Leslie John Audus (1911-2011) studied Natural Sciences (Botany) at Downing College from 1929. During the Second World War, he served in the RAF volunteer reserve and was stationed in Malaya and Singapore. He spent his off-duty time on field trips into the Malayan jungle in pursuit of varieties of grasses, recording his finds in several dozen botanical studies.

Just before the Fall of Singapore in February 1942, Fl. Lt. Audus and his elite radar installation unit were evacuated to Java in an attempt to get them back to Britain but they were taken prisoner of war by the Japanese in March. Audus survived captivity in camps across the Dutch East Indies during which time using his biology knowledge he worked closely with POW medical officers helping to save the lives and sight of many fellow captives by making yeast from available resources to help protect inmates against Beri Beri.

After the war, following his release from captivity, Leslie Audus resumed his academic career in botany at the University of Wales, Cardiff. A few years later he was appointed Chair of Botany at the University of London. He died on 5 May 2011.