Group Captain, British Victoria Cross Awardee, Baron Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO and Two Bars, DFC, was a highly decorated British RAF pilot during the Second World War. He was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford, Stowe School and Merton College, Oxford. After the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the Royal Air Force. In 1941, he married the American actress, Constance Binney, but the marriage was short-lived and childless. He was posted to 102 Squadron and by August 1942 had been promoted to squadron commander of 76 Squadron. In March 1943 at the age of twenty-five he became the youngest group captain in the RAF. In November 1943 he was given command of 617 Squadron and over the next few months developed new low-level marking techniques that dramatically increased bombing accuracy. In 1944 he was awarded the Victoria Cross after completing a hundred bombing missions on heavily defended targets in Nazi Germany. He was chosen as the official British observer of the atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki. In 1959 he married Sue Ryder in Bombay's Roman Catholic Cathedral, also a Roman Catholic convert and humanitarian. He and Baroness Ryder were one of the few couples to both hold titles in their own right. He also joined with his wife, to establish the Sue Ryder Foundation for the sick and disabled. He was created Baron Cheshire in 1991.
Group Captain, British Victoria Cross Awardee, Baron Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO and Two Bars, DFC, was a highly decorated British RAF pilot during the Second World War. He was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford, Stowe School and Merton College, Oxford. After the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the Royal Air Force. In 1941, he married the American actress, Constance Binney, but the marriage was short-lived and childless. He was posted to 102 Squadron and by August 1942 had been promoted to squadron commander of 76 Squadron. In March 1943 at the age of twenty-five he became the youngest group captain in the RAF. In November 1943 he was given command of 617 Squadron and over the next few months developed new low-level marking techniques that dramatically increased bombing accuracy. In 1944 he was awarded the Victoria Cross after completing a hundred bombing missions on heavily defended targets in Nazi Germany. He was chosen as the official British observer of the atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki. In 1959 he married Sue Ryder in Bombay's Roman Catholic Cathedral, also a Roman Catholic convert and humanitarian. He and Baroness Ryder were one of the few couples to both hold titles in their own right. He also joined with his wife, to establish the Sue Ryder Foundation for the sick and disabled. He was created Baron Cheshire in 1991.
Bio by: julia&keld
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