Warrant Officer Leslie Harry LISSETTE, R.N.Z.A.F.

Parents: Mr. & Mrs. Harry Lissette of PAKOWHAI.

Leslie Lissette was born at Hastings in 1917, and he received his primary education at Pakowhai School, and secondary education at Hastings High School. His sports were rugby, cricket, tennis and shooting. At the time of applying for service in aircrew in June 1939 he was employed as a teamster by the Hawke's Bay River Board, and on being accepted was enlisted on the 24th October 1939 at Royal New Zealand Air Force Station, Ohakea, where he was employed on ground duties. He was posted on the 28th October 1941 to Royal New Zealand Air Force Station, Nelson for similar duties. On the 6th April 1942 he was re-mustered to pilot under training and posted to the Initial Training Flying, Rotorua; thence on the 12th June 1942 to No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School, New Plymouth, for his elementary flying training. On the 2nd October 1942 he embarked for Canada to continue his training under the Empire Air Training Scheme.

Shortly after his arrival in Canada, Warrant Officer Lissette was posted on the 7th November 1942 to No.3 Service flying Training School, Calgary, Alberta. While here, on the 5th March 1943 he was awarded his flying badge and promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He was promoted to Flight Sergeant on the 1st May 1943 and to Warrant officer on the 1st May, 1944. Meanwhile, on the 15th March 1943 he had proceeded to No. 1 "'Y" Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia, to await embarkation for the United Kingdom.

Warrant Officer Lissette arrived at No. 11 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth on the 5th April 1943 and was posted on the 15th June to No. 20 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit, then at Kidlington and later at Weston on the Green, both in Oxfordshire. Late in June 1943 he attended an instrument flying course at No. 1515 Beam Approach Training Flight, Swanton Morley, Norfolk. He was posted on the 26th August 1943 to No. 28 Operational Training Unit, Wymeswold, Leicestershire for crewing up and completion of his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. During February and March 1944 he converted to Stirling bomber aircraft at No.1661 Conversion Unit, Winthorpe, Nottinghamshire. He proceeded on the 10th April 1944 to No. 5 Lancaster Finishing School, Syerston, Nottinghamshire, for conversion. to Lancaster heavy bombers. On the 24th April 1944 he was posted to No. 207 Squadron, Spilsby, Lincolnshire, and commenced operational flying. With this squadron as captain of a Lancaster bomber he took part in four operational flights comprising attacks on Schweinfurt in Germany and Clermont Ferrand, Tours and Mailly-Le-Camp in France.

From this last operation against Mailly-Le-Camp undertaken on night of the 3/4th May 1944 the aircraft failed to return to its base and all members of the crew including Warrant Officer Lissette were classified as missing. Later, it was learned that five of the crew had managed to make a parachute descent and an their return to England they stated that Warrant Officer Lissette had stayed at the controls until it was too late for him to bail out, this action being, without doubt, in order to give the others the opportunity to bale safely. Then same informant stated that a French policeman had come to where he was in hiding bringing with him warrant Officer Lissette's identity discs. The policeman stated that the Germans had buried Warrant Officer Lissette and the other member (Sergeant Ronald Ellis RAF, Tail Gunner) of the crew in a cemetery near the crashed aircraft. In consequence of this information Warrant Officer Lissette was reclassified as missing believed killed in action. In due course his death was officially presumed to have occurred on the 4th May, 1544 as the result of air operations. Subsequent investigations established that, Warrant Officer Lissette had been buried in the cemetery at Chaintreaux, France.

In 2015 after many years of researching my late Uncles War Time history, my wife and I visited Chaintreaux, France to thank the local people of maintaining the joint grave, and paying tribute there each year since 1944, and to ascertain what had happened in 1944. 

Brian Lissette, nephew.