Lord Richard Cecil
Lord Richard Valentine Gascoyne-Cecil (26 January 1948 – 20 April 1978) was a British soldier,
The Cecil family had long-standing connections with Rhodesia. The death of Cecil was mourned by his family and supporters. Britain and the United States had already planned negotiations between the Rhodesian government led by Ian Smith, Bishop Abel Muzoriwa and the ZANU PF and ZANLA leaders.
Family ties
Cecil was the son of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 6th Marquess of Salisbury.[1] His mother was Marjorie (Mollie) Olein Wyndham-Quin, granddaughter of the Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, who had married his father in 1945.[2]
The Cecil family had well established links with
Cecil was the eldest of the younger brothers of Viscount Cranborne, who has been both an MP and the Leader of the House of Lords. In July 2003, Lord Cranborne became The 7th Marquess of Salisbury upon the death of his father.
Education and early career
Cecil was educated at
He enrolled on a degree course in politics at the
Journalism and Rhodesia
Cecil'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 Byl.
When the
Cecil would accompany Rhodesian Army units into action while himself wearing army uniform and carrying a rifle. His obituary (22 April 1978) stated that he was "prepared to carry a rifle ... and even to use it".[8] He ignored warnings that such conduct was inappropriate and dangerous for a journalist. Cecil 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.
Cecil was nicknamed "Young Winston" by fellow journalists. This referred to similarities between the early careers of Cecil 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, Cecil and freelance film-maker
Aftermath
P. K. van der Byl offered the following comment upon being informed of Cecil'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."
Cecil's funeral service was held at the
The death of Cecil was one of a number of events during 1978 that brought
Nick Downie completed filming of the documentary he and Cecil had been engaged in. It was broadcast by Thames Television's 30-minute TV Eye programme under the title "Frontline Rhodesia".
In the 1979 British general election, Cecil's brother, Viscount Cranborne, was elected MP for South Dorset. In his maiden speech to the House, Lord Cranborne urged Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith to end UDI and accept majority rule in Rhodesia under Abel Muzorewa.
References
- ^ The Guardian, 15 July 2003 :obituary of sixth Marquess of Salisbury
- ^ Genealogy report :aristocratic British families (extract)
- ^ The Times, 19 September 1973. Official Notices
- ^ The Times, 25 July 1974. "Candidates adopted"
- ^ October 1974 general election :Barrow in Furness result Archived 25 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Times, 22 April 1978. Obituary of Lord Richard Cecil
- ^ accessed 25 August 2021, the first 3 1/2 minutes of the longer clip is his voice-over combat footage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79bjlOg8Wgs
- ^ Time magazine, 1979 :the 'Bang Gang'
- ^ Nick Downie report
- ^ Rory Peck Trust :list of freelance journalists killed in battle Archived 6 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Times, 22 April 1978. 'Journalist killed by guerrillas' – by Frederick Cleary
- ^ Army Rumour Service Full Account of Richard Cecil's death
- ^ The Times, 29 April 1978. Report on funeral service
- ^ The Guardian :6th Marquess obituary, 2003
- ^ 7th Marquis biography :Heathland Heritage Centre