Nigel Leakey
| Nigel Leakey VC | |
|---|---|
Nigel Gray Leakey VC, King's African Rifles
|
|
| Born |
1 January 1913 Kiganjo, Kenya |
| Died | 19 May 1941 (aged 28) Kolito, Abyssinia |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | King's African Rifles |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
| Relations |
Rea Leakey (brother) Joshua Leakey VC (distant cousin) David Leakey (nephew) |
Nigel Gray Leakey VC (1 January 1913 – 19 May 1941) was a Kenya born English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Leakey was born in Kiganjo, Kenya to English parents. Leakey's mother Elizabeth died in 1926. His father, Arundell Gray Leakey, was the son of Reverend John Arundell Leakey, clergyman in England. He was a cousin of Louis Leakey, and so also related to Richard Leakey. Leakey's younger brother Rea Leakey served in the Royal Tank Regiment in the Second World War, and became a Major General. His sister Agnes Leakey (1917-2007) (later Agnes Hofmeyr) worked for reconciliation in Kenya.
After serving in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in the early 1900s, Leakey's father became a farmer at Nyeri Station, west of Mount Kenya in Central Province, Kenya, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Kiganjo and about 100 miles (160 km) north of Nairobi. His father was an honorary Kikuyu tribeman known as "Morungaru" ("tall and straight"); he was kidnapped and brutally murdered by the Mau Mau in October 1954, and his second wife Mary was also killed.
Leakey was educated in Kenya, and then attended Bromsgrove School in England.
Leakey was 28 years old, and a sergeant in the 1/6th Battalion, King's African Rifles during the Second World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. Leakey's 1/6th Battalion was part of the 22nd (East African) Brigade (12th African Division).
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