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William Stiles Leitch Married Jessie Besley | ||||||||
| John Neil Leitch [CFT #9870] Born: 1897 Died: 1947-Sep-30 |
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| b 36 Canonbury North Park, Islington, London d (By suicide) John's parents were William Stiles Leitch (1867-1914) and Jessie Besley (1868-1956). The extraordinary story of his life is best portrayed by the following cutting from the Daily Mirror dated 1st. October 1947: "A few hours after he had failed to appear in court to face ten charges of false pretences, John Neil Leitch, ex-doctor of fifty, whose wildcat schemes were to have made him a millionaire, died of poisoning yesterday. 'Leitch I'm going to make a million' - planned his 'get-rich' schemes when he was struck off the medical register in 1941 and served a twelve month sentence for false pretences. He arrived in Hastings, bought a bombed building in fashionable St. Leonards and planned to open it as a night club, restaurant and dance hall. But before he could really get started a building firm took him to court and he heard a Judge ask: 'What is all this jiggery-pokery?' Undismayed, 'Leitch - I'll still make a million' - began again. He formed the London Spa Company, the Sydenham Spa Company and an international school. And no sooner was one scheme abandoned than he was off on another. Financiers from London would come down to St. Leonards to be conducted around Sussex by car. On the Downs the 'doctor' would stop, sweep his arm around the rolling acres and say:'All this vast land is mine - I'm starting a holiday camp. I can't spare many shares but for you I'll manage a thousand for a start'. Leitch's last throw was when he negotiated for a £10,000 building in Hastings to turn it into a school for dieticians. Without even a penny of the £10,000 he ordered workmen to cut down all the trees in the eleven acres of ground around the building. He said he was making way for hundreds of Swiss chalets. That was the finish. On Monday he was due to face these charges: Falsely representing himself as a consultant physician, taking part in the management of companies while an undischarged bankrupt, false pretences - and cutting down of £638 worth of trees with intent to steal. He was in hospital suffering from poisoning when his case was called. And at one o;clock in the morning the would-be millionaire died - about £1,000,000 short! |
1: 1942 Christopher Neil Leitchc W | |||||||
| 1 Child | ||||||||
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