Robert Leslie's Service in the Canada Air Force

The contributor's grandfather, Robert Leslie (whom the contributor called 'Pa'), was born in Leith in 1915 and lived in East Edinburgh. Robert's father was a grocer on Leith Walk. The family left the UK in 1920, when Robert was about four-and-a-half. The family moved to Winnipeg in Canada as part of a big emigration rush. Pa grew up in Winnipeg and joined the Canadian Air Force. Robert came back to the UK in WW2; the contributor thinks he was one of the first Canada Air Force flights over to the UK. There were military connections through Robert's family, and his father had taken part in WW1.

The contributor believes Robert was based in Digby as there are a lot of photos from around there; Robert took a lot of photos around mess halls and other local sites. Robert met nan at some point; she was born near Newcastle West, County Limerick and had come over from the Republic of Ireland. Margaret signed up and was in the Women's Air Force part, in operating rooms and such places. Robert and Margaret married on 18th July 1944 in London, in the Catholic Church. Pa always had Scottish element, embraced his Scottishness, even as he lived in South England with an Irish wife who had a strong Irish identity. Although Robert was Canadian in upbringing, he still had a sense of coming home. Robert worked in the 1950s in California but frequently came back. Lived in Ireland for a short period but then moved back to UK.

The contributor said that the most important thing is that Robert was such an avid photographer! Also have all the letters Robert was sent, including a letter he was sent when his mum died. Robert didn't normally get letters from his dad but did at this point. Both of Robert's parents died in Canada (mum in 1941; dad lived much longer into the 1950s).

Nan used to set out the tables after the siren had gone for the guys coming back, but there would be empty seats for those who didn't come back. But they didn't talk or dwell on it (sense of stiff upper lip). Pa was so far removed from family, and he lost folk that he served with. This was great sadness to him, especially because he lost his mum when she was so far away, and he saw things when doing flyovers, post-bombing etc. He has the photos, but he didn't speak much about what he'd done or what stories he'd heard. Would've talked about for instance the engines on the planes, the names of places, but not the details, not telling the stories like nan told about the empty tables. What he can't say is in the photo album.

There are some very happy photos of Pa in the album. The contributor gets the sense he had his band of brothers - beaming in some of the photos because he was with the boys! He must have sent home some of these photographs, because he wrote notes about who they were. Darker stuff not talked about as much, but Pa spoke about playing cricket and volleyball, and larking about in a tent!

Pa carried on taking photos after the war too. Also drew a lot and was a good artist but doesn't have the drawings. The contributor said that they really wanted to save everything and pass it on!

Robert died in south of England, but the contributor gravitated back up to Scotland. The contributor said that there was always a family connection to Edinburgh and the contributor drawn back and hasn't left!

The contributor salvaged stuff so that it wouldn't get lost by their cousin's family. Robet held onto things so, the contributor notes, they must have been important. Lots of items came from Robert's bedside drawer after he died. The contributor has a love of photos, and his grandfather must have been the same, as he had such a great quantity of photos!