Obituary - George Chesworth, former RAF pilot who became chief executive of the Glasgow Garden Festival

Died: May 24, 2017

AIR Vice Marshall George Chesworth, who has died aged 86, was a former RAF pilot who became chief executive of the Glasgow Garden Festival Company and as such was responsible for organising the largest and most popular public event ever held in Scotland.

The 1988 festival - one of five held across the UK - attracted 4.3million visitors and required massive development of the site on the banks of the Clyde. The docks had to be partially filled in and over 300,000 trees and shrubs were planted. New houses were also built, pavilions erected and tram and railway lines laid. There was even a distillery.

Mr Chesworth did not necessarily have the most obvious qualifications for the job. As he himself admitted, he knew nothing about gardening, but he had always been a high-flyer. He was born in Beckenham in Kent and after his education at Wimbledon Technical College and some time as a trainee architect he joined the RAF in 1948 as a national serviceman.

On completion of his national service he then elected to remain in the RAF and qualified as a pilot, flying Shackletons and Nimrods on Maritime Patrol Operations; he also saw active service in Korea and the Falklands. He was appointed commander of 201 Squadron and then became commanding officer at RAF Kinloss. He retired from the military as Air Vice Marshall.

It was shortly after his retiral that he was appointed chief executive of the Glasgow Garden Festival Company, a subsidiary of the then Scottish Development Agency. I was with Strathclyde Police at the time and first met him in a portacabin at a preliminary planning meeting. I cannot now remember how many different agencies were involved but the individuals representing those agencies were all heads of departments or sections and were much more accustomed to giving directions rather than receiving them.

During the ensuing months and years the permanent staff for the festival increased, eventually reaching well over 100. From the outset it was obvious that George Chesworth was a leader and a man of considerable ability and charm as he shaped this disparate group of people into effective teams. He was an astute organiser who realised most people responded to responsibility. His leadership produced a world class event for the people of Glasgow.

The 100-acre site for the festival, which ran from Monday April 28, 1988 until Monday September 26, 1988, was on the south side of the River Clyde and occupied the area of the former Princes Dock opposite the SEC, the Armadillo and the Hydro.

A portacabin village housing the festival offices was established just off Govan Road. Planning meetings were numerous and frequent and while George Chesworth attended many of them he left the teams to get on with the job.

He was very aware of progress and was always available for advice and assistance. He recalled that at the interview for the CEO post, he was asked. “What do you know about gardens?” and he replied “Not a lot, but I know about managing people.” No idle boast. He was one of the finest people’s person I had the pleasure of working with.

After some five years of planning and preparation the opening day arrived and the ceremony was in the presence of the Prince and Princess of Wales; it was a real gala day for the thousands of guests and school children who participated.

At this time Glasgow was the place to be seen and there was a continuous stream of VIP and celebrity guests. The festival was also a natural follow on from the Glasgow “Smiles” better campaign and was the catalyst for the real regeneration of Glasgow and much of what has followed. The people of Glasgow and indeed beyond owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to George Chesworth for his contribution to the city.

It is worthy of note that during the festival period, until the final seconds, there was not one incident on the site or traffic accident on the approach roads that could be attributed to the festival organisation. During the closing ceremony, however, which attracted some 200,000 people, a rogue mortar type firework exploded on the ground rather than hundreds of feet above the Finnieston Crane. This resulted in 11 people being injured, six of them seriously and a pyro technician losing his leg. An emergency plan was quickly implemented and the casualties removed to surrounding hospitals for treatment and the area preserved for forensic examination.

In the aftermath, about 4am the following morning, I met George Chesworth in his office. He was quite distraught and considered that as chief executive of the Festival Company he was responsible for the accident - such was the calibre of the man. Of course, he was not responsible. Iain Robertson of the SDA and chairman of the GGF Company and myself spent considerable time trying to persuade him thus. I doubt if we ever succeeded. An HSE Board of enquiry later cleared the GGF Company and the pyro technic company of any blame for what was in effect a freak accident.

George Chesworth eventually retired to Forres with his wife Betty although he continued to serve his local community in Moray as Lord Lieutenant (1994 -2005) and for most of the nineties as chairman of Moray, Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprises. He also served as vice-president of Houses for Heroes and held a number of honorary military appointments.

George and Betty suffered tragedy when their son Robert, an army officer, was killed in a car crash while serving with the military in Germany. George Chesworth also never quite recovered from the loss of his wife, best friend and soul mate, Betty, who died on April 18, 2016.

He was awarded the DFC in 1954, appointed OBE in 1972 and in 1982 was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath. He is survived by daughters Fiona and Alison and son-in-law Paul.

DAN EDGAR