Leonard Alfred Ager was a Londoner who married in 1924. He had a son the following year and a daughter in 1935. By then the family was living in the Southend area. During the war Leonard served in the army. He died in Chelmsford in June 1940 when he accidentally fell out of a window of a house in Springfield Road where he was billeted.

Leonard Ager was born in Tottenham, Middlesex on 14th March 1902 and baptised at St. Philip the Apostle's, Tottenham, on 11th May 1902, the son of Alfred Leonard Ager and Marian Ager (nee Unwin). At the time of his baptism his father was working as a clerk and living at 45 Greyhound Road in Tottenham.

His parents had married at Holy Trinity, Mile End Old Town, Middlesex on 5th October 1901. Leonard had a younger sister, Marian Lilian Violet Ager (1910-1995).

In 1911 the census found nine year-old Leonard living with his parents, younger sister and maternal grandfather at 51 Clavering Road, Manor Park, Essex. At the time Leonard s father was a commercial clerk.

Leonard married Hilda R. Tomlinson in east London in 1924. The couple had a son born the year after, and a daughter born in 1935, by which time the family had moved to the Southend area.

In 1940 Leonard was living in Recreation Avenue, Leigh-on-Sea and serving as a Serjeant 1489011 in 146 Battery, 17 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, a Territorial unit. In the early hours of 3rd June 1940 he was discovered by a nightwatchman lying in Springfield Road, Chelmsford with injuries from which he died two days later.

His inquest was held on 6th June 1940. A local paper reported:

"SOLDIER'S FATAL FALL Yesterday, Mr. Coroner L. F. Beccle held an inquest at Chelmsford on Leonard Alfred Ager, 38, of Recreation Avenue, Leigh, an Army sergeant, who fell from the upper ro of a house and sustained fatal injuries.

Mrs. Hilda R, Ager, the widow, said her husband would get out of bed at night and, not knowing the direction, would grope around, half asleep, and would not know about it the morning.—The Coroner: He was finding his way to the lavatory?— Yes. Witness added that her husband was quite happy in his work.

Sergt. S. M. Goldsmith said deceased occupied a bedroom with others. On Sunday night, when witness came in, deceased was in bed apparently asleep. Deceased's bed was close to the window, which was open at the bottom and he would have to get out on his left-hand side.

At 3 a.m., when witness awoke, the deceased's bed was empty. Witness had known deceased to get up at night on a number of occasions. Deceased was very friendly and liked bv everyone. There was no question of any trouble.

Richard H. A. Rush, of Howe Green, a night watchman, said that at 12.45 a.m. on Monday he heard groaning and saw a man in his night attire lying in the front garden of a house.

P.c. Rice said he went to the spot and found the deceased in a semi-conscious conditlon, bleeding from the face. Deceased was unable to say how he got there. He died hospital.

Dr. F. E. Camps said deceased must have pitched heavily on his left side. Death wasdue to multiple injuries. The Coroner, recording a verdict of Accidental death, said everything suggested that deceased got up to to the lavatory, sand in a state of mental confusion leaned out of the window, overbalanced and fell."

He was subsequently buried at Southend-on-Sea (Sutton Road) Cemetery (Plot R. Grave 12213).

Leonard s mother died in 1946; his father died in 1954.

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