Leonard Pearl was born on 6 August 1908 in Mile End, London, one of at least nine children of David Pearl (1886-1919) and Rachel Pearl née Solomon (1868-1934). In the 1911 census he is shown as living in a seven roomed property at 6 Tredegar Square, Mile End, Bow, with his parents and five of his siblings: Norah Pearl (1892-1963), Harry Pearl (1894-1972), Montague Wolf Pearl (b.1900), Simeon Pearl (1903-1970) and Bessie Pearl (1904-1985), together with a female domestic servant. His father described himself as a cloth dealer.
In the 1939 England and Wales Register he is described as a barrister at law, living at 113 Clifton Court, Maida Vale, London, with a Woolf Pearl (b.1882) who was a soft goods merchant and a Dora Pearl (b.1894). During the Second World War he served in the Royal Air Force rising to the rank of a Squadron Leader.
On 23 September 1943 he married Rivka Betty Cohen (1921-2001) in Coffinswell, Devon, and they had three children: David B. Pearl whose birth was registered in 3rd quarter of 1944 in the Newton Abbot registration district, Devon, Jane R. Pearl, whose birth was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1948 in the Hampstead registration district and Simon Myer Fredman Pearl whose birth was registered in 4th quarter of 1950 in the Marylebone registration district.
After the war he and his family moved to 32 Clifton Hill, St John's Wood, and the St John's Wood Memories website describes life at this address. The London Fandom Wiki site confirms that he was the Mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone in 1963-64, that in 1964-65 he was the Chairman of the committee formed to amalgamate the three London boroughs of St Marylebone, Paddington & Westminster City Council which would become the City of Westminster Council on 1 April 1965 and of which he was elected as Lord Mayor for 1968-69 & 1969-70.
He died, aged 74 years, on 20 February 1983, his death being registered in the Newbury registration district, Berkshire.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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