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Leslie Oppitz lived in Sanderstead, Surrey, with his parents and sister when hostilities began in September 1939. Then aged 13 he was evacuated at the outset to High Hurstwood in Sussex then to Torquay in Devon. When all seemed quiet during the ‘phoney war’ he returned to Surrey to then become involved with daylight raids and later heavy night raids.

He served as a ‘fire-fighter’ locally until call-up in September 1944. After extensive training at Catterick as a tank gunner-wireless operator he joined the 4th Royal Tank Regiment in May 1945 when he was posted to Ibbenbüren, Westfalen in NW Germany. Later postings included North Italy and finally at El Quassasin in Egypt between Ismailiah and Tel El Kabir. He was demobbed in January 1948.