ANZAC Day Memorial - Leonard Ernest Cavanagh
Leonard Ernest Cavanagh (14 June 1923 - 23 June 1943) Leonard Ernest Cavanagh was born on 14 Jun 1923 in Perth, Western Australia, the son of James Thomas Cavanagh and Alma Irene Gawned. Len was the pilot of a Handley Page Halifax II bomber, serial number JD259, that was shot down over Leest in Belgium on 23 June 1943. There were no survivors. Family and Early Life Leonard Ernest Cavanagh and cousin Noel James Cavanagh, c1936 Len's father James was born in Subiaco in 1899, enlisted in the AIF at the age of 18 and served in France in World War 1. He returned to Perth in 1919 and married Alma Gawned in 1922. James worked as a carpenter, and he and Alma only had one child, Len. James died in 1930 at Fremantle, when his motorcycle crashed into the rear of a stationery taxi. Alma was flung out of the sidecar and was reported to have sustained only minor injuries. Alma married Edwin (Ted) Stamp in 1936. Ted died in June 1945 and is buried at Kar...