1LT Leo Kingsley Baker, DFC

[dvosburgh]

Trying to locate information on Lt Baker’s DFC, which I believe was awarded for his dogged completion of a reconnaissance mission despite severe wounds. 
 

After the war he returned to Oxford and took a BA from Wadham College in 1922, and was a close friend of C.S. Lewis. He died in 1986.
 

Cheers,

 

Dave

[charlie962]

1 hour ago, dvosburgh said:

Trying to locate information on Lt Baker’s DFC, which I believe was awarded for his dogged completion of a reconnaissance mission despite severe wo

LondonGazette Citation is here and fits your description.

He had been posted to 80 Squadron 24/5/18 and was admitted 5th Southern General Hospital 26/8/18 so Action around this date ?

Wounded, leg, 10/8/18 flying a Sopwith Camel

 

Charlie

 

Edit-  Casualty cards here will give useful detail

Edited 24 May , 2020 by charlie962

[dvosburgh]

Thank you very much, Charlie. That’s definitely the gentleman I was looking for. 
 

He features prominently in the early part of All My Road Before Me, C.S. Lewis’s diary from 1922-29, as well his Collected Letters, Vol. I. 

Here’s his bio from the appendix of the latter:

“BAKER, Leo Kingsley (1898–1986), was born in London on 14 August 1898, the son of Laura Jane Baker and James Leopold Hawes. He was educated at St George’s School, Harpenden, from 1909 to 1917 where he was a school prefect, captain of rugby and of cricket. After matriculating at Wadham College, Oxford, in June 1917 he enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in November 1917, and a 1st lieutenant in April 1918. In May 1918 he went to France as a pilot with the 80th Squadron of the Royal Air Force. After being severely wounded in August 1918, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Baker returned to Oxford in 1919 and read Modern History. He and Lewis, who met soon after Baker arrived in Oxford, were drawn together by a love of poetry, and Lewis’s letters to Baker contain some of his most interesting observations on poetry. He was a frequent visitor at Lewis’s and Mrs Janie Moore’s* home, and there are many references to him in AMR. It was Leo Baker who introduced Owen Barfield*, also of Wadham, to Lewis. After taking his BA in 1922, he was from 1922 to 1925 an actor with the Old Vic Company under Lilian Baylis. His experience included parts in 30 Shakespeare plays, some old comedy, and two years of stage management. In 1925 he married Eileen Brookes and they had three daughters, Susan Mary (b. 1930), Elizabeth Margaret (b. 1933), and Rachel Mary Rosalind (b. 1939). Baker gave up the theatre owing to troubles resulting from his war wounds, and he and his wife set up a handloom weaving business in Chipping Campden, known as the Kingsley Weavers. It was dissolved on the outbreak of the Second World War. He was an Anthroposophist, and in 1933 he became a priest with the Anthroposophical ‘Christian Community’. After the war broke out he took the family out of London to Gloucester, where he taught at a Rudolf Steiner school. He left the school in 1942 to become drama adviser for Gloucestershire, and in 1946 he became national drama adviser for the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust. Upon his retirement at 65 he became head of acting for the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in Sidcup, having been the chairman of governors when it was founded. His final retirement was at the age of 72. His wife suffered a severe stroke in 1976 and for five and a half years he devotedly visited her in hospital every day. She was paralysed and unable to speak. Leo Baker died on 5 September 1986 at the age of 88, his intellectual faculties as bright as ever.“

[EkulsCake]

I am a grandson of Leo Baker. I just wanted to post a big thank you to @dvosburgh for such a detailed write up. It was a joy to learn more about his life. One of his three daughters, Elizabeth (my grandmother), passed away a few weeks ago but I was able to read her this summary when visiting her in September. It brought back many fond memories for her.

 

I am afraid I have no further stories to add - my grandmother had been battling dementia - but I just wanted to pass on my gratitude.

[dvosburgh]

What a pleasant surprise! I’m thrilled that you found it, and even more so that your grandmother was able to hear what Charlie and I had been able to piece together here on the Forum. As I mentioned your great-grandfather was mentioned a number of times in C.S. Lewis’s diary and correspondence due to their friendship in his earlier days at Oxford. I’ve recently begun re-reading his Collected Letters—a daunting task, since it runs to about 3,000 ppg—and if you have any interest I can always extract the relevant parts for you.

 

All best from across the pond,

 

Dave

[Guest]

  There is a little bit more of the story on the ever excellent airhistory.org site:

 

     Wounded in the leg by machine gun fire from the ground while in a Sopwith Camel . He had previously crashed on take-off for an offensive patrol.

 

80Sq	10.08.18	wounded [- -] Wounded by mg fire from ground. 2Lt LK Baker wounded	CasBook	AIR 1/969 p50	6509			
Baker	2Lt	LK				80Sq France	10.08.18	Wounded [- Sopwith Camel] Wounded leg	CasCard	264353	877			
Baker	Lt	LK				80Sq	09.07.18	[D1831 Sopwith Camel] Sideslipped in strong wind on landing from offensive patrol Merville. Lt LK Baker	CasRep	AIR 1/857	13962			180709	BAKER

[EkulsCake]

Hello both,

 

Thank you so much for the follow up. 

 

First of all, an apology, there was an error in my original post - Leo is my great grandfather.

 

If it is not too much trouble, I am sure the family would love to hear any extracts as you work your way through, but please don't feel the need to go to any extra effort.

 

Since my post a couple of days ago, by pure coincidence, my mother (Leo's granddaughter) sent me emails from her cousins (also Leo's grandchildren) who have been clearing out their mother's home in the last few months (their mother is Susan - Leo's eldest daughter - hope this is not getting too confusing!). They have found all sorts of Leo's things in the clear-out which I thought I would share in case they are also of interest to you:

1. A whole mixture of medals, letters, diary entries etc. They have done a great job summarising all the findings into one document. I have attached it to this post
2. 10 letters from CS Lewis to Leo. They're actually being auctioned off - I feel a little awkward posting it in case it looks like some attempt to drive you to the auction, but I decided to share as there is some nice info in the listing about their relationship: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/english-literature-history-science-childrens-books-and-illustrations/lewis-c-s-series-of-10-autograph-letters-signed-to?locale=en

Finally, as you may already know, there is a nice photo on this page of Leo and Eileen (his wife - my great grandmother), halfway down this page under 'The Kingsley Weavers'

 

https://www.courtbarn.org.uk/celebrating-craftsmanship-design/makers

 

Thank you again for your responses and I hope you have fun working through Collected Letters!

LKB's Medals etc.pdf

[Guest]

Good luck on Tuesday!!   I think that is the Christmas shopping sorted-  Wherever these things go subsequently, the most important thing is to know they actually exist in the first place- How fortunate that  Clive Lewis is so popular a century on!!   I am sure Sothebys will have asked the same questions BUT just in case........  Clive Lewis wrote two early books of poetry under a psuedonym- Clive Hamilton- It may be worth having a hunt for any little books lurking in the attic etc...

 

• Spirits in Bondage (1919; published under pseudonym Clive Hamilton)
• Dymer (1926; published under pseudonym Clive Hamilton)

Edited 28 November , 2020 by Guest

[EkulsCake]

Good luck on Tuesday!!   I think that is the Christmas shopping sorted-  Wherever these things go subsequently, the most important thing is to know they actually exist in the first place- How fortunate that  Clive Lewis is so popular a century on!!   I am sure Sothebys will have asked the same questions BUT just in case........  Clive Lewis wrote two early books of poetry under a psuedonym- Clive Hamilton- It may be worth having a hunt for any little books lurking in the attic etc...

 

• Spirits in Bondage (1919; published under pseudonym Clive Hamilton)
• Dymer (1926; published under pseudonym Clive Hamilton)

Thank you for the tip!

 

[eldos]

Hello EkulsCake,

I came across your post about Leo Baker's belongings and the comprehensive document summarising the findings during the clear-out of Susan's home. I found this information intriguing and wondered if there might be any surviving letters, telegrams, or memorabilia related to Leo or Eileen Baker's interactions with Michael Oakeshott and their friend Barbara Johnston.

I'm currently involved in a correspondence project centered around Michael Oakeshott, and based on Barbara Johnston's letters and Eileen's telegrams to him, it appears that Leo Baker, Eileen Baker, and Barbara Johnston were all closely connected for many years. If there are any letters or materials that shed light on their relationships or provide insights into their lives, especially during their time in Bristol, it would help me annotate a series of Michael Oakeshott's correspondence more effectively.

If you or your relatives are open to sharing or discussing any relevant content or assisting me with biographical details, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity. Feel free to reach out via private message, and I can share my email for convenience.

On 28/11/2020 at 21:16, EkulsCake said:

Hello both,

 

Thank you so much for the follow up. 

 

First of all, an apology, there was an error in my original post - Leo is my great grandfather.

 

If it is not too much trouble, I am sure the family would love to hear any extracts as you work your way through, but please don't feel the need to go to any extra effort.

 

Since my post a couple of days ago, by pure coincidence, my mother (Leo's granddaughter) sent me emails from her cousins (also Leo's grandchildren) who have been clearing out their mother's home in the last few months (their mother is Susan - Leo's eldest daughter - hope this is not getting too confusing!). They have found all sorts of Leo's things in the clear-out which I thought I would share in case they are also of interest to you:

1. A whole mixture of medals, letters, diary entries etc. They have done a great job summarising all the findings into one document. I have attached it to this post
2. 10 letters from CS Lewis to Leo. They're actually being auctioned off - I feel a little awkward posting it in case it looks like some attempt to drive you to the auction, but I decided to share as there is some nice info in the listing about their relationship: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/english-literature-history-science-childrens-books-and-illustrations/lewis-c-s-series-of-10-autograph-letters-signed-to?locale=en

Finally, as you may already know, there is a nice photo on this page of Leo and Eileen (his wife - my great grandmother), halfway down this page under 'The Kingsley Weavers'

 

https://www.courtbarn.org.uk/celebrating-craftsmanship-design/makers

 

Thank you again for your responses and I hope you have fun working through Collected Letters!

LKB's Medals etc.pdf 1.33 MB · 15 downloads