Leonard Cheshire VC

One hero who walked the corridors of the Petwood hotel was Leonard Cheshire, whose portrait you will see hung in the reception area of the hotel. He was one of Gibson’s successors as commander of  617 Squadron_ and was himself a very remarkable man – both during the war and long, long afterwards.

Terrified of hesights, he joined the RAF at the start of the war and flew Whitley bombers, winning a DSO for flying his badly damaged plane back to base after a raid. By 1942 Leonard was Squadron Leader of a Halifax squadron - and although he would rise to a Station commander Group Captain, the heroic airman pushed for a return to an operational command.

These efforts paid off with a posting to succeed Wing Commander Guy Gibson as commander of the legendary 617 Dambusters Squadron in the September of 1943 – bringing him to the officers mess, the Petwood, where he was a popular figure among the men.

Cheshire was nearing the end of his fourth tour of duty in July 1944, having completed a total of 102 missions, when he was awarded the Victoria Cross. 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.

Cheshire was, in his day, both the youngest Group Captain in the service and, following his VC, the most decorated. After the war the caring hero went on to start The Cheshire Homes, now an international organisation caring for the terminally ill and the disabled. In 1959, Cheshire married Sue Ryder, a one time Special Operations Executive agent. Cheshire worked tirelessly for his charity, until his death in 1992, from motor neurone disease, aged 74.

He had won a VC in wartime – but the legacy he left in peacetime is, if anything, even more memorable. He loved the Petwood Hotel, the redoubt of his days of glory – and part of him will always remain here.