Leonard was born in Tenderfield in the New England region of New South Wales on the 28th of December 1917.
Having moved from Armidale, he was the 2nd of 5 children to Leaonard Wilton and Janet Ethel Turner. After his birth the family gradually moved south spending time at Narrabri and Gosford before settling at Grenfell, Weddin Shire in the central west of New South Wales. After his primary education he attended Grenfell Intermediate High School in 1929 to 1933- passing Maths 2, English, History, Geography, Botany but failing Maths 1 and French before going to Technical College, Ultimo while undergoing a 4-year apprenticeship at Waugh and Josephsons at St Peters as a Fitter & Turner.
Completing his initial applications on the 7th of February 1940, Len gave his technical experience as 5 years of mechanical engineering and 4 years of diesel engine experience. Len enrolled in the Airforce Reserve at 2 Recruiting Centre, Sydney on the 25th of May giving his father, a shire engineer at Gloucester as his Next of Kin (NOK).
Living at 2 McNair St., Kingsford, Len enlisted as Aircrew (P) on the 22 July 1940 to 2 ITS he was immediately sent to 2 Initial Training School, RAAF Bradfield Park. Bradfield Park was built in 1940 to house a number of RAAF and WAAAF units. During World War II, more than 200,000 members of the RAAF and the WAAAF received training on their way to service and No. 2 Initial Training School was formed as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme. As a new recruit Len joined course 3 to learn the basics of military life while being taught subjects such as mathematics, navigation and aerodynamics.
After completing his course on the 18th of September, Len was reclassified as LAC Group II and sent to 6Elimentary Flying Training School (6EFTS) at Tamworth on the19th of September. No.6 EFTS was established just one month earlier on the existing Tamworth Aerodrome as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) in an effort by the British Commonwealth countries to supply 50,000 airmen a year to fight the war in Europe. Every month, thirty trainees would arrive by train from either Brisbane is Sydney for eight weeks of basic flying training. They underwent fifty hours of flying on the de Havilland Tiger Moth.
Most airmen then embarked for Canada for advanced flying training before forwarding to England to train on operational types of aircraft such as the Avro Lancaster, however Len was posted to 3 Service Flying Training School (3SFTS) at Amberly on the 18th of November. No. 3 SFTS was formed at RAAF Station Amberley, Queensland, on 21 September 1940. The school’s first course of flying training commenced with CAC Wirraways on 19 November, the aircraft were operating off a grass runway. Len was on the course.
On the 19th of January 1941, instructor Flying Officer Lionel Barton Hack and trainee pilot LAC Leonard Watson Turner took off in Wirraway A20-201 on a training flight. Tragically the aircraft broke up in mid-air after the pilot lost control in clouds crashing 3 miles from Barkers Vale Post Office between Kyogle and Murwillumbah NSW.
While Leonard was cremated at the Newcastle Crematorium, Beresfield, NSW and Flying Officer Hack is buried in Ipswich Cemetery, Queensland.
