Page 211 - They Also Served

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Robert Leith-Macgregor 1938.
Robert Leith-Macgregor was born in 1917. He
was the stepson of an admiral, but trouble with
maths put him off a career in the Navy. He entered
Sandhurst in 1936, being commissioned into the
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers two years later.
Early war service with the BEF in Belgium left him
bored, so he volunteered to train as an army liaison
pilot, gaining a commission in the RAF in 1940.
Initially flying Westland Lysanders, he converted to
the Hawker Hurricanes and was posted to 208 Squadron, operating over the Western Desert. Always in the thick of the fighting, he was shot down but survived, despite three German fighters strafing his aircraft as he was trapped in the cockpit. On another occasion, his engine was hit by ground fire and he crash-landed, taxiing through an active minefield, much to the chagrin of the South African troops who had just laid it. Bizarrely, he retained his army commission and was promoted to lieutenant in January 1941 and RAF flying officer three months later.
In June 1942, he was attacked by four Messerschmitt Bf 109s, destroying one before being shot down and again strafed on the ground. He arrived back at base to find his flight sergeant, who had witnessed the event, organising his burial detail. The following month, he was awarded the DFC, with the citation saying: ‘This officer has displayed high courage and devotion to duty in the face of the enemy’. During the battle of El Alamein, he was again shot down and trapped in his burning aircraft amidst exploding ammunition before he was rescued by German troops, who broke the canopy with an axe. Imprisoned first in Italy, then Germany, he was perhaps fortunate that his name was not included on the list of would-be escapers from Stalag Luft III and thus survived the murder of 50 of his compatriots by the Germans.
After the war, Leith-Macgregor returned to his regiment and was promoted to captain in 1946. In 1950, he deployed to Korea as a temporary major in command of Y Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. In January 1951, his company position was attacked by a large Chinese force which was repelled, enabling his men to withdraw without a single loss. Awarded an immediate MC, his brigade commander commented that it was ‘a performance of the highest order’. Promoted to substantive major, he served as a company commander at the Officer Training
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