Trafford

Born during the March quarter 1909 in the Barton upon Irwell R.D. - ref:
8c/714, the son of James & Elizabeth Ann  Day (nee Corden).

1911 Census - 66 Brook Road, Flixton.     Son - aged: 2 - born: Flixton.  
Head of household - James Day - Married - aged: 42 - occ: General Labourer
- born: Wildboarclough, Cheshire.   Also - Elizabeth Day - Wife - aged: 43
- born: Wildboarclough, Cheshire.   Plus 4 elder siblings.

On the 27th April 1929, Leonard embarked on the S.S. Sarpedon, a steamship
of the Blue Funnel Line and travelled 1st Class to Port Said and onwards to
the Malayan Straits.  Aged: 20, he resided at 69 Brook Road, Flixton and
was employed as a Clerk.   He must have returned to the UK as he married -
Elizabeth Pauline Farrand during the June quarter 1939 in the Manchester R.
D. - ref: 8d/395.

The UK Colonial Office recorded his death as being on or about the 16th
February 1942 off Muntok in the Bangka Strait.   The Bangka Strait is the
strait that separates the island of Sumatra from Bangka Island (Palau
Bangka) in the Java Sea, Indonesia.  He was presumed to have lost his life
in the sinking of HMS Pulo Soegi, sunk by gunfire from a Japanese Cruiser. 
 There were 25 survivors with 55 missing, one of whom was Lt Day.

From the https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Martin-30905 website:-

Coinciding with the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the Japanese invaded the
Malay Peninsula on the 8th December 1941, quickly overrunning the Malaya
and bombing Singapore itself. By the 31st of January, the last Allied
forces had left Malaya, the engineers blowing up a section of the causeway
linking the mainland with the island of Singapore as they left.

An evacuation of Singapore was organised two weeks later, over the
13th-14th February 1942, with the convoy of 44 ships ordered to Batavia
(now Djkarta, Java). Some ships were able to slip through the Malacca
Straits, but the Japanese soon had the Malacca Straits sealed off, forcing
the convoy to make a detour through the Sunda Strait between Sumatra and
Java; after which they then had to negotiate the Banka Straits between the
south-east coast of Sumatra and Banka Island.

By an unlucky coincidence, a Japanese invasion force including an aircraft
carrier, heading toward an invasion of Sumatra and Java had been ordered to
rendezvous in the Banka Straits. The Banka Straits are very narrow, the
ships were forced to go through line astern and in this vulnerable
position, with little room to manoeuvre, those that escaped the Japanese
bombers were caught by shell fire as they were forced toward the Japanese
fleet sealing the straits.  HMS Pulo Soegi was sunk by Japanese gunfire in
the Banka Straits on the 16th February 1942.

Commemorated on his parent's grave in St. Saviour's Churchyard,
Wildboarclough, Cheshire.   M.I. "Elizabeth Ann Day, 25th February 1929,
aged: 61.   James Day d. 25th April 1934, aged: 65.   Their youngest son,
Lt. Leonard Stephen Day, husband of Betty, lost at sea 16th February 1942,
aged: 33".

Administration of his Estate was granted to his widow - Elizabeth Pauline
Day, on the 8th April 1948 at Manchester.   His Estate was valued at £871.
 5s.  10d.  His widow's address was given as "Shutlingslow", Dane Road,
Sale.  Quite coincidentally, "Shutlingslow" house was bombed in 1940 and
this was reported in the booklet "Our Blitz - Red Sky Over Manchester" and
in my own booklet "Sale Blitz" 1940-1941".  The Shawcross Family resided
there at that time.