Here, at last, is the full, authentic story a young man of thirty-eight who has become a double-legend in half a lifetime. For the extraordinary R.A.F. career of Group Captain Leonard Cheshire, which won him the V.C., a triple D.S.O., and the D.F.C. with Bomber Command during the Second World War has been complemented since by his single-minded missionary zeal as a Christian on behalf of the Chronic sick. But if the name and fame of Leonard Cheshire have reached the ears of millions, the man behind the legend has remained something of an enigma - a source of inspiration to those who accept with no mental reservations the repeated tales of his exploits, a source of irritation to others who suspect the cult of living heroes. In this definitive biography, both groups will find for the first time a convincing answer to the riddle of Cheshire's character. -- front jacket flap.

Prologue -- I. The family -- II. The schoolboy -- III. The undergraduate -- IV. The learner pilot -- V. The leader -- VI. The legend -- VII. The perfectionist -- VIII. The climax -- IX. The reaction -- X. The idealist -- XI. The Christian -- Epilogue -- List of books consulted.