SWEET-ESCOTT Leslie Wingfield

Leslie Sweet-Escott was born in 1893, the son of Sir Bickham Sweet-Escott who was Governor of the Seychelles, British Honduras and the Leeward Islands. He attended Bromsgrove School from 1908-1913 where he was a School Monitor and a Corporal in the school OTC. He left Bromsgrove for Worcester College, Oxford and was killed in action at Bellerarde Farm. He was working as Grendier officer, and fell as he reached the enemy’s line in the advance which began that day. From a letter written by the officer commanding his battalion the following passage is quoted; “From the start out here he began to make his mark as a leader and had I been asked before his death who was the beats officer we had for coolness, courage and presence of mind for an emergency or any specially ticklish job, I should have said without hesitation ‘Escott’ and so would any other officer in the battalion. His was the finest kind of courage and self-control of the man who knows what he is in for…..He would have gained distinction had he lived.”

Source: Bromsgrove School at War 1914-19 by Philip Bowen and Bromsgrove School at War 1914-19 by David Cross.

Leslie Sweet-Escott has no known grave, the photograph available shows his name on Ypres Menin Gate Memorial.