Robert Leith-Macgregor
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Leith-Macgregor MC
DFC
(23 August 1917 – 14 November 2008) was a British Army officer and Royal Air Force
pilot. He fought in World War II initially as an infantry officer in the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
, then trained as a pilot and transferred to the Royal Air Force. He was shot down several times and eventually became a Prisoner of War
.
Post-war he returned to the army, serving again with the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers in the Korean War
, and later commanding a battalion of that regiment.
. On passing out he was commissioned into the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
as a second lieutenant
on 25 August 1938, and was posted to the 2nd Battalion. He served in Belgium in 1939 but became bored with serving as a soldier, and instead volunteered to be trained as an army liaison pilot, gaining an additional RAF commission as a pilot officer
in the Royal Air Force
on 11 April 1940. After training on a de Havilland Tiger Moth
he was taught to fly the Westland Lysander
and posted to No. 241 Squadron RAF
. He was transferred to No. 208 Squadron RAF
to fly the Hawker Hurricane
in the North African Campaign
, and twice crashed. He was first shot down, but survived with no injuries despite his crashed aircraft being strafed by three German fighters before he could escape. On the second occasion his engines failed and he was forced to crash-land; it later transpired he had taxied 75 yards in an active minefield without detonating anything. He had retained his army commission and was promoted lieutenant
on 1 January 1941, and in the RAF, war substantive flying officer
on 11 April 1941.
In June 1942, he was attacked by four Messerschmitt Bf 109
s; he destroyed one, but was himself shot down. Despite again being strafed by the remaining planes he survived unharmed, and returned to his base just in time to find his flight sergeant
(who had witnessed events) organising a burial detail. Leith-Macgregor was immediately awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
. The citation was published in the London Gazette
on 28 July 1942:
He was again shot down in August over El Alamein and was trapped inside the aircraft with the ammunition exploding. Nearby German soldiers broke through the canopy with an axe and helped him escape. After an attempt to escape, he was transferred to an Italian Prisoner of War camp where he was brutally interrogated and held in a cage measuring five feet by three feet. He was transferred to a camp in Gavi and after the Italian armistice sent to Stalag Luft III
; he did not escape in The Great Escape but was instead transferred yet again to a naval prisoner of war camp near Hamburg, where a sergeant from the Scots Guards
cut the wire and let the prisoners escape.
. While there, he was promoted temporary major, and given command of the battalion's Y Company. For the leadership he displayed on 3 January 1951, he was awarded the Military Cross
for placing Y Company so well on a hill that, despite an attack by a massive Chinese force, the enemy were unable to dislodge them, and the company withdrew without a single man killed. Brigadier
Brodie, commander of 29th Independent Brigade described it as "a performance of the highest order" when countersigning the recommendation. The award was announced in the London Gazette
on 10 July 1951. He received substantive promotion to major on 25 August 1951. He then commanded a company at Eaton Hall Officer Cadet School followed by a spell as second in command of a battalion of the Nigeria Regiment
and as training officer of the 7th battalion RNF (the Territorial Army unit associated with the regiment). Promoted lieutenant colonel on 5 February 1960, he commanded the 1st battalion before, aware he had no staff training, he retired on 5 December 1962. In retirement he worked first as a Guinness
representative, and later as a marketing director for Rank Hotels and the Park Lane Hotel
.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(23 August 1917 – 14 November 2008) was a British Army officer and Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
pilot. He fought in World War II initially as an infantry officer in the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally raised in 1674, the regiment was amalgamated with three other fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.-Origins:...
, then trained as a pilot and transferred to the Royal Air Force. He was shot down several times and eventually became a Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
Post-war he returned to the army, serving again with the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, and later commanding a battalion of that regiment.
Early life and World War II
The stepson of an admiral, Leith-Macgregor initially trained at the Nautical College, Pangbourne but could not deal with the five hours of mathematics a day, and after three years transferred to the Royal Military Academy SandhurstRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. On passing out he was commissioned into the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally raised in 1674, the regiment was amalgamated with three other fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.-Origins:...
as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
on 25 August 1938, and was posted to the 2nd Battalion. He served in Belgium in 1939 but became bored with serving as a soldier, and instead volunteered to be trained as an army liaison pilot, gaining an additional RAF commission as a pilot officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
on 11 April 1940. After training on a de Havilland Tiger Moth
De Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952, when many of the surplus aircraft...
he was taught to fly the Westland Lysander
Westland Lysander
The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft used immediately before and during the Second World War...
and posted to No. 241 Squadron RAF
No. 241 Squadron RAF
No. 241 Squadron is a former squadron of the Royal Air Force formed during the First World War.-History:No. 241 Squadron was formed in August 1918 from the former Royal Naval Air Service flights operating at the RNAS seaplane station at the Isle of Portland and their airfield at Chickerell;...
. He was transferred to No. 208 Squadron RAF
No. 208 Squadron RAF
No 208 Squadron is at present a reserve unit of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. It operates the BAe Hawk aircraft.-World War I:...
to fly the Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
in the North African Campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
, and twice crashed. He was first shot down, but survived with no injuries despite his crashed aircraft being strafed by three German fighters before he could escape. On the second occasion his engines failed and he was forced to crash-land; it later transpired he had taxied 75 yards in an active minefield without detonating anything. He had retained his army commission and was promoted lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
on 1 January 1941, and in the RAF, war substantive flying officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
on 11 April 1941.
In June 1942, he was attacked by four Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
s; he destroyed one, but was himself shot down. Despite again being strafed by the remaining planes he survived unharmed, and returned to his base just in time to find his flight sergeant
Flight Sergeant
Flight sergeant is a senior non-commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structure...
(who had witnessed events) organising a burial detail. Leith-Macgregor was immediately awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
. The citation was published in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
on 28 July 1942:
He was again shot down in August over El Alamein and was trapped inside the aircraft with the ammunition exploding. Nearby German soldiers broke through the canopy with an axe and helped him escape. After an attempt to escape, he was transferred to an Italian Prisoner of War camp where he was brutally interrogated and held in a cage measuring five feet by three feet. He was transferred to a camp in Gavi and after the Italian armistice sent to Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
; he did not escape in The Great Escape but was instead transferred yet again to a naval prisoner of war camp near Hamburg, where a sergeant from the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
cut the wire and let the prisoners escape.
Korean War and later life
On 26 August 1945, he relinquished his RAF commission to return to army duty as a lieutenant. He rejoined the Fusiliers, was promoted captain on 1 July 1946, and served with the 1st Battalion in the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. While there, he was promoted temporary major, and given command of the battalion's Y Company. For the leadership he displayed on 3 January 1951, he was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
for placing Y Company so well on a hill that, despite an attack by a massive Chinese force, the enemy were unable to dislodge them, and the company withdrew without a single man killed. Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Brodie, commander of 29th Independent Brigade described it as "a performance of the highest order" when countersigning the recommendation. The award was announced in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
on 10 July 1951. He received substantive promotion to major on 25 August 1951. He then commanded a company at Eaton Hall Officer Cadet School followed by a spell as second in command of a battalion of the Nigeria Regiment
Nigeria Regiment
The Nigeria Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force, was formed by the amalgamation of the Northern Nigeria Regiment and the Southern Nigeria Regiment on January 1 1914...
and as training officer of the 7th battalion RNF (the Territorial Army unit associated with the regiment). Promoted lieutenant colonel on 5 February 1960, he commanded the 1st battalion before, aware he had no staff training, he retired on 5 December 1962. In retirement he worked first as a Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
representative, and later as a marketing director for Rank Hotels and the Park Lane Hotel
Park Lane Hotel
The Park Lane Hotel is a 5 Star hotel on Piccadilly, London.The hotel was built in the 1920s in the Grand Art Deco Style by Sir Bracewell Smith. The building is a fine example with a mansard roof and Portland stone facade...
.