At Stowe he was taught English by the fantasy novelist T. Cheshire was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford, Stowe School and Merton College, Oxford. Cheshire was born in Hoole, Chester, but was brought up at his parents' home near Oxford. He had one brother, Christopher Cheshire, also a wartime pilot. Leonard Cheshire was the son of Geoffrey Chevalier Cheshire, a barrister, academic and influential writer on English law. Ĭheshire's home in Chester, where a blue plaque marks the house in which he was born. In 1991 he was created a life peer in recognition of his charitable work. He became known for his work in conflict resolution. He was the youngest group captain in the RAF and one of the most highly decorated pilots of the war.Īfter the war he founded a nursing home that grew into the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability.
Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO & Two Bars, DFC (7 September 1917 – 31 July 1992) was a highly decorated Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot and group captain during the Second World War, and a philanthropist.Īmong the honours Cheshire received as a pilot was the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.