Leida Elfreida Loonik (b.c.1920)

Leida Elfreida Loonik was born in Estonia to the prominent Loonik family. Her family consisted of landowners, mayors, and other political roles. They were all educated at the university of Tartu or elsewhere in Europe. Leida's brother, Alexei, was the fencing champion of Europe.

Her father, Hans Loonik, was a respected civic leader who later became mayor of Tartu. The family were members of the Lutheran Church and placed great importance on education and culture. Leida’s brother, Alexander Loonik, was the fencing champion of Estonia.

Leida was known from an early age for her exceptional intelligence and linguistic ability. She went to the University of Tartu in 1939, where she read economics, and she was already recognised as a gifted linguist, eventually speaking eight languages, including Estonian, English, German, and Russian. As political conditions in the Baltic states deteriorated on the eve of the Second World War, Leida persuaded her father to allow her to leave Estonia for England in 1939. It would be a decision of tragic finality: she would never hear from her family again.

After her departure, Hans Loonik sent his daughter £5 a day to support her living expenses in England until Soviet control made this impossible. Following the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940, Stalin’s regime targeted the educated Estonian population in particular. During this period, Leida’s family suffered devastating losses. Her brother Alexander drowned following a University of Tartu post-party, likely while intoxicated, and the fate of the remaining family members remained unknown for decades. It was long believed that all had perished under Soviet repression.

Despite the immense personal loss and uncertainty surrounding her family, Leida established a new life in Britain. During the war years she met John Leslie Watkinson, an officer in the Royal Navy, who had trained at Dartmouth before being forced to forego his final six months of study in order to serve in wartime operations. They married on 1 June 1942 in Northumberland, England.

At the time of their marriage, John Watkinson was already deeply engaged in naval service. He served on the North Russian Arctic convoys, initially aboard HMS Shropshire, and later in submarine service during 1942. In 1945 he served aboard HMS Trenchant, followed by HMS Renown in 1946–47. He subsequently served on HMS Vanguard, escorting Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret on their royal tour to South Africa, before later postings including Malta.

Leida and John’s first child, Anna Eha Tenacious Watkinson, was born on 2 January 1943 in Rothesay, Scotland, where Leida was living while John was stationed at the naval submarine base. Anna was christened on board, and took the name “Tenacious” from the submarine itself. Their second child, John Hilary Koit Watkinson, was born on 28 January 1945.