PERKIN, Lesley Louise
Age at Death: 32
Rank Corporal
Unit Royal Canadian Air Force Women’s Division
Service Number W304099
Place of Burial Hardisty Cemetery, Hardisty AB
Date of Birth 1912.10.14
Place of Birth Hardisty AB
Enlistment June 11, 1942, Winnipeg MB
Date of Death 1945.10.09
Daughter of John Henry Charles and Mabel Perkin, of Hardisty
Lesley Louise Perkin enlisted out of a sense of service. She had a job she enjoyed as a telephone operator for Eaton’s in Winnipeg (she worked there for 11 years, starting when she was 19), and was assured her job would be there after the war. An exemplary serviceperson, Lesley’s confidential reports and performance reports were filled with praise like, “This airwoman is not only outstanding in her trade but is an excellent example of an airwoman,” “She is a natural leader,” and over and over, “Recommended for promotion”.
Ovarian cancer took Lesley, and in a rare instance of institutional empathy, when she was dying the Medical Officer in charge of her case recognized “that it is inconvenient and inconsiderate to board her out of the service at this time”, and Lesley remained in the service and received the best care possible at the time for her final months.
