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

and a senior

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 ...

commander during 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 ...

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

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 ...

Early life and First World War

Slatter was born in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

, 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 school situated in the suburb of Selborne and Belgravia (the suburb was named after the school) of East London in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa; it is one of the few colle ...

in South Africa and then at Battersea Polytechnic, 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 naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. 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 (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

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 tech ...

Squadron at

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

. 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. February 1917 saw Slatter posted to the Seaplane Defence Flight (later to become No. 13 (Naval) Squadron and then No. 213 Squadron RAF) as a pilot operating out of Dunkirk. During this time Slatter shot down six enemy aircraft, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross 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 is an inactive squadron of the Royal Air Force. Formed in 1916, it saw service during the First World War in the UK and in Greece. Between the wars it served in Egypt and Sudan, and at the outbreak of the Second World War under ...

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. 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 more simply RAF Leuchars is a former Royal Air Force 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 northe ...

. 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 bugeaters, their primary source of food b ...

''. 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 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 ...

and posted to

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

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 first annually, and later biennially, to the winner of a race for seaplanes and ...

competition in Venice. He went on to be Officer Commanding No. 19 Squadron at

RAF Duxford Duxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, about south of Cambridge. It is part of the Hundred Parishes area. History The village formed on the banks of the River Cam, a little below its emergence from the hills of north Essex. One of t ...

and then Officer Commanding No. 111 Squadron at

RAF Hornchurch Royal Air Force Hornchurch, or more simply RAF Hornchurch, is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, sector station in the parish of Hornchurch, Essex (now the London Borough of Havering in Greater London), located to ...

, where he was also Station Commander, before being appointed Officer Commanding No. 43 Squadron at

RAF Tangmere Royal Air Force Tangmere or more simply RAF Tangmere is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain. It was one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The Seco ...

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 hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

from 1932 before returning as Station Commander at

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 ...

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, 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.

Place of burial

Slatter is buried in the churchyard at Halton in Buckinghamshire.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Slatter, Leonard Horatio Military personnel from Durban 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 Alumni of the University of Surrey 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 20th-century English sportsmen