Sgt. Lehman, as Air Gunner, was engaged on a flying exercise with his pilot, Pilot Officer Davis and crew, on Saturday 6th November, 1943, when the aircraft crashed into the ground. There were no survivors.
Your son’s funeral took place at Harrogate on Monday 8th November 1943.
P/O Davis and two other Canadian members of the crew were interred there also.
The Service was conducted by the R.A.F. Chaplain in the Cemetery Chapel, after which his body was interred in Stonefall Cemetery.
Full Service Honours were accorded, the coffin being carried by men of his own Unit, which also provided a Firing Party and the coffin was covered with the Union Jack.
The Last Post was sounded at the end.
May I now express the great sympathy which all of us feel for you in the sad loss you have sustained.
Leonard was an outstanding member of an excellent crew and we feel the loss of him and his comrades, keenly.
I am, yours in sympathy,
A.F. Grant, S/C
Sgt. Leonard Lehman is buried at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetary in Yorkshire England.
