A Century of Adventure: Les Turns 100 years old at Sandbanks Road, Poole

Few people can look back on a life that lasts a century - spanning World War Two evacuations, a bustling career, and raising a family, but Les takes it all in his stride. Having recently celebrated his 100th birthday at our Sandbanks Road community in Poole, we were honoured to be invited to sit down with him to talk about his milestone birthday, his move to Pegasus Homes, and why he loves calling this seaside spot home.

Although Les speaks highly of Dorset, he was born a city boy in October 1926 in London. He had grown accustomed to the hustle and bustle of city life, but on 1st September 1939, when Germany invaded Poland, his life took a new direction as he was evacuated to the English countryside. Despite natural initial hesitation, he couldn’t believe his luck - he was driven in a Rolls-Royce to Sir Alfred Butt's estate in Newmarket alongside six other boys. Each boy had his own room, with access to a large playing field, stables, and racehorses. Unfortunately, the stay was short-lived because there was no school nearby. After nine weeks, he was relocated again to live above a shop with a young couple. Les disliked it so much though, that after learning his own family had been evacuated to Bedford, he snuck out and ran away to find them! “I really didn’t like it there, so I knew I had to run away”.

An enduring thread throughout Les's early journey is his love for his childhood friend, Rachel (she later changed her name to Brina), whom he grew up with in the East End. The war separated them when Brina was sent to Cheltenham, but despite the distance, they stayed in close contact by writing letters. “I had a nice group of friends growing up but my bond with Brina was different, special”. At school during the war he enjoyed playing competitive cricket commenting “I was quite good”. 

Later, Les joined the cadet army corps working his way up to Sergeant. When the European war was nearly over it meant if he served it would be in the jungles and monsoons of the Far East (not his first choice!). When Les was asked which of the services he would prefer to serve, he described his ‘sliding doors’ moment, he said “the RAF” - a word that completely changed his life for the next 70 years. “That moment changed my whole life”. “If I had said I wanted to join the army, I would never have seen Brina again!”.

In the RAF Les was posted to the RAF Records Office near Gloucester where he received a promotion and his own office with staff of over 30. This was near to where Brina lived. They met again and shortly after on 22nd June 1947, the childhood friends got married on 22nd June 1947 and lived a happy marriage for 74 years. After retiring from the RAF, the couple moved to Tewkesbury, where Les worked for an insurance company and bought his very first motorbike. “It was a big moment for me, buying my first motorbike”.

By then, accustomed to the countryside and the rolling hills of Gloucestershire, Les's life took another unexpected turn when he and Brina decided to return to the city and moved to Birmingham where their children were born. He worked for his uncle's wholesale business for over 40 years becoming Managing Director. With a strong work ethic and a busy family life, Les has always made the most of his free time over the years. Whether leading a classical music listening club or conducting a U3A classical music group in his later years, and playing cricket when he was younger. Les told us that he has “thrived on staying active and learning new things”.

After a busy working life, Les retired at 69. However, he and Brina were far from done travelling, so they decided to make another move! They had owned a holiday home in Westbourne for over a decade, and then a beautiful property in Spain. However, as the years went on, “managing two properties became too demanding”. That’s when they had their lightbulb moment: "We’ll move to Poole." The couple, now blessed with grandchildren, decided to settle permanently in the area of their former holiday home in Westbourne, and bought a flat in Canford Cliffs.

Sadly, Brina’s mobility declined after the move, and following a dementia diagnosis, the time came for her to enter full-time care at a local care home. Brina was 95, and Les was 94. "I wanted to care for her, but it was too much for me at that age, she needed full-time care." It was an intensely emotional decision, made even harder by COVID-19 restrictions: "I could only see her once a week for an hour." Heartbreakingly, Les lost his beloved Brina shortly after her move which led him to start to consider his next chapter.

Having made the decision to stay grounded in Poole, he began his search close by in the local area. He initially visited our now sold-out Pegasus community, Woodlands, Canford Cliffs, where he met Angela from the sales team. Unfortunately for Les, that community was already fully sold out, but Angela helped him discover Sandbanks Road just down the street. "Angela’s help with my property search was excellent, always very patient and with a smile on her face," Les recalls. 

Les first visited Sandbanks Road for an afternoon tea and made a friend immediately: "Nobody believed I was 95!" As one of our very first residents, Les has made many friends over the last five years and warmly welcomes new arrivals. An active community member, he is well known for playing cards in the communal lounge - games that can stretch for hours with plenty of twists and turns. Looking back on his time here, Les says he’s happy and praised the support shown by Julie, our Buildings and Communities Coordinator at Sandbanks Road: "She really looks out for us all." 

Our chat with Les was fascinating, and we were inspired to learn how much he has packed into his 100 years. For his milestone birthday, Les plans to celebrate with family traveling down from Leicester for the weekend with a trip to his favourite restaurant, followed by afternoon tea with his neighbours on the Monday in the communal lounge.

From everyone at Pegasus Homes, Happy 100th Birthday Les! 

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With homes now re-available at our previously sold out Sandbanks Road community, now is the perfect chance to take a visit, enjoy a cup of tea in the communal lounge or gardens, and enjoy a private tour with a member of our sales team. Contact us today, to book a time that suits you.