[1938] Personalities: Colonel Sir Leicester Dedlock

Colonel Sir Leicester Dedlock
Overall Commander, Manx Combined Forces

Motivations
Primary: Hearts Ace (Just)
Secondary: Spades Jack (Pompous)

A native Manx, Colonel Sir Leicester Dedlock is the Old Guard. The world has turned upside down and now he must fight against his King as the Barons of old did against King John. Justice and noblesse oblige run through his veins. He has a responsibility to his men, his island, and the Empire as a whole to fight against Fascism and the totalitarianism they want to impose.

That trouble in Germany in the teens caused Leicester a lot of trouble. Now some old chappie of his (very much doubt that he'd remember Dedlock), Irvine Thornsby, is on the other side. Not that Thornsby was a bad officer, he was actually quite good, just a gentleman who's recently fell in with bad company, those BUF rakes. That's easily forgivable as he's not become a total cad. He's promised that no civilians will be hurt, as long as they stay out of it (which is right and proper). But Thornsby's fortified Port St. Mary, though, and that just won't do.

Dedlock may be a pompous ass but he's concerned with civilian casualties and the lives of his men. He's not ready to call for an open assault, instead using the information he's getting from inside the Port to understand troop movements and trench locations. He knows that there are less than 800 BUF legionaires in the town and is more aware of their morale than even Thornsby from his spies.

He knows that the longer this turns out, the more chance the garrison may surrender, as the grumbling about Mosley's policies (and the situation that got the BUF 1st Solway Legion stuck in Port St. Mary in the first place) is doing his work for him. A frontal assault would end with the town completely destroyed and untold loss of life.

He's got a phone line directly to Thornsby's office and talks with his opponent daily. So far, they've agreed to not use snipers and not specifically target officers. BUt Thornsby won't budge out of the town, either to attack or to retreat back to the mainland. It's a point of personal honor or some such, which is understandable, given his circumstances.