Leonard Cheshire - Help!
 

Hi,
Whilst no longer serving in the RAF I do spend a day a week volunteering at my local Leonard Cheshire establishment. Tomorrow is their 'Founders Day' and I have just been kindly volunteered to do a presentation on the man, in particular his RAF experience and his memorial service (in which as a young 19yr old Acting Plt Off I played an exceptionally minor part).
Anyway I'm looking for a spot of help from anyone who may have anecdotes, notes, stories etc on the man that I could put together at short notice to talk to the users of his establishment. I should add that I shall not be doing some huge PowerPoint presentation more an informal chat with 20-30 people about the man, many of whom remember him.
Yes I know it's a little late in the day and I'm up against it however I'd like to do the man some justice as what he achieved both in military and civilian life was quite astounding.
Any help is genuinely appreciated.

YOU COULD TRY THIS

He was the only one of the 32 VC airmen to win the medal for an extended period of sustained courage and outstanding effort, rather than a single act of valour. His citation read;

'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 - for example, on one occasion he flew his P-51 Mustang in slow figures of 8 above a target obscured by low cloud, to act as a bomb-aiming mark for his squadron. Cheshire displayed the courage and determination of an exceptional leader.'

Cheshire was, in his day, both the youngest Group Captain in the service and, following his VC, the most decorated. His notable wartime record makes his subsequent career all the more remarkable.

On his 103rd mission, he was official British observer of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki flying in the support B-29 The Great Artiste, an event which profoundly changed him. On his return from the mission he left the RAF and went home to his house, Le Court in Hampshire.

While deciding what he should do with the rest of his life he heard about the case of Arthur Dykes, who had formerly served under him and was suffering from cancer. Dykes asked Cheshire to give him some land to park a caravan until he recovered, but Cheshire discovered that Dykes was terminally ill and that this fact had been concealed from him. He told Dykes the real position and invited him to stay at Le Court.

Cheshire learned nursing skills and was soon approached to take in a second patient, the 94-year-old bedridden wife of a man whose own frailness meant he could no longer care for her himself. She was followed by others, some coming to stay and others to help. Although Le Court had no financial support, and was financially perilous most of the time, money somehow always seemed to arrive in the nick of time to stave off disaster. By the time Arthur Dykes died in 1948, there were 24 people staying at Le Court.

AND THIS

"In July 1944, Leonard Cheshire completed his 100th operation. It had been a raid by 617 Squadron, with Cheshire leading, against the 'large site' at Mimoyecques, which turned out to be the shelter for Hitler's V-3 - a giant 25 barrel long-range gun capable of shelling London. Cheshire's Air Officer Commanding in 5 Group, Air Vice-Marshal Ralph Cochrane, deciding that 'enough was enough', thereupon took Cheshire off operations, so preserving a truly remarkable man for - as it turned out - a lifetime of near-saintly service to fellow men in ill-health or distress. His Victoria Cross, awarded in September 1944, related not to any one action but to his whole career as a bomber pilot. The citation stressed how he had developed low-level marking, and rightly stated that "his careful planning, brilliant execution, and contempt for danger" had "established for Wing Commander Cheshire a reputation second to none in Bomber Command."

OR THIS

Group-Captain Leonard Cheshire. His citation read for "acts of continuous bravery in the face of the enemy over a 4 year period."

Typing 'Leonard Cheshire VC citation' into Google produced the above but you might find even more.

Foldy

Foldy,

Thanks for this, it's appreciated.

I am using Google, I was just hoping to draw on the collective knowledge of Pprune to throw up the odd gem that I maybe able to use tomorrow.

Thanks again,

Showtime

Leonard Cheshire
 

I can't provide proof of this story but it seems typical of the man. He was apparently well known for cycling round the squadron dispersals, checking up on the conditions and morale of the squadron groundcrew. Probably much appreciated when doing an engine change in the rain, bombing up or whatever. As I say, I can't vouch for it but it wouldn't surprise me!

His method for encouraging unwanted high-ranking visitors to depart his station asap involved driving them underneath the spinning prop disc of a Manchester bomber in his staff car. All premeasured, about 2" of clearance apparently. Definitely true 'cos Cheshire himself told me!

Cheshire
 

Showtime!

Hello from Germany! Looks like you appear to have most of what you're after. However, there is much acitivty going on with LEONARD CHESHIRE today and the RAF that you, and your colleagues, may wish to note. Feel free to get in touch with me if interested!

Enjoy Founders Day!

See, PpruNe can be educational. I had no idea of this part of his career.
What an outstanding individual for both his war and post-war record.


:ok:

Sheds - Check PMs

Leonard Cheshire - Help!

You don't need any help in finding the best of Leonard Cheshire. He was a man of extraordinary virtues and courage. A man to whom the war was to be won by the best the RAF had to offer. He chose his men very carefully and formed 617 Squadron into the very best of the best, even after the best had performed so well as the 'Dambusters.'

He was unique, and earned his VC for MANY acts of bravery and leadership. A true master bomber and a true leader of men. Many have said, and who could argue, that one VC was not enough for his talent as a leader.

He was a rare and great man.

As I recall, he was an AVM when Gibson was killed and dropped his rank to Gp Capt to take command. Will need confirmation, though.

I remember seeing Cheshire on TV in about 95 being interrogated about the moral justification of the A bombs on Japan, in context of he being a committed Christian. He made a most articulate and thorough case for it on the grounds of lives saved.

A truly great man.

I had lunch with him back in about 1992-93, interviewing him for a magazine. What a thoroughly lovely bloke, modest about his achievements, pleasant to everyone he came into contact with, and an all-in-all good egg!! I can't remember having met a nicer - or braver - man. I remember that day fondly.

VMike,
Couldn't agree more. I had the great fortune as a young officer cadet of meeting one of my all time heros. Leonard Cheshire refused to let us call him Sir, chatted to us for ages about everything to do with the setting up of the homes etc, but wanted to talk less about his wartime exploits (which of course was what we were all interested in!). It is only now that I am 20 years older and wiser that I understand that reluctance and modesty. I have not had to deal with anywhere near the amount of pressure, hardship and difficult decisions he had to take as a wartime leader but I can understand why he wanted to look to the here and now, not the past. But I still came away from the whole weekend (our flight had 'volunteered' to go down to the main house to help out as part of our Social Responsiblities Training!) feeling that I had indeed been in the presence of greatness and that has stayed with me to this day. His meek, quiet, unassuming but attentive manner, in what turned out to be the latter years of his life, will remain with me for the rest of my days. A great honour and privelege to have met him. Good Luck with your talk!
SFO

Perhaps not quite on thread but many years ago when researching for a university paper on technology and its effect on politics, the chosen area being the development of nuclear weapons and their effect on politics, I came across a reference to Cheshire's report to the UK government following his observation of the nuclear attack on Nagasaki.

He was the first person to identify that in the future a nuclear attack would be by missile as he believed an attack by bombers could not be guaranteed. The report was shelved and ignored for many years until the truth of his observation became apparent.

He was a truely gifted individual in both his war-time and peace-time careers.

When I was young I read his biography which was called, I think, "No Passing Glory", which might have been by Paul Brickhill, but perhaps not. Get a copy if you can - lots of fascinating stuff in it.

I think it was his reaction to seeing the nuclear bomb dropped that made him determined to do something more useful to mankind, hence the Cheshire Homes today.

I recall seeing the dust jacket of a recent (last 5 years or so?) book about Cheshire. The picture was of an oil portrait done of him in later life, and it is an amazing depiction; an enigmatic smile and quizzical look in his eyes that portray a man of warmth and compassion. I regret not buying it - can anyone enlighten me of the title/author?

Had him as a pax on a flight. Went back to invite him to the Flight Deck . He was as I imagined out of a different mould.

The author was Russell Braddon.

GlosMikeP, I think you may be mistaking him for Johnny Fauquier, who took a drop in rank to replace 'Willie' Tait as CO 617. Brickhill has Fauquier dropping from Air Commodore to Wg Cdr, but other sources state that Fauquier went down one rank and commanded the squadron as a Grp Capt.

Cheshire had been promoted to Group Captain after completing his tour (his third) as CO of 76 Squadron, and was given command of RAF Marston Moor, which was a 4 Group training station. He dropped one rank to take command of 617 Sqn.

Tait and Fauquier were fairly outstanding men too - although IIRC, Tait was an incredibly modest man and his reticence means that he's been a little forgotten subsequently (which, I gather, was fine by him). Which is odd, since he won four DSOs during the war.

'No Passing Glory' was written by Andrew Boyle; Russell Braddon's book was 'Cheshire VC: A Story of War and Peace'.

Yes - he mellowed in his latter years
He was my nominated personality for OCC research and presentation
I would not have liked hin as my Sqn Cdr

Just to say a quick thanks to all who contributed to my last minute plea. I really appreciate you taking the time to pass on either details or personal memories.

Snapper - I think I came across the book you described at my session yesterday. I'm back at Leonard Cheshire next week and will try and get hold of the details for you.

Showtime