Lieutenant Leslie H S Kiaer

Leslie Herbert Sonne Kiaer was the son of Danish parents Aage and Karen Margrethe Kiaer, of London.

He served in the 1st Battalion The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment prior to volunteering for airborne forces, and joined the 10th Parachute Battalion around the time  of its move from  Kabrit to Ramat David. 

Lt Kiaer was the close friend of Captain Myles Henry (who was killed during the Battle of Arnhem) and was best man at his wedding to Pamela Morris. He was affectionately recalled in her book, I've Had My Dance (1996):

'Of Norwegian [sic] extraction, with blue eyes and ash-blond hair, Leslie shared a unique friendship with Myles. One that is often found between brothers-at-arms who have braved many dangers together. They also shared a similar sense of humour, an avid curiosity about life, and firm opinions.'

Lt Kiaer fought in Italy with the battalion and served as the platoon commander of 3 Platoon A Company, during the Battle of Arnhem. He was killed by a tank.

Lieutenant Kiaer died on 21 September 1944, aged 25 years old, and was initially given a field burial in the garden at Valkenburg House, Oosterbeek. He is now buried at the Arnhem-Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Netherlands.

His brother, Eric Arnold Kiaer, was a Lt in the Commandos who was killed on D-Day,and his sister Lillan,  married a fellow Commando Maxwell Harper Gow.

Extract from Chapter 8 of ‘I’ve Had My Dance’ is reproduced by kind permission of the author Pamela Morris.