Leonard Slatter
Sir Leonard Slatter | |
|---|---|
Order of Saint Stanislaus, 2nd Class (Russia) (Greece)Grand Commander of the Royal Order of George I |
Early life and First World War
Slatter was born in
With the outbreak of the First World War he joined the Royal Navy.[2] He initially served as a dispatch rider in the Naval Armoured Car Division before transferring to the Royal Naval Air Service in 1915.[2] After successfully completing his observer training, Slatter was posted in February 1916 to the Seaplane Squadron at Dunkirk.[2]
In July 1916 Slatter started his training to be a naval pilot and later in that year he commenced flying duties at Royal Naval Air Station Dover.
In July 1918, Slatter was removed from front-line duties and sent to No. 4 Aeroplane Supply Depot, as an instructor.[2] While still acting as an instructor, Slatter crossed the front lines and shot down his seventh and final enemy aircraft on 30 August 1918.[3]
Between the wars
After the war, Slatter opted to remain in the newly formed Royal Air Force.[2] He saw further active service as a flight commander on No. 47 Squadron RAF flying DH9s and DH9As in southern Russia in the first half of 1919.[2] Slatter received a permanent RAF commission in 1919 and was made a flight lieutenant.[2]
After his return to Great Britain, Slatter took up duties as a flight commander on No. 205 Squadron at RAF Leuchars.[2] In 1921, Slatter was posted to No. 203 Squadron, still based at Leuchars, flying Nightjars.[2] He later became the squadron's commander whilst the squadron was deployed in Turkey.[2] 1922 saw Slatter transferred again, this time to No. 230 Squadron where he served as both a flight commander and as the officer commanding.[2] In early 1924 Slatter was substantively promoted to squadron leader and posted to Malta where he served as the commander of the RAF base for over two years.[2] On his return in 1926, Slatter spent a few months as a supernumerary at the RAF Depot.[2]
In late 1926, Slatter was appointed Officer Commanding the
Second World War
At the start of the Second World War he was Senior Air Staff Officer at No. 1 Group although he moved on to be Air Officer Administration at Headquarters British Forces in Iraq in 1940.[2] He went on to be Air Officer Commanding successively at No. 203 Group then No. 201 Group and then No. 9 Group.[2] He was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 15 Group in February 1943, where his role was to ensure that vital materials were brought safely from the US to the UK,[7] before becoming Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Coastal Command in June 1945.[2] He retired in 1949.[2]
Notes
- ^ Air Commodore Leonard Horation Slatter Flight International, 4 January 1940
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir Leonard Slatter
- ^ a b Shores, Franks & Guest 1990, p. 340
- ^ Lewis 1970, p. 177
- ^ Preparing for the day Flight, 22 September 1927
- ^ "Schneider Trophy – The 1927 Race". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
- ^ Obituary: Air Chief Marshal Sir Leonard Slatter The Aerodrome
References
- Lewis, Peter (1970). British Racing and Record-Breaking Aircraft. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-00067-6.
- Shores, Christopher; Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell (1990). Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. London: Grub Street. ISBN 0-948817-19-4.