Leonard Pellew was a general surgeon. He was born on 22 February 1909 in Balaclava, Victoria, South Australia the son of Leonard James Pellow, a surgeon and his wife Hirell Alice née Ternouth, the daughter of an Adelaide manufacturer. His father served with the RAMC in France from 1915 to 1916 and his brother was a physician who was a fellow of both the English and Australasian Colleges and became a lieutenant colonel in the RAAMC. From 1919 to 1926 Leonard attended St Peter's College Adelaide and then studied at Adelaide University where he gained blues in cricket and baseball. He passed the fellowship of the College in 1936 and served in the RAAMC as a major (surgical specialist) from 1941 to 1946. Returning to Australia he was assistant surgeon and then honorary surgeon to the Royal Adelaide Hospital from 1950 to 1969 and then senior consulting surgeon to the Repatriation General Hospital, Adelaide from 1969 to 1972. He also was surgeon to the South Australia Fire Brigades Board and to the South Australia National Football Club. In 1936 he married Constance Mayo Reid who was the great grand-daughter of Charles Mayo, FRCS 1843. Their son became an architect and their daughter qualified MB BS Adelaide in 1963. Very fond of cricket he also enjoyed bowls and football played, as he put it, "by the Australian rules". He died on 4 January 2011, aged 102 years.