CROSSLEY, Leslie
Leslie Crossley was born at Leeds, Yorkshire on 12 August 1899, son of Charles Platt Crossley (1869-1935), commission agent, who was born at Ipswich, and his wife Sarah née Milnes (1872-1949), who married at Bradford in 1891, Leslie's uncle was Frank William Crossley. In 1911, Lesley was a 12-year-old, living at Braintree Road, Chipping Hill, Witham, Essex with his parents, 41-year-old Charles and 39-year-old Sarah, with four siblings, Theo Stanley 19 and Gladys May 18, both born at Ipswich, Ena Phyllis 4, born at Braintree and Donald Charles 2, born at Witham. Leslie served in 3rd Battalion of the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) from Colchester in the First World War and in 1921, a corn merchant's assistant, back living with the family at 33 Harsnett Road, Colchester. He married at Colchester in 1924, Kate Elizabeth Taylor (20 June 1901-2003) and in 1939, chairman & director of an oil lubrication company, living at 'Lensfield', D'Arcy Road, Old Heath, Colchester with his wife. One of the first pupils at the East Anglian School of Painting then at Dedham, Essex under Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines where he exhibited at the school in 1937. A Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and a member of Ipswich Art Club from 1944 until his death and exhibited from 'Lensfield', Colchester in 1943, two works 'Portrait of the Artist' and 'Evening Light', in 1944 four works 'Sunday at Flatford', 'Virginia', 'Blue Landscape' and 'Cotswold Farm Holiday', in 1945 an oil painting 'Decoration' and in 1948 an oil 'Crockleford' and a watercolour 'River Stour'. Leslie Crossley died at Colchester in 1983.