60 On 17 October 1917 he was given temporary command of the 8th L.H.R. and in December left in command of 40 men, was instructed to hold the trenches at all costs until 2:30am. He wrote “I had my usual good luck to be the command of the last party to pull out of the trenches.” Back to the Middle East, Leslie led his men throughout Sinai and Palestine. During the 2nd battle of Gaza on 19 April 1917 the 8th L.H.R. was the most exposed sector, suffering heavy casualties. Leslie rode about the battlefield all day on his grey charger and “in every crisis stirred the spirit of his regiment by his example in the firing line.” Sir Henry Gullet said that Maygar was “always very bold in his personal leadership ‘’ and writes of 19 April ‘’it was a day when true leaders recognised that their men needed inspiration, and Maygar gave it in the finest manner. Late on the day of the battle of Beersheba, 31 October 2017, a German aeroplane using bombs and machine guns, hit Maygar whose arm was shattered. The grey horse bolted into the darkness and was later found by 8th Regiment troopers, but Maygar was not with him. “He was picked up during the night by other troops….and, having lost too much blood, died the next day at Karm. L.C. Maygar, Elsie as he was affectionally known , was a ‘’true fighting commander.”” We wish the best of luck to all the field. The story of By Bill Gibbins LESLIE CECIL MAYGAR (Cont.)
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