Top-selling author of Virgin Soldiers, Leslie Thomas leaves just £55k will #IRepEntertain9jarBlog #TwitterTrendBlog via @myentertain9jar

LESLIE Thomas, whose comic novel The Virgin Soldiers sold millions of copies, left £55,685 to his family in his will.

 

Leslie Thomas with wife Diana onboard the Oriana, 1996 [CHRIS WOOD]

Thomas, who died in May aged 83 after a long illness, worked as a journalist before writing more than 30 books.

Inspired by his time as a national serviceman in Malaya, Thomas’s best-known work was about young British troops in the Far East.

Published in 1966, the 1969 film adaptation starred Hywel Bennett, Nigel Davenport and Lynn Redgrave.

His other fiction included Onward Virgin Soldiers and Dangerous Davies, but he also penned the non-fiction Some Lovely Islands and A World Of Islands

Thomas was born in Newport, Wales. From the age of 12 he grew up in a Barnardo’s home after his mariner father was lost at sea and his mother died of cancer.

He later became a vice president of the charity and received an OBE in 2005.

Thomas, who lived near Salisbury, Wilts, was survived by his second wife Diana, four children and four grandchildren.

He left legacies to two sons, a daughter from his first marriage, and his grandchildren.

His other fiction included Onward Virgin Soldiers and Dangerous Davies, but he also penned the non-fiction Some Lovely Islands and A World Of Islands.