bromide print, 1930s
NPG x90427
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
Air Chief
Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Trafford Leigh
b: 11 Jul 1892
d: 14 Nov 1944
KCB - 1 Jan 1943 (CB -
11 Jul
1940), DSO -
1 Jan 1919, MiD - 31 Dec 1918,
MiD - 11 Jul 1940,
MiD - 1 Jan 1943, LL.B
(Magdalene
College, Cambridge),
PR2
-
29 May 1942,
OK1 - 30 Jan 1945, LoM (CC) - 30 Jan 1945, 2nd
Prize - "Gordon Shepherd" 1930,
1934.
(Army):
- 2 Lt (P): 3
Oct 1914, Lt: 21 Jun 1915, (T) Capt: 2 Nov 1916, (T) Maj:
14 May 1917, Capt: 14 May 1917.
(RAF):
- (T) Maj [Capt]:
1 Apr 1918, Sqn Ldr: 1 Aug 1919 [1
Apr 1918], Wg Cdr: 1 Jan 1925, Gp
Capt: 1 Jan 1932, A/Cdre: 1 Jan
1936, AVM: 1 Nov
1938, Act AM: 13 Jul 1942, (T)
AM: 1 Dec 1942, ACM: 15 Dec 1943,
AM: 1 Jan 1944,
ACM: 1
Jan 1944.
© National Portrait Gallery, London
xx xxx 1911: Attended Magdalene College, Cambridge University.
xx
Sep 1914: Private, 10th (Territorial) Battalion, The King’s Liverpool
Regiment.
3 Oct 1914: Officer, 10th (Territorial) Battalion, The King’s Liverpool
Regiment.
xx
Apr 1915: Officer, 3rd Battalion, The South Lancashire Regiment
4 Jan 1916: U/T Pilot, No 1 School of Aeronautics, Reading, No 12 (Reserve), No 20
(Reserve) Sqns, CFS.
7
Jul 1916:
Pilot, No 5 Sqn. (BE2c, BE2d – Western Front)
xx
Jul 1916: Pilot , No 7 Sqn. (BE2c, BE2e – Western Front)
2
Nov 1916: Flight Commander, No 7 Sqn.
14
May 1917: Officer Commanding, No 15 (Reserve) Sqn.
27
Nov 1917: Officer
Commanding, No 8 (Army Op) Sqn. (FK8 – Western Front)
xx
Nov 1918: Officer Commanding, Armistice Sqn.
1 Aug 1919: Awarded Permanent Commission as a Major
15
Dec 1919: Inspector of Recruiting, South East Area
1
Feb 1921: Officer Commanding, 2 Sqn, School of Army Co-operation.
7 May 1923: Staff Officer, Directorate of Training
xx
Oct/Nov 1923: SD3, Deputy Directorate of Staff Duties
4
May 1925: Attended RAF Staff College
12
Apr 1926: Air Staff, HQ No 22 Group.
10
Apr 1927: Commandant, School of Army
Co-operation.
1
Jan 1930: Instructor - Army Staff College, Camberley
28
Jul 1931: Deputy Director of Staff Duties
1
Dec 1931: Supernumerary, No 1 Air Defence Group.
1
Jan 1932:
Air Staff, Directorate of Operations and Intelligence
2 Feb 1932: Air Adviser - Disarmament Conference, Geneva
1
Oct 1932:
Deputy Director of Staff Duties
16
Jan 1934:
Attended Imperial Defence College.
19
Dec 1934:
Officer Commanding, No 2 Flying Training School, Digby
22
Nov 1935: SASO, RAF Iraq
xx xxx xxxx: Supernumerary, RAF Depot
14 Dec 1937: AOC, No 12 (Fighter) Group.
18 Dec 1940: AOC, No 11 (Fighter) Group.
28
Nov 1942: AOC in C, Fighter Command
15
Nov 1943:
C in C, Allied Expeditionary Air Force
His initial education was at Haileybury.
The Armistice Squadron was responsible for ferrying
personnel and mail to and from the Armistice Conference in France. Having
originally planned a legal career, with the end of hostilities he decided that
he had now fallen behind his contemporaries and opted to apply for a permanent
commission in the RAF. He commanded
No 12 Group during both the build up to and the Battle of Britain itself.
It was during the Battle of Britain that Leigh-Mallory advocated the 'Big
Wing' principle in preference to the tactics being employed by AVM Park in No 11
Group. Although sound in concept,
it required time to assemble the 'Big Wing', a luxury not available to Park at
that time. However following the
Battle of Britain, Leigh-Mallory replaced Park at No 11 Group.
Whilst AOC No 11 Group, he was responsible for coordinating air
operations during the planning and execution of the Dieppe landings in August
1942. The post of C-in-C
Allied Expeditionary Air Forces, involved the coordinating of all the
air elements of the proposed invasion of Europe, Operation OVERLORD.
However, it was not without
it's problems, one being that many felt that this role should have been carried
out by ACM Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander to Eisenhower.
Eventually, with the main tasks in Normandy complete
and increasing conflict within the Command structure, Leigh-Mallory accepted the
post of Air C-in-C South East Asia Command.
Following leave and illness he set out on his flight to Ceylon on 14
November 1944 from Northolt. Sir
Trafford Leigh-Mallory and Lady Leigh-Mallory took off in York MW126, never to
be seen alive again. In June 1945
the remains of the aircraft, crew and passengers were found on the side of a
mountain in the Alps. Ironically,
his elder brother, George, disappeared and was presumed killed whilst attempting
to scale the summit of Everest in 1924. The
reason why his aircraft was flying low enough (it's flight plan showed a planned
altitude of 17000ft) to hit the mountain is not known, but as a result he became
the highest ranking RAF casualty of World War Two.
Further
reading: - Big Wing - Biography of ACM
Leigh-Mallory, Newton Dunn, Bill - Airlife (1992)
This page was last updated on 17/10/22
R
H A Leigh