Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

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 Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF). He began his career in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and served with the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, being credited with eight aerial victories to become a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

. 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 warf ...

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. However, the term also means a landing that has ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early life

Leask was born in

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea began as a f ...

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 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 World War I, First World War and the World War II, ...

on 19 November 1914, just after his 18th birthday. The 11th Devonshire was a reserve training battalion, based in

Wareham, Dorset Wareham ( ) is a historic market town and, under the name Wareham Town, a civil parishes in England, civil parish, in the England, English county of Dorset. The town is situated on the River Frome, Dorset, River Frome southwest of Poole. Situa ...

, 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 Regiment, 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 (World War I), Western Front in the World War I, First World War. Th ...

, serving as an instructor. Leask transferred into the

(RFC) in May 1916, and was granted Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate No. 3673 at the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school in the world. The sch ...

Upavon Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...

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 A flight commander is the leader of a constituent portion of an aerial squadron in aerial operations, often into combat. That constituent portion is known as a flight, and usually contains six or fewer aircraft, with three or four being a common ...

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 Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

, and returning to France in September. Flying a

S.E.5a The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the ...

, Leask gained his first aerial victories on 21 October 1917, when he and John Steele Ralston drove down out of control a German Type C reconnaissance aircraft east of the

Roulers Roeselare (; ; ) 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 name of the city is derived from two Germ ...

– Menin road, and twenty minutes later Leask drove down an Albatros D.V solo. He drove down another D.V over Menin on 31 October, and destroyed another reconnaissance aircraft south-east of Bouzincourt on 30 November. His fifth victory came on 30 January 1918 by driving down another D.V over Villers-Outréaux, 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 Wassigny () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also * Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 796 communes in the French department of Aisne. The commu ...

, and the 23rd north-east of

Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

. Leask was awarded the

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

, which was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

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, resigning his army commission the same day. On 3 July 1920, during the Royal Air Force Aerial Pageant at

Hendon Aerodrome Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in London, England, that was an important centre for aviation from 1908 to 1968. It was situated in Colindale, north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became a central hub of civil aviation ("the Charing Cros ...

, Leask took part in a mock aerial combat in which his Bristol F.2 Fighter was pitted against two

Sopwith Snipe The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe is a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of the ...

s 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, Egypt. In late 1922, during the Chanak Crisis, his squadron was moved in

Bakırköy Bakırköy is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district in the European part of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 29 km2, and its population is 226,685 (2022). Bakırköy lies between the State road D.100 (Turkey), D.100 highway (l ...

district, Turkey. On 31 August 1923 at the British

Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of 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 countries, a ...

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

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

Tver Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population: The city is ...

, 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 or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

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

RAF Kenley Royal Air Force Kenley, more commonly known as RAF Kenley, is a former List of former Royal Air Force stations, station of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and the Royal Air Force, RAF in the Second World War. It played a significa ...

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 formed in 1916 by Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier-General R. J. Kentish for the training of Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth senior officers of all services in inter-ser ...

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 No. 1 School of Technical Training (No. 1 S of TT) is the Royal Air Force, Royal Air Force's aircraft engineering school. It was based at RAF Halton from 1919 to 1993, as the Home of the Aircraft Apprentice scheme. The Aircraft Apprentice s ...

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 ...

on 20 August 1928. On 8 October 1929 he was posted to the RAF Aircraft Depot in India, before serving as

Officer Commanding The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually giv ...

No. 60 (Bomber) Squadron, based at RAF Kohat, from 20 February 1932. On 1 January 1933 Leask was promoted to

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

, 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 The Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) command comprising substantial army and RAF elements responsible for the air defence of the British Isles. It lasted from 1925, following recommendations that the RAF take contr ...

, 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 during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...

from 14 July 1936. Leask was promoted to

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

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 Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from 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 ...

to serve as Air Officer Commanding (AOC) No. 43 (Maintenance) Group (part of

RAF Maintenance Command RAF Maintenance Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling maintenance for all the United Kingdom-based units from formation on 1 April 1938 until being renamed RAF Support Command on 31 August 1973. Histor ...

) from 20 November. On 1 January 1941 he received a

mention in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

from his Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief. On 1 June 1941 he was promoted to the

temporary rank Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of La ...

of air commodore, and on 21 August 1942 he was appointed an acting

air vice marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

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

war substantive Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, paramilitary groups, and other institutions organized along military lines, such as youth groups, chivalric orders, religious orders, an ...

. 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 ...

) 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 and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...

, 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 () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, 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 Chalfont St Giles is a village and civil parish in southeast Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts, which also includes Chalfont St Peter and Little Chalfont. It lies on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, we ...

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