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Soldier in combat by ArmyAmber –

Top 10 Interesting Facts About James Le Mesurier

James Gustaf Edward Le Mesurier, also James Le Mesurier, was a British Army officer, security consultant and humanitarian worker. He was the co-founder of White Helmets also known as the Syrian Defence League which is a volunteer organization that operates in Turkey and Syria.

Throughout his life, he received various awards for his civil works. He died from an accidental fall off his apartment and office building balcony in Istanbul, Turkey at the age of 48.

1. His Father Served in The Royal Navy of England

Culdrose (EGDR) UK – England, July 24 2013 by Andrew Thomas –

James was born in FAR Changi, Singapore in May 1971. His father, Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Havilland Churchill Le Mesurier, served in the Corps of Royal Marines which is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. His mother known as Eva -Lotta was from Sweden. James had an older sister.

2. His University Education was Sponsored by The Army

Rear of University of Ulster Belfast Campus, Academy Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, May 2013 (viewed from corner of Exchange Street West and Academy Street) by Ardfern –

Le Mesurier attended Canford School in Dorset and later joined Ulster University, a public university in Northern Ireland, under the sponsorship of the British Army. While in the University, he joined the Queen’s Officers’ Training Corps. Being a cadet in Northern Ireland became a difficult task and due to security reasons, James completed the final year of his degree in International Politics and Strategic Studies at Aberystwyth University, Wales.

3. He Was Named Captain at The Age of 25

James was 22 years when he was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets of the British Army as a junior military officer. After University, he joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Sandhurst where he graduated as the top student in his class. This enabled him to win the Queen’s Medal, an award given to the cadet who had achieved the best grades in military, practical, and academic studies on the regular commissioning course for direct entry officers. James was promoted to lieutenant in August 1993 and 3 years after that, he became captain.

4. James Le Mesurier Was Married Thrice

Le Mesurier first married Aurelie Maries. He then married Sarah Tosh and had 2 daughters Cicely Le Mesurier and Darcey Le Mesurier. His last marriage was in 2018, a year before his death, to Emma Winberg.

5. He Lived in United Arab Emirates (UAE) for 5 years

On his trips from the Jordian Capital to Baghdad, Iraq, James saw that there was an overemphasis on hard security in the area after the US-led invasion. This security measure did little for the people in Baghdad even though there was high competition due to demand. He spent 4 years (2008-2012) in the UAE working for Good Harbour Intentional, a security company run by Richard Clarke, to provide his service as an urban security expert.

In his duration at Good Harbour, he trained UAE Oil and Gas Field Protection Force. He also designed the security infrastructure for Abu Dhabi and security measures during the 2010 Arabian Gulf Cup in Yemen.

From 2012 to 2014, James worked for Analysis, Research and Knowledge (ARK), a UAE consultancy that aimed at realizing the aspirations of conflict-related communities. The consultancy then began training non-governmental Syrian civil defence teams in Turkey that were managed by Le Mesurier.

6. He Received The Officer of The Order of The British Empire (OBE) Award for His Service to Syria

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire – Officer (Mil) (OBE) GV awarded to Lt. Col. Albert Henry Sage MM metal cross shaped medal, 45mm wide, ring suspension, with ribbon obverse- cross with ring with motto FOR GOD AND COUNTRY with George V and Queen Mary reverse- Royal Cypher ribbon- grosgrain ribbon, 38mm wide, crimson with white striped edges and white stripe in centre by Auckland Museum –

In 2014, Le Mesurier founded a charity group in Syria called Mayday Rescue Foundation. The group was responsible for training, equipping, and assisting volunteer emergency respondents in areas that had been affected by conflict, instability and natural disasters.

The foundation trained the Syrians who were part of the Syrian Civil Defence, the White Helmets. He received his Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honours during the 2016 Queen Birthday Honours. The honours reward and highlight good works and efforts by citizens of the Commonwealth realms.

7. He Influenced UK Government to Give Asylum to Members of White Helmets.

In 2018, an international group led by the current deputy prime minister of Canada, Chrystia Freeland, lobbied for the exit of the White Helmets from Syria claiming their lives were in danger due to the military operation, Operation Basalt that was launched by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). UN Rescue mission evacuated the group’s members to Jordan while some still remained in Syria. The United Kingdom gave asylum to 500 members of the White Helmets (family included) due to influence and persuasion by Le Mesurier.

8. James Was Accused of Being A M16 Spy

In 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia accused Le Mesurier of being a former agent of M16, a British Intelligence Agency that was responsible for breaking codes of other countries to comprehend their secret communications. According to BBC News, Le Mesurier attempted to join M16 during the war between Kosovo and Yugoslavia (1998-1999) but didn’t qualify during the vetting process. At the time, he worked as an Intelligence Officer at Royal Green Jackets in Bosina and Kosovo(1998) and a Return and Reconstruction Task Force Officer at the Office of the High Representative in former Yogslavia(1999).

9. He Was Incriminated of Fraud

British Pounds by PublicDormainPictures –

SMK, a Dutch audit company questioned James’ financial integrity while undertaking a 2018 audit of Mayday Rescue Foundation. Le Mesurier had withdrawn $50,000 from the organization to aid in the evacuation operation of the White Helmets volunteers in Syria (2018). He however didn’t use the full sum of money and instructed his office to offset the remaining $40,800 against his salary. The absence of evidence on how the money was replaced raised eyebrows on James’ character.

He decided to resign from the foundation but its donors dismissed his offer and requested a forensic audit. The allegations were justified and accounted for as careless bookkeeping due to the complex war-time environment.

10. His Death Was a Suspected Murder

Balcony – Calle Plateros 349 – Cusco – Peru – brown by AgainErick –

James was found dead on the morning of 11^th November 2019 from what seemed to be a fall from the balcony. The Turkish Police however were treating it as a suicide case since he had no medical history. They also based this suspicion on the lack of forensic and CCTV evidence. A month later, the authorities confirmed the autopsy stated his injuries were consistent with the balcony fall.

The White Helmets claimed to have rescued over 100,000 people during the Syrian War. In 2016, the organization was the subject of a Netflix short documentary film titled The White Helmets which showcased the daily operations of the group. In 2017, the film won two awards namely the Best Documentary (Short Subject) Academy Award and Cinema for Peace Most Valuable Documentary of the Year Award. The film is accessible in 190 countries in 21 different languages!