Leslie Adams
Encyclopedia
Leslie "Les" 'Juicy' Adams was an English
professional rugby league
footballer of the 1930s and '40s who at representative level played for Great Britain
, England
, and Yorkshire, and at club level for Leeds
(twice), Huddersfield
, and Castleford
, playing at /, i.e. number 7.
while at Leeds in 1931 against Wales, while at Castleford in 1936 against Wales, in 1939 against France, and won a cap for Great Britain
while at Leeds on Saturday 18 June 1932 against Australia at Brisbane Cricket Ground (The Gabba).
's 11–8 victory over Swinton
in the 1932 Challenge Cup
final at Central Park
, Wigan
on 7 May 1932, in Huddersfield
's 21–17 victory over Warrington
in the 1933 Challenge Cup
final at Wembley Stadium on 6 May 1933, and in Castleford
's 11–8 victory over Huddersfield
in the 1935 Challenge Cup
final at Wembley Stadium on 4 May 1935. In doing so, he became the first player to win the Challenge Cup with three different clubs.
, becoming a rear gunner
. He was killed in action
in January 1945, when the Liberator B Mk V in which he was flying came down 40-miles south-west of Rangoon
, Burma. Of the nine men on the plane, three of the occupants, including Juicy Adams, are believed to have bailed out, and then drowned. The remaining six men were captured, the 2 officers were separated from the Flight Sergeant
s and sent to Rangoon Jail, where they survived, and the Flight Sergeants were beheaded by the Japanese Military on 7 February 1945, and are buried in the Taukkyan War Cemetery
. After the war the Japanese military officers responsible for the execution were tried for war crimes, and were subsequently executed. Despite numerous searches of the area around the crash site, and discussions with villagers who found the plane, no trace of the body of Juicy Adams, or his colleagues, has been found.
Hall Of Fame Inductee.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
professional rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1930s and '40s who at representative level played for Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
, England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
, and Yorkshire, and at club level for Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
(twice), Huddersfield
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
, and Castleford
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
, playing at /, i.e. number 7.
International honours
Juicy Adams won caps for EnglandEngland national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
while at Leeds in 1931 against Wales, while at Castleford in 1936 against Wales, in 1939 against France, and won a cap for Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
while at Leeds on Saturday 18 June 1932 against Australia at Brisbane Cricket Ground (The Gabba).
Challenge Cup final appearances
Juicy Adams played /, i.e. number 7, in LeedsLeeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
's 11–8 victory over Swinton
Swinton Lions
Swinton Lions is an English professional rugby league club from Swinton, Greater Manchester. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. They currently play in the Championship.-Early years:...
in the 1932 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final at Central Park
Central Park (Wigan)
Central Park was a rugby league stadium in Wigan, England. It was the home of Wigan RLFC before the club moved to the JJB Stadium in 1999. Its final capacity was 18,000.-History:...
, Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
on 7 May 1932, in Huddersfield
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
's 21–17 victory over Warrington
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
in the 1933 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final at Wembley Stadium on 6 May 1933, and in Castleford
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
's 11–8 victory over Huddersfield
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
in the 1935 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final at Wembley Stadium on 4 May 1935. In doing so, he became the first player to win the Challenge Cup with three different clubs.
Death
Juicy Adams became a landlord in Leeds, and subsequently volunteered for war duty with the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, becoming a rear gunner
Tail gunner
A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a gunner defending against enemy fighter attacks from the rear, or "tail", of the plane. The tail gunner operates a flexible machine gun emplacement on either the top or tail end of the aircraft with a generally...
. He was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
in January 1945, when the Liberator B Mk V in which he was flying came down 40-miles south-west of Rangoon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
, Burma. Of the nine men on the plane, three of the occupants, including Juicy Adams, are believed to have bailed out, and then drowned. The remaining six men were captured, the 2 officers were separated from the Flight Sergeant
Flight Sergeant
Flight sergeant is a senior non-commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structure...
s and sent to Rangoon Jail, where they survived, and the Flight Sergeants were beheaded by the Japanese Military on 7 February 1945, and are buried in the Taukkyan War Cemetery
Taukkyan War Cemetery
The Taukkyan War Cemetery is a memorial to Allied soldiers from the British Commonwealth who died in battle in Burma during the Second World War....
. After the war the Japanese military officers responsible for the execution were tried for war crimes, and were subsequently executed. Despite numerous searches of the area around the crash site, and discussions with villagers who found the plane, no trace of the body of Juicy Adams, or his colleagues, has been found.
Honoured at Castleford Tigers
Juicy Adams is a TigersCastleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
Hall Of Fame Inductee.