Farewell to Arctic convoy veteran Leslie,
TRIBUTE AS ‘INSPIRATIONAL’ LESLIE DIES AGED 95
A VETERAN of the Arctic convoys has died at the age of 95.
Leslie Earp, of Whitehurst Street, Allenton, died peacefully on November 13, leaving a legacy of a successful Royal Navy career which earned him six medals.
The Arctic convoys of the Second World War were fleets of cargo ships with Navy escorts that sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk, in Russia.
Mr Earp’s grandson Stuart Welbourn retold one of the most important moments of his grandad’s career, when he was sent to search for survivors of the convoy’s worst disaster.
Mr Welbourn said: “When the illfated PQ17 [the code name for the convoy] was ordered to scatter, his ship was sent to search for survivors.
“He remembered pulling out bodies with limbs missing, holding a sailor in his arms and offering him a last smoke before he died.
“He said you could see sailors in lifejackets, but with the temperatures in the Barents Sea [off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia] being so cold, most had frozen to death.”
Mr Earp, who was born on October 1, 1923, started volunteering for the Royal Navy in November 1939 when he was 17 after having worked on the railways.
But his career soon progressed. As well escorting the Arctic convoys, he was involved in Atlantic convoys and operations in the Mediterranean. He served on HMS Seagull, HMS Slinger and HMS Sylvia.
Mr Earp was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star, Arctic Star, Italy Star, War Medal 1939-45 and the Defence Medal.
Mr Welbourn spoke about the character of the man who inspired him to join the Royal Navy when he was also aged 17, in 1989.
The 47-year-old said: “Without a
shadow of a doubt, he is the biggest influence on who I am today. He was always playing practical jokes and making you laugh. The fun and games he learned while in the Navy stayed with him all the way through to his 90s.
“It was his funny stories from the Navy that inspired me to join. He was a real inspiration and I’ve looked up to him all my life. Losing him has hit me really hard.”
After the war, Mr Earp returned to the railways, where he had begun his career, working in several jobs until 1968.
He then settled at Rolls-Royce in an administration role, where he stayed until his early retirement in 1982.
Mr Earp married Dorothy, who was to be his wife of nearly 70 years, after the war. They had four children, Les, Alan, Lynda and Yvonne and six grandchildren, Stuart, Neil, Rebekah, Jonathan, Christopher, and Allan.
Mr Welbourn recalled his grandparents’ relationship and said: “They remained happily together until her passing in August 2015. No one can recall seeing them ever argue. It hit him hard when my grandma died.”
Mr Earp served as branch secretary for the Royal British Legion Club in Allenton during the 1970s and was a regular visitor after he retired.
Mr Welbourn said: “He spent much of his retirement playing dominoes and entertaining patrons with his numerous witty tales of runs ashore. He only stopped going about a decade ago when he had out-survived all his war buddies. “A lifelong football fan, he was a Derby County season ticket holder for many years until he retired. He still went to the odd game after and was a huge Cloughy fan.”
Mr Earp’s funeral will take place at St Edmund’s Parish Church in Sinfin Avenue, Shelton Lock at noon today, followed by burial at Spondon Cemetery in Stoney Lane, at 1pm.
There will be a bugle player and any veterans wishing to pay respects to Mr Earp are more than welcome to attend.
Without a shadow of a doubt, he is the biggest influence on who I am today. Stuart Welbourn