Leonard Cheshire
|
|
Group Captain Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire VC OM DSO and 2 Bars DFC (September 7, 1917 - July 31, 1992) was a British RAF pilot during the Second World War who received the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. After the war he became a charity worker, setting up "Cheshire Homes" for the disabled. His final battle was his courageous struggle with the debilitating effects of Motor Neurone Disease.
| Contents |
Military Career
Cheshire's operational career began in June 1940. He was a Wing Commander of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and followed Wing Commander Guy Gibson as commander of the legendary 617 Dambusters Squadron. Cheshire was nearing the end of his fourth tour of duty in July 1944, having completed a total of 100 missions, when awarded the VC.
Cheshire had pioneered a new method of marking enemy targets, flying in at a very low level in the face of strong defences. In four years of fighting against the bitterest opposition he maintained a standard of outstanding personal achievement, his successful operations being the result of careful planning, brilliant execution and supreme contempt for danger. Wing Commander Cheshire displayed the courage and determination of an exceptional leader.
Notable Change of Direction
On his 101st mission, he was official British observer of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki, an event which, combined with recently renewed faith in God via the Roman Catholic Church profoundly altered his thinking regarding war, so much so that he dedicated the rest of his life to working for disabled people. He also engaged in an extraordinary amount of lectures to young people regarding peace.
Charitable Life
In 1948 he founded the Leonard Cheshire Foundation charity, now styled "Leonard Cheshire", which continues his work. It provides support at home, or runs homes, for disabled people throughout the world. It is described on its factsheet as "the UK’s leading voluntary sector provider of support services for disabled people" [1] (http://www.leonard-cheshire.org/attachments/factsheet.pdf).
Private Life and Recognitions
In 1959 he married Sue Ryder, also the founder of a charity. In 1991 he was given a life peerage, sitting as a cross-bencher. He lived through his final illness (Motor Neurone Disease) with examplary spiritual fortitude. Queen Elizabeth II paid personal tribute to him in her Christmas message to the Commonwealth in December 1992. In the 2002 BBC poll to find the 100 Greatest Britons, Cheshire attained position 31. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Imperial War Museum (London, England).
Reference
- British VCs of World War 2 (John Laffin, 1997)
- Cheshire : The biography of Leonard Cheshire, VC, OM (Richard Morris, 2000)
- Cheshire, V.C. (R. Bradon, 1954)
- The Dam Busters (Paul Brickhill, 1983)
- Monuments To Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- No Passing Glory (Andrew Boyle)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- Antoni Chmielowski
- Crossing the Finishing Line – Last Thoughts of Leonard Cheshire VC, ed. Reginald C. Fuller (London 1998).
External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/suffolk.htm) (Suffolk)
- History of the Leonard Cheshire charity (http://www.leonard-cheshire.org/aboutus/doc.php3?id=37)