Leo Vernon Anthony – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 153 Squadron

Sergeant Leo Vernon Anthony – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 153 Squadron

Early Life and Family Background

Leo Vernon Anthony was born in 1920 in Llandebie, Carmarthenshire, the son of John Watkin Anthony and Griselda Maud Davies, who had married in 1919 at the Parish Church of Llandybïe, Carmarthenshire.

1921 Census

By the time of the 1921 Census, the Anthony family were residing at Brooklands, Dyffryn Road, Ammanford. John Watkin, aged 30, was recorded as a Colliery Undermanager employed by Messrs. The Blaina Colliery Co. Ltd, while his wife Griselda Maud, aged 25, was at home caring for their only child, Leo Vernon, then one year old.

Education and Early Adulthood

1939 Register

By the time of the 1939 Register, the family were living at 2 Brooklands, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. John W. Anthony continued to work as a Colliery Under Manager, while Griselda Maud undertook household duties. Leo V. Anthony, now a young man, was recorded as an Articled Pupil to an Assessed Surveyor and Engineer, indicating a professional path in technical and civil work. Two younger family members, Elizabeth N. and Griselda M. E., were listed as schoolchildren.

Royal Air Force Service

Bristol Beaufighter VIF

Leo later enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, serving as a Sergeant with No. 153 Squadron. During this period, the squadron operated Bristol Beaufighter VIF aircraft on long‑range night‑fighting, intruder missions, and interception duties across the Mediterranean theatre. By mid‑1943, Leo was based at Maison Blanche Airfield, Algeria, one of the principal RAF bases supporting Allied operations following the North African campaign. From here, 153 Squadron flew defensive patrols and night interceptions over the Algerian coastline and the central Mediterranean.

The Final Flight: 23 June 1943

On 23 June 1943, Sergeant Leo Vernon Anthony took off from Maison Blanche in Beaufighter VIF for a scramble to intercept an unidentified aircraft approaching the coast near Bone (Annaba), Algeria. The aircraft was crewed by Warrant Officer Gordon Leonard Linklater of the Royal Canadian Air Force, serving as pilot, and Sergeant Leo Vernon Anthony of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, serving as observer. Interception missions in this region were often carried out at night or in poor visibility, relying heavily on onboard AI radar and ground‑based controllers, and the Beaufighter, though powerful and heavily armed, was a demanding aircraft to fly in such conditions.

Leo Vernon Anthony
Malta Memorial
credit - findagrave

During the course of the interception, Beaufighter VIF crashed into the sea north‑east of Bone, and both men were killed. The exact cause of the crash was never conclusively established. Contemporary accounts suggest that the aircraft may have encountered sudden weather changes, radar or navigational difficulties, or the inherent dangers of night‑fighter manoeuvres, including the risk of losing visual reference to the ground or sea. No enemy action was recorded in the area at the time, and the loss was therefore attributed to the extreme operational hazards faced by night‑fighter crews in the Mediterranean theatre. The crash was one of several suffered by 153 Squadron during this period, reflecting the intensity and danger of their role in protecting Allied airspace and supply routes across North Africa and the central Mediterranean.

Commemoration

As he has no known grave, Leo’s name is honoured on the Malta Memorial, which commemorates airmen who lost their lives in operations across the Mediterranean and whose resting places are unknown. His inclusion on this memorial ensures that his service and sacrifice remain remembered among those who gave their lives in one of the most challenging operational environments of the Second World War.