Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1949-1968 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 box or 0.01m3
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
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).
Archival history
The papers were given to Mr John Costello and Mr Terry Hughes by John Slessor while preparing their book The Battle of the Atlantic (London, 1977).
GB 0099 KCLMA Slessor 1949-1968 Collection level 1 box or 0.01m3 Slessor , Sir , John Cotesworth , 1897-1979 , Knight , Marshal of the Royal Air Force
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).
The papers were given to Mr John Costello and Mr Terry Hughes by John Slessor while preparing their book The Battle of the Atlantic (London, 1977).
Presented to the Centre by Mr Terry Hughes, Jan 2007.
Papers of MRAF Sir John Slessor, 1965-1968, including: correspondence regarding the Defence Review on Naval Airpower with Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Elworthy; W M Mills, Ministry of Defence; Edward Shackleton, Ministry of Defence; Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd; Air Marshal Sir Kenneth Cross, Transport Command; and others, 1965-1968, particularly debating the use of aircraft carriers. Correspondence regarding the Battle of the Atlantic with Vice Admiral Sir Peter Gretton; Capt Stephen Roskill, historian; the Air Historical Branch; the Naval Historical Branch; and others, 1966-67, including statistical analysis of efficacy of RAF and information and statistics from Air History Branch regarding U-Boat destruction, 1955. Correspondence with Capt B H Liddell Hart, 1965; with Rear Admiral Samuel Morison, USNR, 1968; with Professor Arthur Marder, 1966. Articles by Slessor relating to the Defence Review on Naval Airpower, including: An Integral part of the Fleet', 1964;
The Capital Ship Complex', 1965; Air Power - Seabourne or Shore-based', 1965;
Naval Air Power - Is it Worth It?', 1965; The Story of Jutland: Some reflections on Vol. 3 of "From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow" - Arthur J Marder', 1966;
Air Power and the Defence Review', 1966; Air Power East of Suez', 1966;
The Purchase of the F111', 1966; Meeting Today's Defence Needs: Virtues of Shore-Based Planes', letter to The Times, 1968; and
The Air League's Memorandum on Defence - January 1967', 1967. Also articles by others including: The case for the Aircraft Carrier' by Fletcher Pratt, and response
The Case for Land-Based Air Power' by Francis V Drake, The Reader's Digest, 1949; German, Italian and Japanese U-Boat Casualties during the War: Particulars of Destruction, (HMSO, 1946); A memorandum on Defence, The Air League, 1967; and `Merchant Aircraft Carriers' by Kenneth Poolman, Air Pictorial, Oct 1968.
In sections as above.
Open, subject to signature of Reader's undertaking form, and appropriate provision of two forms of identification.
Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archives and Information Management.
English
Summary guide entry on-line.
The papers of: Capt B H Liddell Hart (Refs: 1/644, 5/22, 10/1936, 11/1937, 12/1955, 13/53, 15/5); Gen H L Ismay (Refs: 2/3, 3/4, 4/14, 4/24, 5/19); Gen Sir R N O'Connor (Ref: 7/20) and AVM S W B Menaul (Refs: 1/1, 5/3, 6/55, 7/2) contain correspondence with Slessor.
Decorations: GCB, KCB, CB, DSO, MC, DL
Entry compiled by Katharine Higgon. Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997. Sept 2007 Naval aviation International conflicts War Aircraft carriers Ships Wars (events) Submarines World wars (events) World War Two (1939-1945) Transport Vehicles Aircraft Military aircraft Air transport Slessor , Sir , John Cotesworth , 1897-1979 , Knight , Marshal of the Royal Air Force RN , Royal Navy x Royal Navy
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Presented to the Centre by Mr Terry Hughes, Jan 2007.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers of MRAF Sir John Slessor, 1965-1968, including: correspondence regarding the Defence Review on Naval Airpower with Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Elworthy; W M Mills, Ministry of Defence; Edward Shackleton, Ministry of Defence; Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd; Air Marshal Sir Kenneth Cross, Transport Command; and others, 1965-1968, particularly debating the use of aircraft carriers. Correspondence regarding the Battle of the Atlantic with Vice Admiral Sir Peter Gretton; Capt Stephen Roskill, historian; the Air Historical Branch; the Naval Historical Branch; and others, 1966-67, including statistical analysis of efficacy of RAF and information and statistics from Air History Branch regarding U-Boat destruction, 1955. Correspondence with Capt B H Liddell Hart, 1965; with Rear Admiral Samuel Morison, USNR, 1968; with Professor Arthur Marder, 1966. Articles by Slessor relating to the Defence Review on Naval Airpower, including: An Integral part of the Fleet', 1964;
The Capital Ship Complex', 1965; Air Power - Seabourne or Shore-based', 1965;
Naval Air Power - Is it Worth It?', 1965; The Story of Jutland: Some reflections on Vol. 3 of "From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow" - Arthur J Marder', 1966;
Air Power and the Defence Review', 1966; Air Power East of Suez', 1966;
The Purchase of the F111', 1966; Meeting Today's Defence Needs: Virtues of Shore-Based Planes', letter to The Times, 1968; and
The Air League's Memorandum on Defence - January 1967', 1967. Also articles by others including: The case for the Aircraft Carrier' by Fletcher Pratt, and response
The Case for Land-Based Air Power' by Francis V Drake, The Reader's Digest, 1949; German, Italian and Japanese U-Boat Casualties during the War: Particulars of Destruction, (HMSO, 1946); A memorandum on Defence, The Air League, 1967; and `Merchant Aircraft Carriers' by Kenneth Poolman, Air Pictorial, Oct 1968.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
In sections as above.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open, subject to signature of Reader's undertaking form, and appropriate provision of two forms of identification.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archives and Information Management.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
The papers of: Capt B H Liddell Hart (Refs: 1/644, 5/22, 10/1936, 11/1937, 12/1955, 13/53, 15/5); Gen H L Ismay (Refs: 2/3, 3/4, 4/14, 4/24, 5/19); Gen Sir R N O'Connor (Ref: 7/20) and AVM S W B Menaul (Refs: 1/1, 5/3, 6/55, 7/2) contain correspondence with Slessor.
Finding aids
Summary guide entry on-line.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Publication note
Decorations: GCB, KCB, CB, DSO, MC, DL
Notes area
Note
Decorations: GCB, KCB, CB, DSO, MC, DL
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English