Cecil Margo

Cecil Stanley Margo DSO DFC (born 10 July 1915, Johannesburg, died 19 November 2000, Johannesburg) was a South African judge.

Cecil Margo was the fifth child of Saul Lewis Margo and Amelia Hilson, South African immigrants of Eastern European Jewish descent.

He received his law degree at the University of the Witwatersrand and was called to the Johannesburg Bar in 1937 where he practiced as an advocate.

During the Second World War Cecil Margo completed three tours of duty, in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, flying no fewer than 190 strike missions and eventually assuming command of the renowned 24 Bomber Squadron of the South African Air Force. During this time he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Distinguished Flying Cross. At the end of the war, he led the Allied Air Forces victory fly past over Austria.

In 1948 Margo had started a flourishing career as a trial lawyer aided by his record as a war hero. One day, he returned to his chambers from Court and found an urgent telegram from David Ben-Gurion asking him to come out to Israel to serve as Ben Gurion's chief advisor on the establishment and organization of the Israeli Air Force. Though he had been in combat for years as a pilot in World War II and now had a wife and small child, Margo later wrote in his memoirs that he felt he had to go - the newly declared State of Israel had been attacked by the armies of five Arab countries including some elite divisions and its prospects of survival were dim. Ben Gurion, who knew that air power would be critical to Israel's short- and long-term survival also knew from his commanders such as Chaim Laskov that Margo's record as a commander and combat pilot as well as his expertise in desert warfare made him ideal for the job. When Margo arrived in Israel, he assessed the issues and needs of the Israeli Air Force and hammered out visionary blueprints and strategies that provided the foundation on which the modern day Israeli Air Force was built. Ben Gurion, who developed an admiration and fondness for Margo, asked him to remain in Israel as commander of the Israeli Air Force with the rank of Major General. But Margo declined, preferring to resume his legal practice in South Africa. Upon returning to South Africa, he was instrumental in formulating and monitoring the Advanced Pilots Training Course in Germiston, where South Africans were trained as pilots for the Israeli Air Force. He remained a staunch supporter of Israel through the years, often returning and visiting Air Force bases.

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