Lord Richard Cecil
Encyclopedia
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 6th Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Edward Peter Gascoyne-Cecil, 6th Marquess of Salisbury , styled Viscount Cranborne from 1947 to 1972, was a British landowner and Conservative politician....
. Lord Richard's mother was Marjorie (Mollie) Olein Wyndham-Quin, who had married his father in 1945.
The Salisbury family had well established links with the country of Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
. Rhodesia's capital city was named after the third Marquess. The family had extensive land holdings in the country and the fifth Marquess
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury, KG, PC , known as Viscount Cranborne from 1903 to 1947, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:...
(Lord Richard's grandfather) was a leading British supporter of the white minority UDI
Unilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia)
The Unilateral Declaration of Independence of Rhodesia from the United Kingdom was signed on November 11, 1965, by the administration of Ian Smith, whose Rhodesian Front party opposed black majority rule in the then British colony. Although it declared independence from the United Kingdom it...
government that ran Rhodesia from 1965 to 1979.
Education and early career
Lord Richard was educated at Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After graduating from Sandhurst, he was commissioned in the Grenadier Guards. After three tours of duty in Northern Ireland (mentioned in dispatches in 1973) he attained the rank of Captain. He decided not to pursue a career in the military and resigned his commission with a view to pursuing a career in politics.
He enrolled on a degree course in politics at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
in 1973, although it is believed that he rarely attended classes and never graduated. In July 1974 he was adopted as the Conservative candidate for Barrow-in-Furness and contested the seat in the October 1974 general election. During the election campaign he complained about the restraints being placed on military action in Northern Ireland by politicians. He suggested the possibility of making military incursions into the Republic of Ireland in order to eliminate terrorists sheltering there. The incumbent Labour MP defeated Lord Richard by 7,400 votes and a 3% swing from Conservative to Labour. Thereafter, he decided to become a freelance journalist while seeking a winnable Conservative seat to contest at the next election.
Journalism and Rhodesia
Lord Richard's military background and social connections led him to Southern Africa in the mid 1970s, at a time when political unrest in Rhodesia was leading to a state of war between the white minority government and black nationalist guerrilla forces. He quickly established friendships with prominent Rhodesians including the Foreign Minister, P. K. van der BylP. K. van der Byl
Pieter Kenyon Fleming-Voltelyn van der Byl, ID was a South African-born Rhodesian politician who served as the country's Foreign Minister from 1974 to 1979 as a member of the Rhodesian Front...
.
When the Bush War
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
against black nationalists started in earnest in 1976, Lord Richard used his family connections to gain access to Rhodesian army counter-insurgency operations. In particular, his friendship with "PK" allowed him access to events and locations that were off-limits to other journalists. He provided reports that were carried by a number of newspapers (including The Times and Time magazine). He also contributed reports to the British ITN TV news service.
An adventurer by nature, Lord Richard would accompany Rhodesian army units into action while himself wearing army uniform and carrying a rifle. His Times obituary (22 April 1978) stated that he was "prepared to carry a rifle ... and even to use it". He ignored warnings that such conduct was inappropriate and dangerous for a journalist. Lord Richard was a member of a 20 strong group of correspondents known as the "Bang Gang". This group was intimately involved in the Rhodesian cause, and went about their journalistic work heavily armed.
Lord Richard was nicknamed "Young Winston" by fellow journalists. This referred to similarities between the early careers of Lord Richard and Winston Churchill. The nickname was not used kindly in every case. Some of his fellow journalists considered that his conduct exposed all journalists in Rhodesia to the charge of being combatants - and being treated accordingly in certain eventualities such as capture.
Death
On 20 April 1978, Lord Richard and freelance film-maker Nick Downie landed by helicopter in North East Rhodesia with an army "FireforceFireforce
Fireforce is a variant of the tactic of vertical envelopment of a target by helicopter-borne and parachute infantry developed by the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War...
" airborne unit. They were recording material for use in a TV documentary they were making about the Bush War
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
. The unit became scattered during the landing because the air force officer commanding the operation that day was inexperienced in Fireforce methods. While moving through dense undergrowth, Lord Richard encountered a ZANLA fighter who fired at him at a range of less than 5 meters. He was hit by two bullets, first in the thigh and then in the chest, and died after a few minutes.
The Rhodesian Ministry of Defence reported him as being "killed in action". His body was returned to England for burial.
Aftermath
P. K. van der BylP. K. van der Byl
Pieter Kenyon Fleming-Voltelyn van der Byl, ID was a South African-born Rhodesian politician who served as the country's Foreign Minister from 1974 to 1979 as a member of the Rhodesian Front...
offered the following comment upon being informed of Lord Richard's death :
"Lord Richard was the finest young man I ever knew and represented the best of everything that made the Englishman great, and built the British Empire."
Lord Richard's funeral service was held at the Parish Church of St. Mary and St. Bartholomew, Cranborne on 27 April. A memorial service was held for him at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks
Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks
The Royal Military Chapel, St. James Park, known as the Guards Chapel, is the religious home of the Household Division at the Wellington Barracks in London. Built in 1838, the chapel was bombed during the Blitz in 1940/1941....
, on 9 May. Both events were attended by the most prominent personalities from the British aristocracy (including Lord Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
), the British army and the media.
The death of Lord Richard was one of a number of events during 1978 that brought UDI
Unilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia)
The Unilateral Declaration of Independence of Rhodesia from the United Kingdom was signed on November 11, 1965, by the administration of Ian Smith, whose Rhodesian Front party opposed black majority rule in the then British colony. Although it declared independence from the United Kingdom it...
to an abrupt end. The loss of one man did not amount to much in the whole scheme of things, but it was the identity of that man and the nature of his loss that had an impact. One factor that had sustained UDI since 1965 was tacit support from some elements in the British establishment who were variously influenced by anti-communism, appreciation of the colonial era's achievements and a wish to safeguard investments. Lord Richard was the embodiment of that support. His death brought the UDI project into question and made certain people think very hard about the wisdom of it.
Nick Downie completed filming of the documentary he and Lord Richard had been engaged in. It was broadcast by Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
's 30 minute TV Eye programme under the title "Frontline Rhodesia". An expanded 50 minute version of the film was later given public release by Thames TV.
Lord Richard’s elder brother was Robert Cecil
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Michael James Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, PC, DL , is a British Conservative politician. During the 1990s, he was Leader of the House of Lords under his courtesy title of Viscount Cranborne...
, Viscount Cranborne, elected MP for South Dorset in the 1979 general election. In his maiden speech to the House, Cranborne urged Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith GCLM ID was a politician active in the government of Southern Rhodesia, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe Rhodesia and Zimbabwe from 1948 to 1987, most notably serving as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 13 April 1964 to 1 June 1979...
to end UDI and accept majority rule in Rhodesia. Cranborne became 7th Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Michael James Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, PC, DL , is a British Conservative politician. During the 1990s, he was Leader of the House of Lords under his courtesy title of Viscount Cranborne...
in 2003 upon the death of his father.
External links
- Powerline blog :J. Ross Baughman's war reporting