Air Marshal Sir Leonard Horatio Slatter, (8 December 1894 – 14 April 1961) was a naval aviator during 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 ...

and a senior

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 ...

commander during 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 ...

. Slatter ended his career as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Coastal Command.

Early life and First World War

Slatter was born in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, South Africa on 8 December 1894. He received his education at Dale College and

Selborne College Selborne College is a semi-private English medium male-only high school situated in the suburb of Selborne (the suburb was named after the school) of East London in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa; it is one of the few colleges in the ...

in South Africa and then at

Battersea Polytechnic The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institut ...

, training to be a civil engineer. With the outbreak of the First World War he joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir Leonard Slatter
/ref> He initially served as a dispatch rider in the Naval Armoured Car Division before transferring to the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

in 1915. After successfully completing his observer training, Slatter was posted in February 1916 to the

Seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

Squadron at

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Seaplane Defence Flight No. 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 (Naval) Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service.Halley 1988, p. 278. This RNAS squadron was itself formed on 15 January 1918 from the Seap ...

(later to become No. 13 (Naval) Squadron and then

No. 213 Squadron RAF No. 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 (Naval) Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service.Halley 1988, p. 278. This RNAS squadron was itself formed on 15 January 1918 from the Sea ...

) as a pilot operating out of Dunkirk. During this time Slatter shot down six enemy aircraft, was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

twice. and was advanced from pilot to flight commander. In July 1918, Slatter was removed from front-line duties and sent to No. 4 Aeroplane Supply Depot, as an instructor. While still acting as an instructor, Slatter crossed the front lines and shot down his seventh and final enemy aircraft on 30 August 1918.

Between the wars

After the war, Slatter opted to remain in the newly formed

. He saw further active service as a flight commander on

No. 47 Squadron RAF No. 47 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Lockheed C-130 Hercules from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, England. History First formation No. 47 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed at Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire on 1 March 19 ...

flying DH9s and DH9As in southern Russia in the first half of 1919. Slatter received a permanent RAF commission in 1919 and was made a

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 ...

. After his return to Great Britain, Slatter took up duties as a flight commander on No. 205 Squadron at

RAF Leuchars Royal Air Force Leuchars or RAF Leuchars was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. Throughout the Cold War and beyond, the station was home to fighter aircraft which policed northern UK airspac ...

. In 1921, Slatter was posted to No. 203 Squadron, still based at Leuchars, flying ''

Nightjars Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk ta ...

''. He later became the squadron's commander whilst the squadron was deployed in Turkey. 1922 saw Slatter transferred again, this time to No. 230 Squadron where he served as both a flight commander and as the officer commanding. In early 1924 Slatter was substantively 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 ...

and posted to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

where he served as the commander of the RAF base for over two years. On his return in 1926, Slatter spent a few months as a supernumerary at the RAF Depot. In late 1926, Slatter was appointed Officer Commanding the

RAF High Speed Flight The RAF High Speed Flight, sometimes known as '' 'The Flight' '', was a small flight of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed for the purpose of competing in the Schneider Trophy contest for racing seaplanes during the 1920s. The flight was together ...

at the

Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment The Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) was a British military research and test organisation. It was originally formed as the Marine Aircraft Experimental Station in October 1918 at RAF Isle of Grain, a former Royal Naval Air Serv ...

. Slatter was responsible for preparing his team to compete in the 1927

Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flying ...

competition in Venice. He went on to be Officer Commanding No. 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford and then Officer Commanding No. 111 Squadron at RAF Hornchurch, where he was also Station Commander, before being appointed Officer Commanding No. 43 Squadron at RAF Tangmere in 1930. He was Officer responsible for flying on the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

from 1932 before returning as Station Commander at RAF Tangmere and then becoming Station Commander at

RAF Feltwell Royal Air Force Feltwell or more simply RAF Feltwell is a Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, East Anglia that is used by the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. The station is located about 10 miles west of Thetford, and i ...

and then RAF Bassingbourn.

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. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding successively at No. 203 Group then No. 201 Group and then No. 9 Group. 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,Obituary: Air Chief Marshal Sir Leonard Slatter
The Aerodrome before becoming Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

in June 1945. He retired in 1949.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Slatter, Leonard Horatio Royal Air Force cricketers 1894 births 1961 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Alumni of Selborne College English cricketers Royal Navy personnel of World War I Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Royal Naval Air Service aviators British World War I flying aces Royal Air Force air marshals of World War II