ACROSS:
1 & 15. Comedian and comedy actor also singer and player of several musical instruments, now Sir -- OBE.
Born on 4 February 1915 in Marylebone, London. As a teenager he walked from Deal in Kent to Cardiff, where he became a cabinboy in the Merchant Navy. (6,6)
4. Collection of gasses, including nitrogen, oxygen, argon and carbon dioxide, useful for breathing. (3)
5. Small group of people who make decisions on behalf of a larger group. Known for keeping minutes and wasting hours. (9)
7. Mined in Cornwall this element with the Latin name Stannum has had many uses over the years. One of it's common uses today is in glass making and another is as a constituent of solder. (3)
8. Famous for her enigmatic smile, painted by Leonardo da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance, hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Pairs, France and is titled "Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo". (first word of common name). (4)
10. Shortly, in a little while. Not yet. (4)
11. A secondary matter; a side issue. Abbreviation of a leaving salutation. (3)
12. Resembling a spiders' web; cobweblike. (9)
14. Initially, what the old Amateur Radio Examination was known as. (3)
15. See 1 Across.
DOWN:
1. Proper name for a long piece of cloth worn around the throat, usually by smartly dressed men but ladies also wear them as part of a uniform. (7)
2. People of the conquering civilisation that built roads and sewers hundreds of years ago, some of which are still in use today. (7)
3. Territory, country or a large body of people associated with a particular territory. Includes the whole country. (6)
4. Traditionally the affirmative used by seafarers (often twice!) and Scots. (3)
6. Exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc. The power to determine action without restraint. Political or national independence. (7)
8. City of central European Russia; formerly capital of both the Soviet Union and Soviet Russia; since 1991 the capital of the Russian Federation. (7)
9. Overseas, or at large perhaps? (6)
13. Grass, a member of the wheat family. Flour made from this is lower in gluten and higher in soluable fibre than wheat flour. Benefits are said to include a strengthened immune system, increased energy levels and relief from allergies, but there is no clinical evidence for its efficacy. This grass also seems active in the prevention of prostate cancer, although studies continue. Also used for alcoholic drink bases! (3)
Extra Question:
The shaded letters, when re-arranged, will give the name of a famous Radio Ham that wasn't! (4,7)
