Walter Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford, (26 August 1900 – 1 September 1989) was a prominent member of the Runcimans, a well-known Newcastle ship-owning and political family.

Background

Runciman was the eldest son of the politician Walter Runciman (later

Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford, (19 November 1870 – 14 November 1949) was a prominent Liberal and later National Liberal politician in the United Kingdom. His 1938 diplomatic mission to Czechoslovakia was key to the ...

) and Hilda Stevenson. He was born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

and grew up at Doxford Hall. He was educated at

Summer Fields School Summer Fields is a fee-paying boys' independent day and boarding Preparatory school (UK), preparatory school in Summertown, Oxford. It was originally called Summerfield and used to have a subsidiary school, Summerfields, St Leonards-on-Sea (kn ...

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

. In 1937 he was awarded the Air Force Cross. He was awarded the OBE in 1946 for war service. On his father's death in 1949 he succeeded to the title

Viscount Runciman of Doxford Viscount Runciman of Doxford, of Doxford in the County of Northumberland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1937 for the Hon. Walter Runciman, a politician whose career included service as a Member of Parliament ...

(created in 1937).

Career

After graduating from Cambridge, Leslie Runciman joined the family shipping business, later becoming chairman of the company. He trained as a pilot and was Commanding Officer of No. 607 (County of Durham) Squadron of the

Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...

from 1930 to 1939. He also partnered with

Constance Leathart Constance Ruth Leathart (7 December 1903 – 4 November 1993) was a British female pilot who flew Royal Air Force aircraft on transit flights in World War Two in the Air Transport Auxiliary. Early life Constance Ruth Leathart was born on 7 D ...

in forming Cramlington Aircraft Ltd, which ran

Cramlington Aerodrome Cramlington Aerodrome was a military airfield established in Northumberland during the First World War. It became a civil airfield serving the Tyneside area of north-east England and operated until 1935, when it was replaced by Woolsington Airpor ...

as well as producing a

primary glider Primary gliders are a category of aircraft that enjoyed worldwide popularity during the 1920s and 1930s as people strove for simple and inexpensive ways to learn to fly.Schweizer, Paul A: ''Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring in the United Sta ...

in the early 1930s. From 1940 to 1943, he was the first Director-General of the

British Overseas Airways Corporation British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passi ...

(BOAC). From then until 1946, he was Air Attaché in Tehran. Post-war Runciman served on many business and public organisations mainly related to shipping and air transport. He was a Trustee of the

National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United ...

at Greenwich from 1955, acting as chairman from 1962 to 1972. A lifelong yachtsman, he was Commodore of the

Royal Yacht Squadron The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to we ...

from 1968 to 1974 and of

Royal Northumberland Yacht Club {{Use dmy dates, date=September 2020 The Royal Northumberland Yacht Club is based in the Port of Blyth, Northumberland, England. History The club was formed at Alnmouth in 1890 when a group of owners sought permission from the Duke of Northumberla ...

from 1946 to 1976 when he was promoted Admiral for life.

Family

Walter Leslie Runciman married novelist Rosamond Nina Lehmann in 1923. They were divorced in 1928 and he remarried Katherine Schuyler Garrison in 1932. Their only child, the Hon Walter Garrison Runciman, later 3rd Viscount Runciman of Doxford was born in 1934. Leslie Runciman was the elder brother of the distinguished historian, the Honourable

Sir Steven Runciman Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman ( – ), known as Steven Runciman, was an English historian best known for his three-volume ''A History of the Crusades'' (1951–54). He was a strong admirer of the Byzantine Empire. His history's negative ...

Honours

* 1937: Air Force Cross * 1946:

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

* 1949:

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, 3rd baronet, of Doxford (''cr.1906'' )

Honorary military appointments

* 1939–1957: Honorary Air Commodore, 607 (County of Durham) Squadron, RAuxAF

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Runciman Of Doxford, Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount

Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford Walter Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford, (26 August 1900 – 1 September 1989) was a prominent member of the Runcimans, a well-known Newcastle ship-owning and political family. Background Runciman was the eldest son of the pol ...

1900 births 1989 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom People educated at Summer Fields School