Slide rule : Flying Officer A J D Leslie, 463 Squadron, RAAF

Ten inch bamboo slide rule with a two part hardboard case. It has an inch scale side ruler, over-range scale extensions, framed perspex cursor, reversible slide with three additional scales and a rear curser window. The rule is made of a white celluloid laminate over bamboo and the perspex cursor is framed on three sides by a metal slide attached to the rule with four small screws. This metal frame is impressed with 'MADE IN JAPAN' and above this is the 'double-sun' logo for the manufacturing company, Hemmi, showing two rising suns with vertically skewed clouds beneath and 'SUN' written in between. These details are repeated along the bottom length of the rule. The black leather-patterned hardboard case is in two parts sliding. There is a five-point star impressed on each. The right hand part has '"SUN" HEMMI'S BAMBOO SLIDE RULE' printed in white. The reverse side is covered in white paper and is bordered around the edge in black. The left side has 'SUN' with rising sun logos in red and underneath this, printed in black, is 'HEMMI'S BAMBOO SLIDE RULE TOKYO JAPAN ESTABLISHED 1895'. 'A.J.D Leslie' is handwritten in blue ink next to this. The right side has a set of instructions for care titled 'TREATMENT OF "HEMMI'S" BAMBOO SLIDE RULE'.

Associated with the service of 409721 Flying Officer Alan James Durham Leslie who served in 463 Squadron, RAAF. Leslie was born in October 1917 in Sale, Victoria. He worked as a clerk and studied accounting until his enlistment in the RAAF on 10 October 1941. Leslie mustered as a pilot and was trained at No 1 ITS Somers; No 11 EFTS Benalla and No 6 SFTS Mallala. After obtaining his commission he sialed for England where, after further training, he flew Avro Lancaster heavy bombers with 463 Squadron in the bombing campaign over Germany. He completed his first tour and was instructing within an Operational Training Unit. Lancaster ME563 took off from RAF Waddington at 1737 hours on the night of 27/28th January 1944 to bomb Berlin. Bomb load 1 x 4000lb, 48 x 30lb and 900 x 4lb incendiaries. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Sixteen aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and only ME563 failed to return.
Reports from eyewitnesses on the ground suggested that the Lancaster was hit by anti-aircraft fire, exploded in the air and crashed in the vicinity of Teltow, sixteen kilometres south west from Berlin. None of the seven crew survived the crash, and the body of the Wireless Operator (417275 Flt Sgt DG Barrett) was never recovered. Alan Leslie was identified by the braid on his uniform. He was buried in the Parish cemetery of Waltersdorf in Teltow, Germany.