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John Slessor

Marshal of the Royal Air ForceSir John Cotesworth Slessor,GCB,DSO,MC(3 June 1897 – 12 July 1979) was a senior commander in theRoyal Air Force(RAF), serving asChief of the Air Stafffrom 1950 to 1952. As a pilot in theRoyal Flying Corpsduring theFirst World War,he saw action withNo. 17 Squadronin the Middle East, earning theMilitary Cross,and withNo. 5 Squadronon theWestern Front,where he was awarded the BelgianCroix de Guerre.Between the wars he commandedNo. 4 Squadronin England, and No. 3 (Indian) Wing, earning theDistinguished Service Orderfor operations with the latter inWaziristan.In 1936, he publishedAir Power and Armies,which examined the use of air power against targets on and behind the battlefield.

Marshal of the Royal Air Force

Sir John Slessor
Portrait of moustachioed man in Royal Air Force winter uniform
Air Marshal Sir John Slessor, 1943
Born(1897-06-03)3 June 1897
Ranikhet,India
Died12 July 1979(1979-07-12)(aged 82)
Wroughton,England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/ branchRoyal Flying Corps(1915–18)
Royal Air Force(1918–52)
Years of service1915–1952
RankMarshal of the Royal Air Force
UnitNo. 17 Squadron(1915–16)
No. 5 Squadron(1917–18)
CommandsChief of the Air Staff(1950–52)
Commandant of the Imperial Defence College(1948–49)
Air Member for Personnel(1945–47)
Coastal Command(1943–44)
No. 5 Group(1941–42)
No. 3 (Indian) Wing (1935–37)
No. 4 Squadron(1925–28)
Battles / warsFirst World War
Waziristan campaign
Second World War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order
Military Cross
Mentioned in Despatches(3)
Other workAuthor
Sheriff of Somerset(1965)

Slessor held several operational commands in the Second World War. AsAir Officer CommandingCoastal Commandin 1943 and 1944, he was credited with doing much to turn the tide of theBattle of the Atlanticthrough his use of long-range bombers against GermanU-boats.He wasknightedin June 1943. In the closing stages of the war he becameCommander-in-ChiefRAF Mediterranean and Middle Eastand deputy to Lieutenant GeneralIra Eakeras Commander-in-ChiefMediterranean Allied Air Forces,conducting operations in theItalian CampaignandYugoslavia.Slessor went on to serve in the RAF's most senior post, Chief of the Air Staff, in the early 1950s, and was considered a strong proponent ofstrategic bombingand thenuclear deterrent.In retirement he published two more books, including an autobiography, and held ceremonial appointments inSomerset.

Early life and First World War

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The son ofMajorArthur Kerr Slessor and Adelaide Slessor (née Cotesworth), Slessor was born inRanikhet,India,on 3 June 1897, and educated atHaileybury.[1]Lame in both legs as a result ofpolio,he was rejected forarmy servicein 1914 and received a commission as asecond lieutenantin theRoyal Flying Corpson 6 July 1915 only with the help of family connections.[1][2]He was appointed to the Special Reserve as a flying officer on 9 September 1915,[3]and confirmed in his rank of second lieutenant on 28 September.[4]Slessor saw action withNo. 17 Squadronin Egypt and the Sudan, where he was credited with arresting the escape ofSultan Ali Dinarand 2,000 men on 23 May 1916, following the Sultan's defeat at Beringia. He wasmentioned in despatcheson 25 October before being wounded in the thigh and invalided back to England.[5][6]

Slessor was promoted to the temporary rank ofcaptainon 1 December 1916.[7]Awarded theMilitary Crosson 1 January 1917,[8]he returned to combat in April as aflight commanderwithNo. 5 Squadronon theWestern Front.[9]The squadron converted fromRoyal Aircraft Factory BE.2stoR.E.8ssoon afterwards.[10]Promoted to the substantive rank oflieutenanton 1 July 1917,[11]Slessor was appointed a Chevalier of the BelgianOrder of Leopoldon 24 September,[12]and awarded the BelgianCroix de Guerreon 11 March 1918.[1]He transferred to the newly formedRoyal Air Forcein April 1918 and, having been promoted to the temporary rank of major on 3 July 1918,[13]was posted to theCentral Flying SchoolatUpavonas an instructor on 14 July 1918.[1][14]

Inter-war years

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Bristol Fighter,a type flown by Slessor in the 1920s

Having left the RAF as aflight lieutenanton 21 August 1919,[15]Slessor applied to rejoin and was offered a short-service commission at the same rank on 24 February 1920.[16]In May 1921, he became a flight commander withNo. 20 Squadron,which operatedBristol Fighterson theNorth-West Frontierof India.[5][17]He joined the staff at the Directorate of Training and Staff Duties in theAir Ministryin February 1923.[5]The same year, he married Hermione Grace Guinness; they had a son and a daughter.[1]He attended theRAF Staff College, Andover,in 1924,[5]and was promotedsquadron leaderon 1 January 1925.[18]

Slessor commandedNo. 4 (Army Cooperation) Squadron,which flew Bristol Fighters out ofRAF Farnborough,from April 1925 to October 1928, when he joined the air planning staff at the Directorate of Operations and Intelligence at the Air Ministry.[5][19]He attended theStaff College, Camberley,in 1931, and was appointed RAF Directing Staff Officer there in January 1932.[5]Slessor was promoted actingwing commanderon 1 January 1932 (substantive on 1 July).[20][21]He became Officer Commanding No. 3 (Indian) Wing atQuettain March 1935,[22]and was awarded theDistinguished Service Orderfor operations inWaziristanbetween 25 November 1936 and 16 January 1937.[23]

In 1936, Slessor publishedAir Power and Armies,an examination of the use of air power against targets on and behind the battlefield. In this work he advocated army co-operation,interdictionto cut off enemy reinforcements and supply, and the use of aerial bombardment as a weapon against enemy morale.[24]He did, however, acknowledge the limitations of his theory, stating:[25]

...the conditions envisaged throughout [this book] are those of a campaign on the land in which the primary problem at the time is the defeat of an enemy army in the field.... in a war against a great Naval power at sea, or when the principle threat to the Empire at the time is the action of hostile air forces against this country or its possessions, the aim and objectives of the air forces of the Empire will not be the same as described in this book.

On 17 May 1937, following his posting to India, Slessor was promoted actinggroup captain,[26]and appointed deputy director of Plans at the Air Ministry.[27]He was promoted to substantive group captain on 1 July 1937.[28]Mentioned in despatches on 18 February 1938,[29]he took over as Director of Plans on 22 December 1938.[30]He was appointedAir Aide-de-Camptothe Kingon 1 January 1939.[31]

Second World War

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Air Marshal Slessor as Air Member for Personnel, inspecting Czecho-Slovak personnel during the farewell parade of Czech squadrons atManston,Kent, in 1945

Slessor was promotedair commodoreon 1 September 1939,[32]and was succeeded as Air Aide-de-Camp by Group CaptainRalph Cochrane.[33]On 10 January 1941, he was raised to temporaryair vice marshal[34](made permanent in April 1942)[35]and becameAir Officer Commanding(AOC)No.5 (Bomber) Groupin May 1941.[27]Appointed aCompanion of the Order of the Bathand mentioned in dispatches in January 1942, he was appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in April 1942.[27]

Slessor was closely involved in planning the combined Alliedair offensive in Europe.At theCasablanca Conferencein January 1943, he was able to influence Britain'sSecretary for Air,Sir Archibald Sinclair,andChief of the Air Staff,Air Chief MarshalSir Charles Portal,to agree toUSAAFproposals that led to a "round-the clock" bombing policy against Germany, with the US mounting daylight precision attacks and the RAF conductingarea bombingat night.[9]Slessor's assigned personal pilot was Flight Lieutenant Owen Phillipps DFC, an Australian from No. 14 Squadron RAF and a distinguished veteran of the Mediterranean conflict.[36]

Appointed Commander-in-ChiefCoastal Commandwith the acting rank ofair marshalon 5 February 1943, Slessor had at his disposal sixty squadrons, two of which were equipped withB-24 Liberatorheavy bombers.[1][37]He was credited with doing much to turn the tide of theBattle of the Atlanticin the Allies' favour by employing his thinly stretched long-range bomber force against theU-boatthreat, in close cooperation with naval forces.[9]Promoted temporary air marshal on 1 June 1943,[38]he was advanced toKnight Commander of the Order of the Bathin the 1943Birthday Honours.[39]Slessor becameCommander-in-ChiefRAF Mediterranean and Middle Eastin January 1944, and deputy to Lieutenant GeneralIra Eakeras Commander-in-ChiefMediterranean Allied Air Forces.In this role he conducted operations in theItalian CampaignandYugoslavia,establishing theBalkan Air Forcein the latter theatre.[9][40]Slessor joined theAir CouncilasAir Member for Personnelon 5 April 1945.[41]His rank of air marshal became substantive on 6 June.[42]He was awarded the Grand Cross of the GreekOrder of the Phoenixon 6 September 1946.[43]His war service also earned him appointment as a Commander of the BelgianOrder of Leopoldon 27 August 1948,[44]and a Knight Grand Cross of the NorwegianOrder of St. Olavon 6 March 1953.[45]

Post-war career

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Slessor was promotedair chief marshalon 1 January 1946.[46]He continued to serve as Air Member for Personnel, responsible for overseeing the demobilisation of the wartime RAF, until 1 October 1947.[1][47]At the urging of the-then Chief of the Air Staff, Marshal of the Royal Air ForceSir Arthur Tedder,Slessor succeeded GeneralSir William SlimasCommandant of the Imperial Defence College.[48][49]Slessor had been dubious about accepting the position, and sought assurances from Tedder that he would be next in line for the post of Chief of the Air Staff, particularly in light of Tedder's preference for Air Chief Marshal Sir Ralph Cochrane to succeed him.[49]Meanwhile, Slessor was appointed aKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bathon 10 June 1948,[50]and became Principal Air Aide-de-Camp to the King on 1 July.[51]In the event, he took over from Tedder as Chief of the Air Staff on 1 January 1950, and chose Cochrane as his Vice Chief of the Air Staff.[49][52]Slessor was promotedMarshal of the Royal Air Forceon 8 June 1950.[53]In late 1951, he reluctantly became involved in the Australian Government's quest for a suitable RAF officer to serve asChief of the Air Staffof theRoyal Australian Air Force.He eventually selected Air MarshalDonald Hardmanas the "outstanding candidate" for the Australian post, trying to avoid what he called "the follies of some years ago", referring to Air Chief MarshalSir Charles Burnett's controversial tenure as Chief of the Air Staff in Australia on secondment from Britain in the early years of the Second World War.[54]

Victor bomber pictured in 1959

As leader of the RAF, Slessor coined the term "V-Force"to denote its planned trio of strategic jet bombers—theVickers Valiant,Handley Page Victor,andAvro Vulcan—and contributed to the decision to build all three designs.[24][55]He played a key role in promoting nuclear weapons as an effective instrument of deterrence in earlyCold WarBritish strategy. In 1952, the RAF argued that, because bombers were such an important deterrent, conventional forces could be drastically reduced at a time when the Government was seeking significant public expenditure savings.[56]Slessor believed it unlikely that the United Kingdom would be able to meet acommunistoffensive without resorting to the use oftactical nuclear weapons.[57]He became one of the key propagandists of the "Great Deterrent" (which he employed as the title of a book he wrote after he retired) on both sides of the Atlantic.[58][59]Slessor's term as Chief of the Air Staff was dominated by theKorean War.[48]

Later life

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Completing his term as Chief of the Air Staff on 31 December 1952, Slessor was succeeded by Air Chief MarshalSir William Dicksonand retired from the RAF on 29 January 1953.[60][61]He attended thecoronationofQueen Elizabeth IIin June 1953.[62]In retirement he published two books: his autobiography,The Central Blue(1956), andThe Great Deterrent(1957). He served as Honorary Air Commodore of No. 3 (County of Devon) Maritime Headquarters Unit,Royal Auxiliary Air Force,from 23 May 1963 to 5 May 1969.[63][64]His wife, Lady Hermione, was appointed a Serving Sister of theMost Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalemon 2 July 1963.[65]

On 24 March 1965, Slessor was appointedSheriff of Somersetfor the following year.[66]He was commissioned aDeputy Lieutenantof Somerset in April 1969.[67]Slessor was also a director ofBlackburn Aircraftand governor of several schools.[1]After Hermione's death, he married Marcella Florence Priest (née Spurgeon) in 1971. Slessor died at thePrincess Alexandra Hospital, Wroughton,in Wiltshire on 12 July 1979.[1]His son John also joined the RAF, rising to the rank of group captain.[68]

Notes

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  1. ^abcdefghiHastings, Max(2004)."Slessor, Sir John Cotesworth".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31692.Retrieved16 June2015.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  2. ^"No. 29254".The London Gazette.6 August 1915. p. 7748.
  3. ^"No. 29330".The London Gazette(Supplement). 15 October 1915. p. 10232.
  4. ^"No. 29310".The London Gazette(Supplement). 28 September 1915. p. 9557.
  5. ^abcdefProbert, p. 41
  6. ^"No. 29800".The London Gazette(Supplement). 25 October 1916. pp. 10370–10373.
  7. ^"No. 29897".The London Gazette(Supplement). 9 January 1917. p. 442.
  8. ^"No. 29886".The London Gazette(Supplement). 29 December 1916. p. 41.
  9. ^abcdBoatner, pp. 507–508
  10. ^Yoxall, John (25 October 1957)."No. 5 Squadron: A History of the" Fighting Fifth ": Part 2".Flight:642.Retrieved8 June2015.
  11. ^"No. 30249".The London Gazette(Supplement). 24 August 1917. pp. 8777–8778.
  12. ^"No. 30302".The London Gazette(Supplement). 21 September 1917. pp. 9861–9862.
  13. ^"No. 30798".The London Gazette.16 July 1918. p. 8339.
  14. ^"No. 31157".The London Gazette.31 January 1919. p. 1537.
  15. ^"No. 31539".The London Gazette(Supplement). 5 September 1919. pp. 11246–11247.
  16. ^"No. 31816".The London Gazette(Supplement). 9 March 1920. p. 2906.
  17. ^"20 Squadron".Royal Air Force. Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved8 June2015.
  18. ^"No. 33007".The London Gazette(Supplement). 30 December 1924. p. 8.
  19. ^"4 Squadron".Royal Air Force. Archived fromthe originalon 4 April 2012.Retrieved8 June2015.
  20. ^"No. 33791".The London Gazette.19 January 1932. p. 423.
  21. ^"No. 33842".The London Gazette(Supplement). 1 July 1932. p. 4303.
  22. ^"Royal Air Force intelligence".Flight:470. 2 May 1935.Retrieved16 June2015.
  23. ^"No. 34462".The London Gazette.10 December 1937. p. 7741.
  24. ^ab"History of British Air Power Doctrine"(PDF).Royal Air Force. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 6 June 2011.Retrieved16 June2015.
  25. ^Slessor (1936), p. xi
  26. ^"No. 34405".The London Gazette.8 June 1937. p. 3669.
  27. ^abcProbert, p. 42
  28. ^"No. 34414".The London Gazette.2 July 1937. p. 4253.
  29. ^"No. 34485".The London Gazette.18 February 1938. p. 1075.
  30. ^"No. 34591".The London Gazette.20 January 1939. p. 465.
  31. ^"No. 34610".The London Gazette.24 March 1939. p. 2009.
  32. ^"No. 34679".The London Gazette.12 September 1939. p. 6194.
  33. ^"No. 34694".The London Gazette.26 September 1939. p. 6503.
  34. ^"No. 35065".The London Gazette.4 February 1941. p. 693.
  35. ^"No. 35525".The London Gazette.14 April 1942. p. 1648.
  36. ^"At the helm of history".The West Australian.26 December 2016.Retrieved23 November2019.
  37. ^"No. 35904".The London Gazette(Supplement). 12 February 1943. p. 815.
  38. ^"No. 36067".The London Gazette(Supplement). 22 June 1943. p. 2881.
  39. ^"No. 36033".The London Gazette(Supplement). 28 May 1943. p. 2419.
  40. ^Foot, M.R.D.(2004)."Slessor, Air Marshal Sir John Cotesworth".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31692.Retrieved16 June2015.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  41. ^"No. 37021".The London Gazette(Supplement). 6 April 1945. p. 1883.
  42. ^"No. 37124".The London Gazette(Supplement). 8 June 1945. p. 3073.
  43. ^"No. 37712".The London Gazette(Supplement). 3 September 1946. p. 4455.
  44. ^"No. 38390".The London Gazette.27 August 1948. p. 4724.
  45. ^"No. 39793".The London Gazette.6 March 1953. p. 1301.
  46. ^"No. 37423".The London Gazette(Supplement). 4 January 1946. p. 347.
  47. ^"No. 38095".The London Gazette(Supplement). 14 October 1947. p. 4795.
  48. ^abProbert, p. 44
  49. ^abcOrange, pp. 317–320
  50. ^"No. 38311".The London Gazette.4 June 1948. p. 3367.
  51. ^"No. 38344".The London Gazette(Supplement). 2 July 1948. p. 3898.
  52. ^"No. 38795".The London Gazette(Supplement). 30 December 1949. p. 6168.
  53. ^"No. 38941".The London Gazette(Supplement). 13 June 1950. p. 3045.
  54. ^Stephens, pp. 73–74
  55. ^Quinlan, Michael (July 2006). "The Future of United Kingdom Nuclear Weapons: Shaping the Debate".International Affairs.82(4): 627–637.doi:10.1111/j.1468-2346.2006.00558.x.JSTOR3874148.
  56. ^Ball, p. 49
  57. ^House of Commons Defence Committee (2007)."The Future of the UK's Strategic Nuclear Deterrent: Memorandum from Paul Rogers"(PDF).Hansard:para 26.Retrieved16 June2015.
  58. ^Slessor (1957), title page
  59. ^Freedman, Lawrence (1986)."the First Two Generations of Nuclear Strategists".In Paret, Peter (ed.).Makers of Modern Strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age.Oxford University Press.p. 740.ISBN9780198200970.
  60. ^"No. 39739".The London Gazette(Supplement). 30 December 1952. p. 56.
  61. ^"No. 39767".The London Gazette(Supplement). 30 January 1953. p. 692.
  62. ^"No. 40020".The London Gazette(Supplement). 17 November 1953. p. 6229.
  63. ^"No. 43024".The London Gazette(Supplement). 7 June 1963. p. 5001.
  64. ^"No. 44841".The London Gazette(Supplement). 6 May 1969. p. 4725.
  65. ^"No. 43045".The London Gazette(Supplement). 2 July 1963. pp. 5646–5648.
  66. ^"No. 43610".The London Gazette(Supplement). 26 March 1965. p. 3049.
  67. ^"No. 44830".The London Gazette.18 April 1969. p. 4101.
  68. ^Orange, p. xviii

References

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Further reading

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  • Orange, Vincent (2006).Bomber Champion: The Life of Marshal of the RAF Sir John Slessor, GCB, DSO, MC.London: Grub Street.ISBN978-1904943570.
  • Slessor, Sir John (1957).The Central Blue: The Autobiography of Sir John Slessor, Marshal of the RAF.Frederick A. Praeger, Inc.ASINB0007E5ZK4.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toJohn Slessor.
Military offices
Preceded by Air Officer CommandingNo. 5 Group
1941–1942 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-ChiefCoastal Command
1943–1944 		Succeeded by
New title Commander-in-ChiefRAF Mediterranean and Middle East
1944–1945 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Air Member for Personnel
1945–1947 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commandant of the Imperial Defence College
1948–1949 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of the Air Staff
1950–1952 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by High Sheriff of Somerset
1965–1966 		Succeeded by
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