Leslie Eric Sheldon Stokes, OBE

IRA photo of F Coy, identified as Major Stokes of Secret Service

1892 Apr/Jun Born at Dartford, Kent

1901 census Living with his father Ernest, a schoolmaster at 4 Warren Cottages, Southfleet, Dartford, Kent

1910 census - cannot be found

1914 Dec 4. RFA. The undermentioned Cadets and ex- Cadets of the Officers Training Corps to be temporary Second Lieutenants. Leslie Eric Sheldon Stokes. His MIC shows 115 Brigade Ammunition Column,

1915 Sept 15. To be temp Captain

1915 Sep 18 Lands in France

1918 Jun 29 Marries Mavis Kathleen Macartney

1919 Mar 18. In Salonica

1919 Jun 17. Temp. Capt. L. E. S. Stokes, O.B.E., to be acting. Major whilst commanding a Divisional Ammunition Column, from 17th June 1919 to 17th Jan. 1920.

1920 Jan 18. The undermentioned relinquish their commission completion of service: Temp. Capts., and are granted the rank of Maj. : L. E. S. Stokes, O.B.E.

1920 Aug 16. Major L E S Stokes OBE late RFA is gazetted as specially employed. Maj. L. E. S. Stokes, O.B.E.; late R.F.A., to be temp. Maj. whilst specially empld. 16th Aug. 1920. On same list is 2nd Lt. T.S. Leeming, late Service Bn., Royal W. Kent. Regt., to be temp. 2nd Lt. while specially employed 16 Aug 1920

Major Stokes comes up a number of times in Dwyer's "The Squad"

• Willie Beaumont, an ex-Royal Dublin Fusilier officer, was working for Collins. One day he had a scare when Major Stokes, "a senior British Intelligence Officer" produced some notes captured from Willies brotther Sean, and containing information supplied by Willie. However Stokes never linked the notes to Willie.
• David Nelligan, one of Collins main moles in the DMP, resigned from the DMP and tried to get into intelligence. He was interviewed by Major Stokes, who accepted Nelligan into the British Intelligence network, assigned him to a district in South Dublin and suggested that Nelligan joined the IRA. Stokes arranged to meet Nelligan a few days later at Kingstown, with Major Wooldridge.

One of the extra men on Boyds letter

1921 Apr 1. Relinquishes his commission

1922 Gets OBE

1941 Mar 11. L E S Stokes died. Service no 49039. CWGC shows him as a Major in 53 Heavy Regt, age 47 and son of Ernest James Stokes and Frances Stokes, of Southfleet; husband of Olive M. Stokes, of Whittington, Shropshire.

Dublin Castle Intelligence