Leman Patterson was born in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire on Saturday, 19th August 1893 and baptised the following month on Sunday, 17th September at St Mary’s Church, Apsley End. He was the youngest child born to Leonard Patterson and Annie Shaw and he had five siblings who were: Ralph, Annie, Kate, Leonard and Francis George. His sister Annie married Frank Holt who was also killed in the Great War.

When he was born, Leman’s family lived in the Bailiff’s House, Rucklers Lane at Shendish Manor where his father Leonard was the ‘Farm Bailiff’. As the farm bailiff, Leonard would have been responsible for the general management of the estate including the supervision of any farm workers and may even have managed the farm in the absence of the farmer/owner.

Leman received his education initially at Apsley Boys school, before transferring to Berkhamsted School in January 1906. He left Berkhamsted in 1909 when his family emigrated to Canada and settled in Red Deer in Alberta approximately two hours north of Calgary. It appears that Leonard went there to farm and by 1911 he and his four sons are recorded on the Canadian Census as ‘Farmers’.

Leman’s father died in 1913 and by 1916 his brother Frank had taken on the running of the farm and Leonard and Leman worked for him.

On the outbreak of war, Leman’s brother Leonard was the first to enlist in September 1915 but Leman followed shortly afterwards on the 11th January 1915 when he joined the Canadian Over-seas Expeditionary Force and was posted to the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles (British Columbia Regt).

The Battalion embarked for Great Britain on the 12th June 1915 and spent some time in Shorncliffe near Folkestone before going to France where it disembarked on the 22nd September as part of the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles Brigade.

Leman first saw action at the Battle of Mont Sorrel (Battle of Hill 62) which was a local operation in the Ypres Salient, from the 2nd to the 13th June 1916. Casualties were high on both sides with the Germans losing 5,765 men and the Canadian Corps suffering 8,430 losses. Leman was one of the Canadian casualties and he was killed on the first day of the battle Friday, 2nd June 1916.

The Canadian Corps’ participation is commemorated with the Hill 62 (Sanctuary Wood) Memorial.

Leman is commemorated at St Mary’s Church, Apsley End as well as on his parent’s gravestone in Canada, along with his brother-in-law Frank Holt who was killed in April 1918.

Leman is Remembered with Honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate Memorial), West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 32.

He was 22 years old when he died.

Leman was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.