Leslie Norman Hollinghurst
Encyclopedia
Air Chief Marshal
Sir Leslie Norman Hollinghurst GBE, KCB, DFC
(2 January 1895 – 8 June 1971), was a British First World War
Flying Ace
who later became an Air Chief Marshal in the RAF.
, Middlesex
, England on 2 January 1895, and was the second of three children of Charles Herbert Hollinghurst and Teresa Petty. At the outbreak of the war in 1914, Hollinghurst enlisted with the Royal Engineers
participating in the Gallipoli landings
and was wounded at Salonika
. In 1916 he was commissioned into the 3rd Battalion, the Middlesex Regiment
, and later in the same year was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps
(RFC). He learned to fly while serving in Egypt and went on to become a Captain in No. 87 Squadron
flying Sopwith Dolphins, and was awarded the DFC in October 1918, having destroyed four enemy aircraft. His final total was 11 confirmed victories. Leslie's two siblings also served: Charles Stanley Hollinghurst was also in the RFC and was awarded the Military Cross
and Distinguished Conduct Medal
, while Phyllis Hollinghurst enlisted in the Women's Royal Air Force
.
. He served in India and China, and was awarded the OBE in 1931. In 1932 he was appointed Officer Commanding No. 20 Squadron
. On return to the United Kingdom
in 1935 he became a member of staff of the RAF Staff College
and was promoted to the rank of Group Captain with a position at the Air Ministry
in 1939.
. Later in the year he was given command of No.38 Group
, formed to transport airborne troops in the forthcoming Normandy Landings. Hollinghurst was on board the first pathfinder aircraft to leave for Europe on the evening of June 5, 1944. 38 group were later involved in Operation Market Garden
, for which Hollinghurst was awarded United States Distinguished Flying Cross. Later in 1944 he was appointed commanding officer of air bases in south east Asia.
, and received substantive rank as Air Vice Marshal in 1946. He was Inspector-General of the Royal Air Force from 1948 to 1949, and was Air Member for Personnel
from 1949 to 1952. He was promoted to Air Chief Marshal in 1950, and retired in 1952. Following his retirement he was twice called upon to produce reports on technical aspects of the RAF.
Hollinghurst died on 8 June 1971, having collapsed on his journey back from a commemoration of the Normandy Landings.
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Leslie Norman Hollinghurst GBE, KCB, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(2 January 1895 – 8 June 1971), was a British First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Flying Ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
who later became an Air Chief Marshal in the RAF.
Involvement in the First World War
Hollinghurst was born in Muswell HillMuswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, England on 2 January 1895, and was the second of three children of Charles Herbert Hollinghurst and Teresa Petty. At the outbreak of the war in 1914, Hollinghurst enlisted with the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
participating in the Gallipoli landings
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
and was wounded at Salonika
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
. In 1916 he was commissioned into the 3rd Battalion, the Middlesex Regiment
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
, and later in the same year was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
(RFC). He learned to fly while serving in Egypt and went on to become a Captain in No. 87 Squadron
No. 87 Squadron RAF
No. 87 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during the First World War and Second World War.-World War I:87 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was first formed on 1 September 1917 at Upavon from elements of the Central Flying School...
flying Sopwith Dolphins, and was awarded the DFC in October 1918, having destroyed four enemy aircraft. His final total was 11 confirmed victories. Leslie's two siblings also served: Charles Stanley Hollinghurst was also in the RFC and was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
and Distinguished Conduct Medal
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
, while Phyllis Hollinghurst enlisted in the Women's Royal Air Force
Women's Royal Air Force
The Women's Royal Air Force was a women's branch of the Royal Air Force which existed in two separate incarnations.The first WRAF was an auxiliary organization of the Royal Air Force which was founded in 1918. The original intent of the WRAF was to provide female mechanics in order to free up men...
.
Interwar service
In 1919 Hollinghurst was given a permanent commission in the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. He served in India and China, and was awarded the OBE in 1931. In 1932 he was appointed Officer Commanding No. 20 Squadron
No. 20 Squadron RAF
No. 20 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was until March 2010, the OCU for the BAE Harrier GR9, and T12, operating from RAF Wittering...
. On return to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1935 he became a member of staff of the RAF Staff College
RAF Staff College, Andover
The RAF Staff College at RAF Andover was the first Royal Air Force staff college to be established. Its role was the training of officers in the administrative, staff and policy apects of air force matters.-Foundation:...
and was promoted to the rank of Group Captain with a position at the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
in 1939.
Second World War
Hollinghurst was appointed Director General of Organisation for the RAF in 1940 and was promoted to the rank of Air Commodore in 1941, and acting Air Vice Marshal in the following year. In 1943 he was given command of No. 9 GroupNo. 9 Group RAF
-History:No. 9 Group RAF was first formed on 1 April 1918 in No. 2 Area. The next month it was transferred to South-Western Area and then disbanded on 15 May 1919....
. Later in the year he was given command of No.38 Group
No. 38 Group RAF
No 38 Group RAF was formed on 6 November 1943 from nine squadrons as part of Fighter Command. It was finally disbanded on 1 April 2000.-History:...
, formed to transport airborne troops in the forthcoming Normandy Landings. Hollinghurst was on board the first pathfinder aircraft to leave for Europe on the evening of June 5, 1944. 38 group were later involved in Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
, for which Hollinghurst was awarded United States Distinguished Flying Cross. Later in 1944 he was appointed commanding officer of air bases in south east Asia.
Post war
Returning to the UK in 1945, Hollinghurst became Air Member for Supply and OrganisationAir Member for Supply and Organisation
The Air Member for Supply and Organisation was the senior Royal Air Force officer responsible for procurement matters: he was a member of the Air Force Board...
, and received substantive rank as Air Vice Marshal in 1946. He was Inspector-General of the Royal Air Force from 1948 to 1949, and was Air Member for Personnel
Air Member for Personnel
The Air Member for Personnel is the senior Royal Air Force officer who is responsible for personnel matters and is a member of the Air Force Board...
from 1949 to 1952. He was promoted to Air Chief Marshal in 1950, and retired in 1952. Following his retirement he was twice called upon to produce reports on technical aspects of the RAF.
Hollinghurst died on 8 June 1971, having collapsed on his journey back from a commemoration of the Normandy Landings.
Honours and awards
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- 1 January 1952 (KBE - 5 July 1945, CBE - 15 August 1944, OBE - 26 June 1931) - Knight Commander of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
- 10 June 1948 (CB - 1 January 1942) - Distinguished Flying CrossDistinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
- 3 December 1918 - Mentioned in Despatches - 8 September 1933, 1 January 1941
- Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
- 27 October 1944 - Commander of the Order of LeopoldOrder of LeopoldOrder of Leopold may refer to:* Order of Leopold , founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918* Order of Leopold , founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium...
(Belgium) - 9 October 1945 - Bronze LionBronze LionThe Bronze Lion is a high Royal Dutch award, intended for servicemen who have shown extreme bravery and leadership in battle favouring The Netherlands; in some special cases it can however be awarded to Dutch or foreign civilians. It was first created in 1944 and has since been issued 1210 times...
(Netherlands) - 1 January 1946 - Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) - 194?
- Croix de GuerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
(France) - 194?