Leslie Bonnet
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Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...
Leslie Bonnet (22 August 1902 – 10 December 1985) was an
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
officer, short-story writer and duck-breeder, creating the Welsh Harlequin Duck, the only true Welsh duck breed.


Early life

Bonnet was born 1902 in
Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
,
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, England. His father was a bank manager in London's Chancery Lane; his mother was one of the Dudleys, a Staffordshire farming family"Pa-na-ta of ducks and drakes", by J.C. Griffith Jones. WESTERN MAIL, June 1961. He succeeded in winning a scholarship to Watford Boys Grammar School, from where he proceeded to St Catharine's College,
Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, in 1920. He studied English and Law, obtaining a double first in 1923. In the depressed 1920s, graduates were a glut on the market and he took a job selling "Watford" chocolates in Norfolk. He also stood as a
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
parliamentary candidate in
Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
but lost by a small number of votes.


Pre-war years

Bonnet worked for the
Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...
for 15 years. In 1928, he married his first wife, Getrude Olive May, and had his first child, Bill, in 1930. In 1935, he was appointed the first full-time
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
of the staff magazine – ''The Old Lady of Threadneedle Stree''t Under his editorship, it became "a lively, absorbing journal of 200 sleek pages...packed with banking lore, poetry, literary articles, short stories and urbane correspondence, eagerly awaited and read by bankers all over the world." The December issues of the magazine became referred to as: "Uncle Leslie’s Bumper Christmas Annuals""Leslie Bonnet", by Frank Dancaster. ''THE OLD LADY'', June 1986. During this period, he also published the ''Honorary Secretary's Guide'' (1938). In 1938 he joined the Balloon Barrage, the only military service opened to someone at his advanced age. On 1 May 1939 he left the Bank and was appointed an acting
pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...
, second in command of E flight of 908 Squadron, Bethnal Green, one of the ten squadrons of barrage balloons in 30 Group of Balloon Command. He was quickly promoted to Flying Officer and then
Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...
.


War years

In late autumn of 1939, Bonnet was posted to 30 Group Headquarters in Charlotte near the
Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...
as one of three
Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...
Operations Officers who operated the Balloons and next to 902 Squadron, Blackheath. Late in 1940, he was posted as second in command to 905, the West End Squadron. His next posting was to
RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...
, Cottesmore, as adjutant. He returned to 30 Group, which was at this time based in Chessington, in 1941. By this time he was
Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...
Air, with responsibility for balloon operations, under
Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
Barnes. He was given responsibility for the 450 London balloons, for the movement of the numerous extra squadrons of them that they were assembling and seconding overseas; and for the planning and siting of any new barrages that were established at home. Another responsibility was the Channel Convoy; each ship in the convoy flew a balloon from its stern. In 1942, he was abruptly sent to the
RAF Staff College The RAF Staff College may refer to: *RAF Staff College, Andover (active: 1922 to 1940 and 1948 to 1970) *RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park The RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park, was a satellite staff college for the Royal Air Force based at Buls ...
in Gerrards Cross as a student, where he finished top of his class. At the beginning of 1943, he was posted to Stradishall Bomber Base in Suffolk as a
Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
where he spent 5 months as the administrative second in command. At this time, he divorced his first wife, Getrude Olive May, and married
Joan Hutt Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine * Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multip ...
, whom he had originally met when she exhibited at the Bank of England.


Chinese mission

Later in 1943, he was asked by
Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...
"Daddy" Dawes (Head of Officers Postings at Bomber Command) and Air Marshal Saundby to be part of an RAF Training Mission to Chengtu in China under
Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...
Pattinson. The aim of the mission was to train the
Chinese Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...
to operate as an independent service, rather than a branch of the Army as previously. Unofficially, the Chinese invited the British to counteract the influence of the Americans, who were establishing themselves in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in strength. Bonnet worked hard to improve the administration of the service – when he arrived, he found that their filing system consisted of only one file entitled "General Matters". He learnt Chinese and became a great enthusiast for traditional Chinese drama. "At first the Chinese gave him the name 'Pa-nai' (the industrious professor) but soon this was changed to 'Pa-na-ta' (he who is susceptible to every moral influence)" The Mission eventually succeeded in making the Chinese Air Force an effective fighting Force; however, it later deserted to the
Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
forces. Bonnet was also briefly captain of the Chinese Air Force football team.


Staff college

Its work completed, the
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
mission returned to the UK in 1944. On a British aerodrome, the Chinese Ambassador to London awarded Bonnet the rare
Order of the Cloud and Banner The Order of the Cloud and Banner () also known as the Order of the Resplendent Banner is a military award of the Republic of China. It was instituted on June 15, 1935 and is awarded in nine grades for contributions to national security. The insig ...
with Special Rosette "for distinguished services to China" With the rank of Group Captain, Bonnet took up duties as director of studies at the
RAF Staff College The RAF Staff College may refer to: *RAF Staff College, Andover (active: 1922 to 1940 and 1948 to 1970) *RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park The RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park, was a satellite staff college for the Royal Air Force based at Buls ...
at Gerrards Cross until
demobilisation Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...
in October 1947. He was offered the permanent post of adjutant to the Staff College with the peacetime rank of
Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
, which he declined.


Short story writer

In 1949, Bonnet and his wife and family, along with 1,500 ducks and two dogs, moved to
Criccieth Criccieth ( cy, Criccieth ) is a town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing ...
in
North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
, where they had bought a ramshackle manor house with about 25 acres. They had 5 children including Lesley (b. 1944), Villette (b. 1945), Alice (b. 1947), Caroline (b. 1948) and Tom (b. 1951) and later numerous grandchildren. In his adopted home of
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, Bonnet had the opportunity to write; he published numerous short stories, principally for '' Argosy'', as follows: *The Awkwardness of Chin-T’ang, (ss) Magpie Mar 1953; *Aye, and Back Again, (ss) Salmon & Trout Magazine (UK) Jan 1952 *The Bounciful Bed Company, (ss) Argosy (UK) Mar 1964; *Brace of Pheasants, (ss) Argosy (UK) Jan 1959; *The Bride, (ss) Argosy (UK) Oct 1958; *Ch’iao-Chiao and the Bandit, (ss) Argosy (UK) Apr 1952; *Ch'ih Chih Yu Ku Yen Chih Ch'eng Li, (ss) English Rev Mag (UK) Mar 1950 *Chinese Turtle, (ss) Argosy (UK) Jul 1958; *Delectable Whiskers, (ss) Argosy (UK) Nov 1953; *Devoted Concubine, (ss) Argosy (UK) Oct 1951; *The Disappointed Concubine, (ss) Magpie Sep 1952; *The Faithful Sing-Song Girl, (ss) Magpie Apr 1951; *The Friendly Generals, (ss) Magpie Sep 1951; *Game with a Goddess, (ss) Argosy (UK) May 1958; *The General Rejoins His Army, (ss) Magpie May 1953; *The Girl in the Green Tree, (ss) Argosy (UK) Jun 1964; *Heavenly Condescension, (ss) Argosy (UK) Aug 1964; *Lotus Flower, (ss) Argosy (UK) Dec 1956; *Mr. Hedderwick's Holiday, (ss) Argosy (UK) Jul 1954; *Mr Redcoat, (ss) in J. Pudney. Pick of Today's Short Stories 1960 *Proud Lady Yun, (ss) Argosy (UK) Mar 1954; *Royal Monument Pavilion, (ss) Argosy (UK) Jul 1951; *Settled Out of Court, (ss) John Bull 1 Feb 1958; *Scamp, (ss) Veterinary Review (UK) Dec 1958 *Settled Out of Court, (ss) John Bull 1 Feb 1958 *Silken Lady, (ss) Argosy (UK) Apr 1953; *Silken Portrait, (ss) Argosy (UK) Jul 1960; *The Silken Screen, (ss) Argosy (UK) Sep 1957; *Ta-Ra-Ra Boom!, (ss) Argosy (UK) Aug 1956; *The Ticklehampton Stone, (ss) John Bull (UK) 1955 *Tiger General, (ss) Argosy (UK) May 1951; *There are Two Sides to Every Question, (ss) Printers Prophet (UK) 1938 *The Two Weddings of Ying Er, (ss) Magpie Aug 1951; *The Trigamist (ss) John Bull (UK) Sept 1955 *White Snake Lady, (ss) Argosy (UK) Apr 1953 *From a Welsh Valley, (ss) Salmon & Trout Magazine Sept 1952 *It Won't Go Any Further (ss) Veterinary Review (UK) Dec 1961 *A Wreath for Aunt Hannah, (ss) Argosy (UK) Oct 1956. He also published plays, such as ''The Nine Fathers'' (1970), which won the Maynard Cup at the Wales Final Festival of One Act Plays in 1969, as well as books such as ''Chinese Fairy Tales'' (1958). The children's book ''The Terrible Nung Guama'' (1978) was a retelling of one of his stories. He also acted for a time as area representative of a large unit trust company and in 1963 was acting Hon Secretary, Council for the Preservation of Rural Wales, Caernarvonshire Branch.


Originator of the Welsh Harlequin Duck

While in
Criccieth Criccieth ( cy, Criccieth ) is a town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing ...
, Bonnet had the time to further develop his interest in
duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
breeding. He created a new duck breed, the
Welsh Harlequin The Welsh Harlequin is a breed of domestic duck originating in Wales. In 1949, in Criccieth, Group Captain Leslie Bonnet discovered a colour mutation among his flock of Khaki Campbells and began selective breeding for the trait. By 1968, hatching ...
, from a colour mutation from a flock of
Khaki Campbell The Campbell is a British list of duck breeds, breed of domestic duck. It was developed at Uley, in Gloucestershire, England, at the turn of the 20th century; being introduced to the public in 1898 and the Khaki variety in 1901. History Mrs ...
s. It is the only true
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
breed of duck. Bonnet later created the Whalesbury Duck, a cross between an
Aylesbury Duck The Aylesbury duck is a breed of domesticated duck, bred mainly for its meat and appearance. It is a large duck with pure white plumage, a pink bill, orange legs and feet, an unusually large keel, and a horizontal stance with its body parallel ...
and a
Welsh Harlequin The Welsh Harlequin is a breed of domestic duck originating in Wales. In 1949, in Criccieth, Group Captain Leslie Bonnet discovered a colour mutation among his flock of Khaki Campbells and began selective breeding for the trait. By 1968, hatching ...
. As a result of his work with ducks, Bonnet wrote the book ''Practical Duck Keeping'' (1960), which was regarded as the "bible" of duck-keeping and is still in use even today. The British Waterfowl Association present a prize in his honour every year to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to British waterfowl.


Memorials

Leslie Bonnet died in December 1985, aged 83. He is buried in
Criccieth Criccieth ( cy, Criccieth ) is a town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing ...
Cemetery and there is woodland named in his honour close to Ymwlch, as well as a
memorial bench A memorial bench, memorial seat or death bench is a piece of outdoor furniture which commemorates a dead person. Such benches are typically made of wood, but can also be made of metal, stone, or synthetic materials such as plastics. Typically mem ...
on
Garth Pier Garth Pier is a Grade II listed structure in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. At in length, it is the second-longest pier in Wales, and the ninth longest in the British Isles. Construction Designed by J.J. Webster of Westminster, London, the pier has ...
, Bangor. He was described in his obituary as a "countryman...rubicund, well-fleshed but never flabby, and abounding with energy".


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnet, Leslie 1902 births 1985 deaths People from Gwynedd Welsh short story writers Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge People from Watford People educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Royal Air Force officers British magazine editors People associated with the Bank of England 20th-century Welsh dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British short story writers 20th-century English businesspeople