Skegness Magazine

“Daredevil” Leslie Gadsby had an unfortunate accident in 1931 which resulted in him losing a hand.
Leslie was the son of “Daredevil” Peggy Gadsby, the one-legged high diver, both of whom were well-known in Skegness for their stunt diving performances off Skegness Pier.
After leaving Skegness, the pair went on to perform at Weston-super-Mare and Peggy Gadsby’s dive into a bowl of fire from a height of 75 feet was said to be a most spectacular feature of their display.
Leslie, who was only 20 years of age when the accident happened, was firing a maroon from the Grand Pier to signal the onset of the morning performance, when the rocket hit the iron structure overhead and rebounded onto his left hand. it exploded and all his fingers were shattered.

First aiders from St John Ambulance Brigade conveyed the victim to the Weston General Hospital, where it was found necessary to amputate the hand above the wrist.

Leslie’s speciality was diving from a great height into a shallow bowl of water and his hands were a great factor in allowing him to flatten out, avoiding hitting the bottom of the tank which held only six or seven feet of water. His accident prevented him from continuing with this stunt.