Leslie Gossage

Sir Ernest Leslie Gossage
Born	3 February 1891
Died	8 July 1949 (aged 58)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1912–1944
Rank	Air Marshal
Commands held	No. 56 Squadron RFC No. 8 Squadron RFC 1st Wing RFC RAF Balloon Command School of Army Cooperation British Forces Aden No. 11 Group RAF Balloon Command
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Mention in Despatches (5)

Air Marshal Sir Ernest Leslie Gossage KCB, CVO, DSO, MC (3 February 1891 – 8 July 1949). He was a former artillery officer who become a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps and later a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was born in Liverpool in 1891 and died aged 58 in Sussex in 1949.^[1]

Early military career

Royal Field Artillery

It is believed that he was a member of the Royal Field Artillery Special Reserve whilst a university student.^[2] He was commissioned in 1912 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery.^[3]

World War I

When the first World War started in 1914 Gossage was still a young 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery, where he remained for the first year of the war.^[2] However, on 12 May 1915, he was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps where he was assigned to No. 6 Squadron as a pilot.^[2] By 5 September 1915 he had reached the rank of Captain and had become a Flight Commander in No. 6 Squadron.^[2]

Following a promotion to Major in 1916 Gossage was given command of No. 56 Squadron, later taking command of No. 8 Squadron in the same year.^[2] In 1917 Gossage was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and took command of the Royal Flying Corps' 1st Wing.^[2] When the Royal Air Force was founded on 1 April 1918 Gossage transferred where he was appointed as a Staff officer in the Directorate of Operations and Intelligence.^[2]

Interwar years and World War II

Air Marshal Gossage, fourth from left, as Air Member for Personnel, in session with the Air Council during World War II

After the War he became Officer Commanding the School of Army Co-operation before moving on to be Deputy Director of Staff Duties at the Air Ministry in 1928.^[2] He was appointed Air Attaché in Berlin in 1930, Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Air Defence of Great Britain and Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Iraq Command in 1934.^[2] He went on to be Air Officer Commanding British Forces Aden in 1935 and Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group in 1936.^[2] He served in World War II as Inspector-General of the RAF, as Air Member for Personnel and then as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Balloon Command.^[2]

Following his retirement from regular service with the Royal Air Force, Gossage agreed to be re-employed to assume the role of Commandant Air Cadets after the retirement of Air Commodore John Adrian Chamier. He served in this role until he stepped down in 1946.^[2]

Decorations

Gossage has received several decorations for his service to the British Empire. In 1941 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.

In chronological order he has been awarded:

Military Cross – Lieutenant (temporary Captain) Ernest Leslie Gossage, Royal Field Artillery and Royal Flying Corps. For Consistent good and zealous work under bad weather conditions, both on patrol and when co-operating with the artillery in operations resulting in the capture of the enemy's position – 30 March 1916
Companion of Distinguished Service Order (DSO), for service in France – 3 June 1919
Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) – 11 May 1937
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) – 23 July 1937
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) – 1 January 1941

Notes

↑ Sir Ernest Leslie Gossage at Find a Grave
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir Leslie Gossage". Retrieved 2007-01-26.
↑ "Liddell Hart – Survey of the Papers of Senior UK Defence Personnel, 1900–1975". Retrieved 2007-01-26.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leslie Gossage.

Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Mshl Gossage

Military offices
Preceded by C F A Portal	Commander, Aden Command 1935–1936	Succeeded by W A McClaughry
Preceded by P B Joubert de la Ferté	Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group 7 September 1936 – January 1940	Succeeded by W L Welsh
Preceded by Sir Charles Burnett	Inspector-General of the RAF 1940	Succeeded by Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt
Preceded by C F A Portal	Air Member for Personnel 1940	Succeeded by Sir Philip Babington
Preceded by O T Boyd	Commander-in-Chief Balloon Command 1940–1944	Succeeded by W C C Gell

Aviation in World War I

People and aircraft	Commanders Aces Aircraft of the Entente Powers Aircraft of the Central Powers Zeppelins

Campaigns and battles	Strategic bombing German Cuxhaven Bombing of cities Aerial reconnaissance Fokker Scourge Flight over Vienna Bloody April Battles

Entente Powers air services	British air services Royal Flying Corps Royal Naval Air Service Royal Air Force Australian Flying Corps Canadian Air Force (1918–20) French Air Service Imperial Russian Air Service Royal Italian Air Corps United States Army Air Service Greek air services Army Air Service Naval Air Service

Central Powers air services	Imperial German Air Service Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops Ottoman Aviation Squadrons Bulgarian Army Aeroplane Section

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