Lieutenant Colonel Leon McFaddin Blanding was born on 30 October 1918 in , Sumter County, South Carolina, USA, the youngest of the seven children of Donald McQueen Blanding (1868-1934) and Georgia Conyers Blanding née Ingram (1878-1959).
He joined the Royal Air Force and as a Sergeant he was attached to in 1942, initially based at . Our Picture Source outlines his service career in both the British and American Air Forces.
On 8 August 1944 his skull was fractured when the aeroplane he was flying was hit by flak on a mission to Norway and his service ended on 29 September 1944 when he retired holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the , the , the , the and the .
In 1947 he married Pattie Annette Warren (1924-2015) and they had at least three children: Wesley M. Blanding, Patricia Blanding & Elizabeth Blanding.
He died, aged 79 years, on 15 April 1998 at home at 752 Mattison Avenue, Sumter, South Carolina, and was at Sumter Cemetery, 700 W Oakland Avenue, Sumter, South Carolina.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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