Leslie Hollinghurst

Sir Leslie Hollinghurst
Born	(1895-01-02)2 January 1895 Muswell Hill, Middlesex
Died	8 October 1971(1971-10-08) (aged 76)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1914–52
Rank	Air Chief Marshal
Commands held	Air Member for Personnel (1949–52) Inspector-General of the RAF (1948–49) Air Member for Supply and Organisation (1945–48) No. 38 (Airborne Forces) Group (1943–44) No. 9 (Fighter) Group (1943) No. 20 Squadron (1932–35)
Battles/wars	First World War Second World War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Flying Cross Mentioned in Despatches (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Commander of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) Bronze Lion (Netherlands) Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Croix de guerre (France)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Leslie Norman Hollinghurst, GBE, KCB, DFC (2 January 1895 – 8 June 1971) was a British flying ace of the First World War and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.

Hollinghurst was born in Muswell Hill, 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 Distinguished Flying Cross in October 1918, having destroyed four enemy aircraft. His final total was 11 confirmed victories. Leslie's two siblings also served in the war: 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.