Lieutenant Leslie Ward Plaque
Municipality/Province: Ottawa, ON
Memorial number: 35059-272
Type: Plaque
Address: 347 Richmond Road
Location: All Saints' Anglican Church Westboro
GPS coordinates: Lat: 45.3917621 Long: -75.7545399
Submitted by: Richard Turcotte
This plaque, affixed to a bench, was unveiled in memory of Lieutenant Leslie Ward, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve. All Saints' Anglican Church Westboro shares a building with First United Church.
Leslie Ward was born in 1908 in Toronto. Little is known of his life in Toronto other than he was married and his wife continued to reside there after Ward joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve. Following the completion of his training, Ward was assigned to HMCS Athabaskan, remaining with the ship throughout the war. Lieutenant Leslie Ward was killed and lost at sea on 29 April 1944, when his ship was torpedoed by German torpedo boat T-24, off the coast of France. Leslie Ward was 36 years old and is commemorated on the Halifax Memorial.
HMCS Athabaskan was commissioned in Feb 1943 and assigned to the British Home Fleet. In March 1943, she sailed for her first mission patrolling the Iceland-Faeroes Passage area and in Jun 1943, she took part in OP GEARBOX III, the relief of the garrison at Spitsbergen. In Jul and Aug 1943 she was based at Plymouth, carrying out anti-submarine patrols in the Bay of Biscay, and on 27 Aug 1943 was hit by a glider bomb off the Spanish coast. Athabaskan managed to reach Devonport, where she remained under repair until Nov 1943. During the Dec – Jan period , she escorted three convoys after which she returned to Plymouth Command. On 26 Apr 1944 she assisted in the destruction of German torpedo boat T-29 in the Channel off Ushant, and three days later was sunk by a torpedo from T-24 north of Ile de Batz. Her captain and 128 men were lost; among them was Lt Ward.
Inscription found on memorial
To the glory of God and
in loving memory of
Lieutenant Leslie Ward RCNVR
lost in the sinking of HMCS Athabaskan
April 29, 1944
Street view
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