Admiral Sir Robin Leonard Francis Durnford-Slater KCB (born Leonard Francis Slater; 9 July 1902 – 28 June 1984) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be the last Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.
Sir Robin Durnford-Slater | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Leonard Francis Slater |
| Born | 9 July 1902[1] Punjab, British India[2] |
| Died | 28 June 1984 (aged 81) Chichester, Sussex, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1923–1961 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | HMS Hermes HMS Vernon HMS Gambia Nore Command |
| Battles/wars | World War II Suez Crisis |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
Early life edit
Born as Leonard Francis Slater in 1902 in the Punjab area of India the son of Leonard Slater, a captain in the British Army, and his wife Constance Durnford Slater. His younger brother John became notable as the first British Commando during World War II.[3]
He was educated at Summer Fields School.[4]
edit
Durnford-Slater joined the Royal Navy in 1923.[5]
He served in World War II, initially as Executive Officer on the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes which was sunk in 1942.[6] He then joined the torpedo school HMS Vernon.[7] He next became Senior Officer for the 42nd and the 7th Escort Group of Western Approaches Command.[7] Later he became Training Captain on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches Command and finally Director of Underwater Weapons at the Admiralty.[7]
After the War he became Senior Officer for 1st Escort Flotilla in the Far East Fleet.[7] He went on to be Commandant at the School of Amphibious Warfare and then Captain of the cruiser HMS Gambia.[7] In 1953 he was made Deputy Controller of the Navy.[7] As Flag Officer, Air and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet he commanded the naval forces, Task Force 345 north of the canal and Task Force 324 south of it from HMS Tyne[8] during the Suez Crisis, Musketeer, in 1956.[9] From 1958, he was the last Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.[7] He retired in 1961.[7]
References edit
- ^ India, Select Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947
- ^ 1911 England Census
- ^ Durnford-Slater, John (2002) [1953]. Commando: Memoirs of a Fighting Commando in World War Two. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-479-6.
- ^ Usborne, Richard (1964). A Century of Summer Fields. Methuen. p. 106.
- ^ "No. 32855". The London Gazette. 21 August 1923. p. 5700.
- ^ HMS Hermes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ^ "SUEZ WAR OF 1956". Godfreydykes.info. 5 November 1956. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ^ Suez Crisis: Operation Musketeer; Riley, "Life and Campaigns of General Hughie Stockwell."