Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

Kenneth Malise St. Clair Graeme Leask, (30 October 1896 – 24 April 1974) was a senior officer of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF). He began his career in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and served with the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, being credited with eight aerial victories to become a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

. He flew over 100

sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...

s, and survived three

forced landing A forced landing is a landing by an aircraft made under factors outside the pilot's control, such as the failure of engines, systems, components, or weather which makes continued flight impossible. For a full description of these, see article on ' ...

s. He attained the rank of captain, and position as flight commander, in No. 84 Squadron. He remained in the RAF after the war, being appointed Director-General of Engineering in the Air Ministry with the rank of air vice marshal after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life

Leask was born in Southsea on 30 October 1896,Shores ''et.al.'' (1990). the son of a doctor.

Military career

First World War

Leask joined the

soon after the outbreak of the

, being commissioned as a temporary

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 11th Battalion,

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

on 19 November 1914, just after his 18th birthday. The 11th Devonshire was a reserve training battalion, based in Wareham, Dorset, which provided the 8th and 9th Battalions, serving in France, with reinforcements and replacements. Leask was later transferred to the

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tank ...

, serving as an instructor. Leask transferred into the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

(RFC) in May 1916, and was granted Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate No. 3673 at the Central Flying School at Upavon on 20 July. He was appointed a flying officer, and transferred to the General List, the same day. He was assigned to duty with the RFC on 1 October, and was posted to No. 42 Squadron, flying B.E.s until December, when he transferred to No. 41 Squadron flying F.E.8s. He was appointed a flight commander with the temporary rank of captain on 10 January 1917, and in May he returned to England to serve as an instructor. He later joined No. 84 Squadron, taking command of "A" Flight, and returning to France in September. Flying a S.E.5a, Leask gained his first aerial victories on 21 October 1917, when he and

John Steele Ralston Captain John Steel Ralston (27 April 1887 – 25 July 1918) was a Scottish World War I war hero and flying ace. After winning a Military Cross in 1916 for lifesaving gallantry while serving in the infantry, he was credited with 12 official aeri ...

drove down out of control a German Type C reconnaissance aircraft east of the

Roulers Roeselare (; french: Roulers, ; West Flemish: ''Roeseloare'') is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke. The ...

– Menin road, and twenty minutes later Leask drove down an

Albatros D.V The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatro ...

solo. He drove down another D.V over Menin on 31 October, and destroyed another reconnaissance aircraft south-east of

Bouzincourt Bouzincourt () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The name ''Bouzincourt'' is derived from the words for forest (bosquet) and the typical Picardy village suffix '-court' . It was therefore a wooded vil ...

on 30 November. His fifth victory came on 30 January 1918 by driving down another D.V over

Villers-Outréaux Villers-Outréaux () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry History A German airbase was in the town in WW-I. War Memorial In September 2018 the villagers of Villers-Outréaux dedicated an especially commissioned ...

, making him a

. His last three victories came in March, with three more D.Vs, two destroyed and one driven down, on the 6th at Renansart, the 18th at Wassigny, and the 23rd north-east of Ham. Leask was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

, which was gazetted on 26 March 1918. His citation, published on 23 August, read: On 1 April 1918, the Army's RFC and the Royal Naval Air Service were merged to form the

(RAF). That day Leask flew his final sorties with No. 84 Squadron, making three forced landings. These were the last of over 100 operational missions he flew with the squadron. On 21 June Leask was awarded a second Military Cross. His citation read:

Inter-war career

On 1 August 1919 Leask was granted a permanent commission in the RAF with the rank of

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

, resigning his army commission the same day. On 3 July 1920, during the Royal Air Force Aerial Pageant at Hendon Aerodrome, Leask took part in a mock aerial combat in which his

Bristol F.2 Fighter The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit"'' or ''"Biff"'' ...

was pitted against two Sopwith Snipes flown by Flight Lieutenant Arthur Coningham and Flying Officer C. E. Gibbs. From 8 February 1921 Leask served as a flight commander in No. 208 Squadron, based at

RAF Ismailia ISM or Ism may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Incredible Shrinking Man'', a film * ''ISM'' (album), a 2012 album by Norwegian electronic music producer Savant * ''Ism'' (film), a 2016 Indian Telugu-language action film starring Nandamuri K ...

, Egypt. In late 1922, during the Chanak Crisis, his squadron was moved in Bakırköy district, Turkey. On 31 August 1923 at the British

Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, Leask married Lydia Alexandrovna, the widow of Y. Genot, and daughter of General Modestoff, of

Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...

, Russia. In 1924 Leask was assigned to the Air Staff in the Directorate of Operations and Intelligence, and was promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

on 1 July 1925. Leask commanded No. 24 Squadron at

RAF Kenley The former Royal Air Force Station Kenley, more commonly known as RAF Kenley was an airfield station of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and the RAF in the Second World War. It played a significant role during the Battle of Britain ...

from 25 March to 25 May 1926, then attended the 21st Course at the

Senior Officers' School The Senior Officers' School was a British military establishment established in 1916 by Brigadier-General R.J. Kentish for the training of Commonwealth senior officers of all services in inter-service cooperation. It was established as part of a ...

at Sheerness until 20 August. After taking the Officers Engineering Course at the Home Aircraft Depot from 16 September 1926, he was appointed Engineering Officer and second in command of No. 4 Apprentices Wing at No. 1 School of Technical Training at

RAF Halton Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World W ...

on 20 August 1928. On 8 October 1929 he was posted to the RAF Aircraft Depot in India, before serving as Officer Commanding No. 60 (Bomber) Squadron, based at RAF Kohat, from 20 February 1932. On 1 January 1933 Leask was promoted to wing commander, and then served as Senior Equipment Staff Officer at the Headquarters of RAF India from 3 February until 7 September 1934. On 3 February 1935 he was appointed Senior Engineering Staff Officer at the Headquarters of Air Defence of Great Britain, then as an Engineering Staff Officer, and then Senior Engineering Officer at the Headquarters of

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...

from 14 July 1936. Leask was promoted to

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

on 1 January 1938.

Second World War

Leask was transferred to the RAF's Technical Branch on 24 April 1940, and was appointed an acting air commodore to serve as Air Officer Commanding (AOC) No. 43 (Maintenance) Group (part of RAF Maintenance Command) from 20 November. On 1 January 1941 he received a mention in despatches from his Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief. On 1 June 1941 he was promoted to the temporary rank of air commodore, and on 21 August 1942 he was appointed an acting

air vice marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

. A year later, on 21 August 1943, his temporary appointment as an air commodore was made

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

. He became AOC, No 24 (Technical Training) Group (part of

RAF Technical Training Command Technical Training Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force which controlled units responsible for delivering aircraft maintenance training and other non-flying training, initially in Berkshire and then in Cambridgeshire. History Te ...

) on 10 January 1944.

Post-war career

Leask was appointed a temporary air vice marshal on 1 January 1946, and this promotion was made permanent on 1 October. In March 1947 he was appointed Director-General of Servicing and Maintenance at the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

, and on 5 January 1948 he became Director-General of Engineering. Leask retired from the RAF at his own request on 1 December 1949. In February 1950 Leask was appointed the manager of de Jersey & Co. (Finland) Ltd., based in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, dealing with the company's exports of engineering products from the UK. Leask and his wife Lydia were killed in a car crash at

Chalfont St Peter Chalfont St Peter is a large village and civil parish in southeastern Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe a ...

on 24 April 1974, near to their home at Chalfont St Giles.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leask, Kenneth 1896 births 1974 deaths British Army personnel of World War I People from Southsea Devonshire Regiment officers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Military Cross Companions of the Order of the Bath Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force air marshals Military personnel from Portsmouth Road incident deaths in England