History of Kilburn and West Hampstead

The writer Leslie Thomas died at his home in Lymington near Salisbury on 6 May 2014, aged 83. He wrote over 30 books including an autobiography, ‘In My Wildest Dreams’, (1984). His books always show his great sense of humour.  In the 1950s he lived in Willesden and his Dangerous Davies books are set here.   Leslie Thomas 1991, by Kevin Beaty, Getty Images Leslie was born in Newport on 22 March 1931 and had a happy, but poor childhood. In March 1943 his father, who was serving in the Merchant Navy, was a fireman on the SS Empire Whale. It was part of a convoy when it was torpedoed by the German submarine U662 in the South Atlantic. His father aged 52, was one of the 47 people who died, there were only 10 survivors. In October the same year his mother died of cancer, and Leslie aged 12 and his nine-year old brother Roy, were sent as orphans to Dr Barnardo’s Homes, first in Devon and then to Kingston in South London.  When he was leaving the Superintendent of the orphanage a...