William Slayter
Sir William Slayter | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Rudolph Slayter |
| Born | 13 February 1896 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.[1][2] |
| Died | 30 April 1971 (aged 75) Gosport, Hampshire, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1916–1954 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | East Indies Station |
| Battles / wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Cross |
Admiral Sir William Rudolph Slayter KCB, DSO, DSC (13 February 1896 – 30 April 1971) was a British-American senior Royal Navy officer.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Slayter was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of American parents both born in Chicago. His father, John Howard Slayter, was a physician born to an American mother and Canadian father, and was raised in Canada.[4][5] His mother, Harriet Alice Schloesser, was the daughter of Prussian immigrants.[6][7] His parents moved to Surrey, England, in the early 1900s, where his father served with the British Red Cross and was an instructor in the Royal Army Medical Corps.[8]
He entered the Royal Naval College, Osborne as a naval cadet in 1909.[3]
Naval career
[edit]Slayter joined the Royal Navy as a sub-lieutenant on 15 March 1916 during the First World War.[9] He saw action in the Second World War as Deputy Director of Naval Ordnance from March 1940, Director of Naval Ordnance from January 1941 and as Chief of Staff, Home Fleet from November 1943.[10]
After the war became Captain of the Gunnery School at Portsmouth in September 1945, commander of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron in May 1949 and Admiral Commanding Reserves in October 1950,[10] after promotion to vice-admiral on 15 August 1950.[11] His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station in August 1952 before retiring in August 1954.[10]
He was made Knight Commander of the KCB in the 1952 Birthday Honours.[12]
Personal life
[edit]In 1925, he married Helen Justine Hale, daughter of Major Russell Hale, in Ontario, Canada. They had one son. Lady Slayter died in 1969.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ 1911 England Census
- ^ Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826–1937
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Adml Sir W. Slayter". The Times. 3 May 1971. p. 14.
- ^ 1871 Census of Canada
- ^ 1881 Census of Canada
- ^ 1870 United States Federal Census
- ^ 1920 United States Federal Census
- ^ Canada, WWI CEF Attestation Papers, 1914–1918
- ^ "No. 29512". The London Gazette. 17 March 1916. p. 2935.
- ^ a b c "Senior Royal Navy Appointments" (PDF). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "No. 39035". The London Gazette. 6 October 1950. p. 4968.
- ^ "No. 39555". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 June 1952. p. 3009.
- 1896 births
- 1971 deaths
- Military personnel from Chicago
- American people of German descent
- American people of Canadian descent
- British people of German descent
- British people of Canadian descent
- Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
- Royal Navy admirals of World War II