British sailor
Charles Symonds Leaf, FSA (13 November 1895 – 19 February 1947) was a British sailor who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.[1] He contributed to the design and build of the Merlin Rocket sailing dinghy.
Biography
Leaf was educated at Harrow School, an all-boys independent boarding school, and at Trinity College, Cambridge.[2]
Leaf was an amateur archaeologist.[3] On 11 January 1934, he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA).[4] He donated the majority of his archaeological finds to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.[2]
In 1936 he was a crew member of the British boat Lalage which won the gold medal in the 6 metre class.
On 22 August 1917, Leaf married Catherine Blanche Kay-Shuttleworth, daughter of Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baron Shuttleworth.[5] They had two children. His daughter Freydis went on to be one of the first women to qualify for RAF wings.[6]
Military service
Leaf served in the British Army during the First World War. On 18 October 1914, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 5th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment).[7] He was promoted to temporary lieutenant on 22 January 1916.[8] He was seconded to the Machine Gun Corps (MGC) on 3 April 1917.[9] He was promoted to substantive lieutenant on 12 May 1917 with seniority in that rank from 1 June 1916.[10] He ceased to be employed by the MGC on 30 December 1918,[11] and rejoined his regiment the same day.[12]
He served in the Royal Marines during the Second World War. He was commissioned in the Royal Marines as a probationary temporary lieutenant on 21 June 1943.[13] His commission was confirmed on 21 December 1943 and he became a temporary lieutenant.[14] His commission was terminated on 27 July 1945.[15]
