Slessor, Sir John Cotesworth, 1897-1979, Knight, Marshal of the Royal Air Force

Person

Slessor, Sir John Cotesworth, 1897-1979, Knight, Marshal of the Royal Air Force

1897-1979

Born, Rhanikhet, India, 1897; educated at the Dragon School, Haileybury; served in the Royal Flying Corps London Air Defence and in France, Egypt and Sudan, 1915-1918; served with the RAF in India, 1921-1923; RAF Staff College, 1924-1925; commanded No 4 Squadron, 1925-1928; Air Staff, Air Ministry, 1928-1930; Instructor, Staff College, Camberley, 1931-1934; commanded No 3 Indian Wing, Quetta, 1935; Waziristan operations, 1936-1937; Director of Plans, Air Ministry, 1937-1941; Aide de Camp to the King, 1938; Air Commodore, 1939; Air Officer Commanding 5 (Bomber) Group, 1941; Air Vice Marshal, 1941; Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, (Policy), Casablanca Conference, 1942-1943; Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Coastal Command, 1943; Air Marshal, 1943; Commander in Chief, RAF, Mediterranean and Middle East, 1944-1945; Member of Air Council for Personnel, 1945-1947; Air Chief Marshal, 1946; Commandant, Imperial Defence College, 1948-1949; Principal Air Aide de Camp to the King, 1948-1950; Marshal of the RAF, 1950; Chief of the Air Staff, 1950-1952; retired, 1953, died, 1979.

Publications: Air Power and Armies (Oxford: 1936); Strategy for the West (London: 1954); The Central Blue: Recollections and Reflections etc (London: 1956); What Price Coexistence? A Policy for the Western Alliance (London: 1962); Command and Control of Allied Nuclear Forces: A British View (London: 1965); These Remain: A Personal Anthology: Memories of Flying, Fighting and Field Sports (London: 1969).

0099 KCLMA

Final

Partial

Further information is available at the National Archives (F257106)