Harold Leonard

Harold Leonard was born in Ashley Down, Bristol in 1914, the fourth child of five to Clara and Frederick. His siblings were Wilfred, Edith, Kathleen and Grace. Like his mother, Clara, he was extraordinarily shy. If the front doorbell rang he would immediately run and hide behind the coats hanging in the passage and not emerge until the caller had gone. At quite an early age he showed an interest in all things mechanical and electrical, and had a special liking for model 'steam boilers' which were advertised in a boys magazine. From Sefton Park Junior School, Harold won a scholarship to Fairfield Secondary School where, not surprisingly, his favourite subject was Chemistry and at around the age of 14, he was given a Chemistry Set. One Guy Fawkes evening he took it outside onto the small veranda, with the intention of making his own fireworks, and was in the process of mixing two chemicals when they exploded and a huge sheet of flame caught him on the face, hands and arms; his hair, eyebrows and eyelashes were all singed. At the local doctor's surgery his burns were treated, and a complete face mask, made from white lint, covered his face, apart from two small slits for his eyes. His hands and arms were so heavily bandaged that he was unable to use them and he had to be fed by other members of the family, particularly Grace, his youngest sister. When Harold left school he secured a job as a clerk in the offices of the General Accident Assurance Company in Bristol at 7/6 (37p) a week. A few years later he moved to the Scholastic Trading Company at the top of Union Street. His brother Wilfred was already employed there and when there was a vacancy on the 'pen counter' he recommended his younger brother for the job! Harold was soon very popular with both staff and customers with his easy friendly style. The family attended St Bartholomew's Church next door to St Andrew's Park. Harold was in the choir. Also in the congregation was a quiet, attractive young lady named Margaret Hain. Eventually they got together and romance blossomed.

They were married in 1940. Also attending church was a gentleman by the name of Mr Darch, who was the manager of a grocery shop in nearby Gloucester Road, called J. H. Mills. He was an astute, observant person and became quite friendly with Harold, so much so that he offered him a job with the firm, which Harold accepted. The war (World War II) was declared and Harold was called up for service with the Royal Air Force. With his knowledge of electrics and technology he was sent for training to Rutland. On conclusion of his training he was posted to Halton, Buckinghamshire, where it was soon acknowledged that here was a very capable technician and dependable person. In no time at all he was promoted to the rank of sergeant in charge of a large team of electricians; their work was vitally important and urgent. When the huge bombers (Lancasters, Wellingtons and Vulcans) returned from raids on the enemy, they would undergo every rigorous check imaginable in the shortest possible time before re-fuelling and thundering off again. At last the war was over. Harold and Margaret were now the proud parents of four children: David, Geoff, Jean and John. Harold returned to J. H. Mills, becoming chief buyer and enjoying many trips abroad with Margaret.

The firm progressed and Harold was made a director in 1955 and within a few years the first self-service shop opened in Bristol. This quickly led to supermarkets and J. H. Mills became Gateway Supermarkets. The business has been taken over a few times since then and is currently the Co-operative/Somerfield. While living in Bristol, Harold decided to revisit his youthful passion for amateur radio and, after passing the necessary exams, was granted the call-sign of G4UZ. He helped form the Bristol Amateur Radio Club and became its Life President. He was also the regional representative of the Radio Society of Great Britain. When Harold eventually retired, he and Margaret made their home in the village of Strete, on the outskirts of Dartmouth in South Devon. They both became active members of their local church, Harold being a Churchwarden and editor of the parish magazine. He also enjoyed his membership of the local Probus club and began an interest in wine-making, winning many prizes at local competitions.