Slessor Road
Slessor Road estate was built in the late 1950's apart of a regeneration of the existing families accommodation. The estate consists of many two and three bedroom semi-detached houses that were designated for occupancy by the senior non- commissioned officers, invariably the most senior Warrant Officers. because thay had extra facilities like adjoining garages.

The estate consisted of a large perimeter road named Slessor Road with two cross-section roads named Dickson and Trenchard Road.

There is also a small cul-de-sac Portal Place at the east which leads onto a large recreational playing field with a swings and a football pitch. This field is utilised annually for the stations Bonfire Night celebrations.

The roads of this estate have been named after former senior officers of the Royal Air Force. Slessor was named after Air Marshall RAF John Cotesworth Slessor. Dickson Road was named after William Forster Dickson gaian Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

At the time the station was being built in between 1939 and eventually opened on 18 May 1940, John Slessor was appointed Air ADC to the King.

The Slessor Origin
Sir John Cotesworth Slessor was born 3rd June 1897 and died 12th July 1979 was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force. He served in the RAF's most senior post, Chief of the Air Staff, from New Year's Day 1950 to 31st December 1952.

John Slessor's Life
As a child, he had contracted Polio and suffered from two lame legs as a result but still managed to forge a career in the forces. In 1915 acquiring a Commission in the Royal Flying Corps was only possible for those having completed their Certificate 'A' in the OTC as well as having their application countersigned by a Colonel. Jack Slessor managed the first easily but only just managed the second as the Colonel was entraining for France, the Colonel being his Father.

Having left the RAF at the end of WW1, he attempted various activities in civilian life including the ferrying of Bristol Fighters to the Middle East and joining an expedition to fly over the South Pole, both of which failed to take place.

He then became involved in the railway strike of 1919 assisting in keeping open a power station and organising air mail from Glasgow. At the end of 1920 he was offered a Short Service Commission in the RAF, which he accepted but his tour in India with No 20 Sqn, was cut short from the usual five years due to a combination of pleurisy, enteric and inflammation of the liver.

Another tour, this time in Plans, was cut short when he sustained an injury to his foot, which resulted in septicemia. Convalescing for most of 1930 he toured Europe with his wife and wrote a 'Manual of Army Co-Operation'. Whilst serving in India for the second time he became involved in the Quetta earthquake of 31 Apr 1935. With 54 RAF personnel, 66 Indians and two children killed and 200 injured this was the largest casualty toll suffered by the RAF in the inter-war period.

With many of those involved in the successful Middle Eastern operations returning to Britain to conduct the Overlord operations, Slessor and others found themselves posted to the Mediterranean in their places, in his case as Deputy Commander, Mediterranean Allied Air Forces.

During his period in the Med. he was directly involved with the campaigns in Italy, Southern France and the Balkans. This included overseeing the formation of the Balkan Air Force within his command.

Following his retirement from the Royal Air Force he was a Justice of the Peace, a county councillor and High Sheriff for Somerset. He also published two military books, The Central Blue (1956) and The Great Deterrent (1957). John Slessor died on 12th July, 1979.