# Henry Leaf

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{{short description|British rackets player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2016}}
{{MedalTop}}
{{MedalSport|Men's [Rackets](/source/Rackets_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics)}}
{{MedalSilver|[1908 London](/source/1908_Summer_Olympics) | [Men's singles](/source/Rackets_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_singles)}}
{{MedalBronze|[1908 London](/source/1908_Summer_Olympics) | [Men's doubles](/source/Rackets_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_doubles)}}
{{MedalBottom}}

'''Henry Meredith Leaf''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|DSO}} (18 October 1862 &ndash; 23 April 1931) was a [British](/source/Great_Britain) [rackets](/source/racquets_(sport)) player who competed in the [1908 Summer Olympics](/source/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](/source/Evan_Noel).

Prior to taking part in The Olympics, Leaf made two appearances in [first-class cricket](/source/first-class_cricket), playing for the [Marylebone Cricket Club](/source/Marylebone_Cricket_Club) in 1884 and [GJV Weigall's XI](/source/Gerry_Weigall) 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](/source/London_Electrical_Engineers), a volunteer unit of the [Royal Engineers](/source/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](/source/Second_Boer_War), Leaf volunteered for active service. Early in the war, [Colonel Robert Baden-Powell](/source/Robert_Baden-Powell%2C_1st_Baron_Baden-Powell) improvised searchlights to deter night attacks during the [Siege of Mafeking](/source/Siege_of_Mafeking). Soon afterward, a detachment of the Electrical Engineers Volunteers went to South Africa where they operated electric [Arc lamp](/source/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](/source/Captain_(BARM)) 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](/source/South_African_Republic) and [Orange Free State](/source/Orange_Free_State).<ref>''Quarterly Army List''</ref> 

He later served in the [World War I](/source/World_War_I) in France, and he was awarded a [Distinguished Service Order](/source/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

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Henry Leaf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Leaf) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Leaf?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.