FLTLT Kenneth Henry Slatyer 46799

Date of birth - 20 Jan 1918
Place of birth - SYDNEY NSW
Place of enlistment - PERTH WA
Next of Kin - SLATYER THOMAS

Aircraft Record

A58-140 F.VC EE844

Rec 1AD ex UK 20/04/43. Allotted 13ARD RP ex 1AD 25/05/43. Accident 02/06/43, when starboard main failed to lower on landing at Laverton Vic. Pilot; F/O Baker, Production Test and Ferry Flight, 1AD, was not injured. Repaired by 1AD. Rec 13ARDRP ex 1AD 06/08/43. Rec 79Sqn RAAF ex 13ARDRP 03/11/43. Coded UP-E. Accident 1220 hrs 19/02/44 during test flight following engine change, aircraft engine suffered glycol leak and seized in flight. The aircraft at 100 feet caught fire, with pilot on R/T stating "Going in", crashed, killing pilot, F/O K H Slayter Serv#406799, who was trying to land deadstick. Aircraft crashed in nearby swamp 1 mile north west of North/South Vivigani Strip, Goodeneough Island (Code name: By-product). AMSE approval to write-off per File#9/16/1423 Min#2 13/03/44. RR Merlin # 92661. [ADF SERIALS]

Three of 129 Squadron's pilots pose for the camera with a Spitfire Mk 1A.

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Kiriwina, Trobriand Islands, Papua. 1944-01-11. Group portrait of pilots of No. 79 (Spitfire) Squadron RAAF outside their alert hut. FRONT ROW: FLGOFF P. Birch, Sydney, NSW; FLGOFF K. Slatyer, Perth, WA; FSGT R. Rice, Glenelg, SA; PLTOFF L. McKellar, Gunnedah, NSW; FSGT A. Byrne, Sydney, NSW. STANDING: FLGOFF W. Pickard, Sydney, NSW; FLGOFF R. Nathan, Singapore; FSGT D. Grinlington, Melbourne, VIC; SQNLDR M. Bott, Sydney, NSW; FLGOFF P. Sebire, Brisbane, QLD; FSGT P. Turner, Murwillumbah, NSW; FLGOFF W. Wright, Samarai, Papua; FLGOFF J. Barrie, Melton, VIC; FLGOFF O. Morgan, Malvern, SA; FLGOFF W. Napier, Sydney, NSW; FLGOFF F. Binning, Sydney, NSW.

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Kiriwina, Trobriand Islands, Papua. February 1944. Cap and RAAF flag drape the casket containing 406799 Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Kenneth H. (Ken) Slatyer's body before his burial in the Armed Forces Cemetery. Flt Lt Slatyer was killed 19 February 1944 when his Spitfire Mk Vc A58-140 (RAF EE844) aircraft of No. 79 Squadron RAAF, developed an internal glycol leak at 25,000 feet, and after gliding down to 300 feet on the approach to land, the engine exploded and the aircraft, turning on to its back, dived into a swamp.

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