Born into a family of 10 and raised in South Shields, Les was quite typical of most lads of his generation. On leaving school he went to the pit to work. Mining was hard work and fraught with danger, but the miners had a camaraderie second to none. It was this closeness between "marras" that made the miners something special, they were the salt of the earth, they worked hard and often played hard. When the Colliery closed, Les went to the shipyards to work. His work took him all over the country and often abroad. Les worked at this job until illness forced his retirement. Les was a man who liked to socialise and enjoyed a pint or two or three! He socialised with his mates, usually in his local where he played domino's, 5s and 3s. January 1st was Les's birthday! His celebration started on New Years Eve and went on, usually for two or three days. Les married Pat in 1965, raised a family of three girls and currently has eight grandchildren and one great-grandson. After his family, his passion was Football, Sunderland A.F.C. Les had supported Sunderland from the age of 8, sometimes walking to Roker Park, and eventually became a full season ticket holder. Les was sadly diagnosed with Cancer in 1999, he fought on bravely but lost his battle and died peacefully at home in June 2000. Les was well known and liked by many people. He was gregarious and friendly and would chat to anyone, having an obvious talent for making lifelong friends. He was a great man, who will always be missed for many good reasons. In tears we saw you sinking, We watched you fade away, Our hearts were almost broken, You fought so hard to stay, But when we saw you sleeping, So peacefully free from pain, We could not wish you back, To suffer that again. At Peace. x x x x x x x