Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Henry Ernest and Agnes Jessie Leach, of Melbourne, Victoria

AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

Vickers Wellington IC P9287  Squadron 38

P/Oleach had only been posted to 38 Sqn on 19th July 1940

Attacked by a night-fighter, badly injuring P/O Leach in the arm. He died of loss of blood. The aircraft was otherwise returned safely to England with P/O Leach's body aboard.

DEAD AIRMAN HAD MANY
QUEENSLAND FRTFNDS
FLYING-OFFICER Philip Allen Leach, of Emerald, who was killed in his plane while fighting a Messerschmitt plane over German territory last Wednesday, was well known in southern and western  Queensland. He was aged 31, and studied medicine on the Continent before coming out to the Hawkesbury Agricultural College, New South Wales. For some years he was overseer of Marchmont  station, Ilfracombe, and later joined Wilcox, Mofflin, Ltd., as country representative. His next position was with the Mutual Life and Citizens' Assurance Co., Ltd. on whose behalf he toured the country  districts, making his headquarters at Emerald.
Before the war he left this post for London to attend to family estate affairs. He was always interested in mechanical work. "Philip was a grand chap," said one of his friends in Brisbane last night.  "He  made a wide circle of friends in Queensland."
A remarkable story of Leach's courage and perseverance was disclosed in cabled messages received at the week-end. When war broke out, he at once volunteered for the R.A.F. He was rejected, but he made many more applications, and finally was accepted as an artillery driver. Later he was transferred to the R.A.F. because he volunteered as an air-gunner, the so-called "suicide squad." He  participated, as a rear-gunner, in several attacks on Germany, and was promoted to Flying-Officer on July 23. While over Germany last Wednesday Flying-Officer Leach engaged in a duel with a  Messerschmitt, while the objective was being bombed. When the plane landed he was found to have collapsed, and his injuries proved fatal.