{{short description|British rackets player}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}} {{Use British English|date=February 2016}} {{MedalTop}} {{MedalSport|Men's Rackets}} {{MedalSilver|1908 London | Men's singles}} {{MedalBronze|1908 London | Men's doubles}} {{MedalBottom}}
'''Henry Meredith Leaf''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|DSO}} (18 October 1862 – 23 April 1931) was a British rackets player who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/17991 |title=Henry Leaf |work=Olympedia |access-date=6 April 2021}}</ref>
He won the silver medal in the men's singles event. In the men's doubles competition, he won the bronze medal together with Evan Noel.
Prior to taking part in The Olympics, Leaf made two appearances in first-class cricket, playing for the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1884 and GJV Weigall's XI in 1904.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/30/30924/30924.html|title=Player profile: Henry Leaf|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=15 June 2014}}</ref>
Leaf was a volunteer officer in the Electrical Engineers, a volunteer unit of the Royal Engineers (RE). Their role was to supplement the regular Royal Engineers in wartime by operating searchlights to defend major ports in conjunction with minefields controlled by Volunteer companies of Submarine Miners, RE. Following the outbreak of the Second Boer War, Leaf volunteered for active service. Early in the war, Colonel Robert Baden-Powell improvised searchlights to deter night attacks during the Siege of Mafeking. Soon afterward, a detachment of the Electrical Engineers Volunteers went to South Africa where they operated electric Arc lamp searchlights, the first use of such equipment by the Royal Engineers on the campaign.<ref name = Brigstock>Keith Brigstock 'Royal Artillery Searchlights', presentation to Royal Artillery Historical Society at Larkhill, 17 January 2007.</ref> Leaf was granted the temporary rank of Captain in the Army on 17 March 1900,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27174|page=1793|date=16 March 1900}}</ref> and served with detachment, which was in South Africa from April to October 1900 in the Transvaal and Orange Free State.<ref>''Quarterly Army List''</ref>
He later served in the World War I in France, and he was awarded a Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his services.<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29423/data.pdf Temporary Captain Henry Meredith Leaf,. R.M. For services with the Royal Naval Division-- Motor Transport Company in France.]</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070222012945/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LEAFHEN01 profile] *{{sports links}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leaf, Henry}} Category:1862 births Category:1931 deaths Category:British Army personnel of World War I Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Category:English racquets players Category:Olympic racquets players for Great Britain Category:Racquets players at the 1908 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Category:Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain Category:English cricketers Category:Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Category:Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Category:Sportspeople from Scarborough, North Yorkshire Category:British military personnel of the Second Boer War Category:19th-century English sportsmen Category:20th-century English sportsmen