Al Slater
Encyclopedia
Sergeant
Alistair Ira Slater MM
(2 December 1984) was a British Army
soldier who served in B Sqn, 22 Special Air Service
who was killed on 2 December 1984 whilst on operations against the Provisional Irish Republican Army
in Kesh, County Fermanagh
in Northern Ireland.
The operation also led to the deaths of Antoine Mac Giolla Bhrighde and Kieran Fleming
and the arrest of the other two members of the four man unit. The IRA men had been attempting to bomb an RUC
police car. Slater was posthumously awarded the Military Medal
for his role in the action.
Prior to joining the SAS
, Slater appeared in the British TV documentary titled The Paras as one the instructors to a group of Parachute Regiment recruits undertaking their basic training. The programme began filming just prior to the onset of hostilities of the Falklands War
.
Slater was one of four SAS soldiers to be killed during the Troubles.
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Alistair Ira Slater MM
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
(2 December 1984) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
soldier who served in B Sqn, 22 Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
who was killed on 2 December 1984 whilst on operations against the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
in Kesh, County Fermanagh
Kesh, County Fermanagh
Kesh is a village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is on the Kesh River about from Lower Lough Erne. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 972 people....
in Northern Ireland.
The operation also led to the deaths of Antoine Mac Giolla Bhrighde and Kieran Fleming
Kieran Fleming
Kieran or Ciarán Fleming , was a member of the 4th Battalion, Derry Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army from the Waterside area of Derry, Northern Ireland. He died while attempting to escape after a confrontation with British troops in 1984.-Background:Fleming was the youngest son of...
and the arrest of the other two members of the four man unit. The IRA men had been attempting to bomb an RUC
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
police car. Slater was posthumously awarded the Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
for his role in the action.
Prior to joining the SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
, Slater appeared in the British TV documentary titled The Paras as one the instructors to a group of Parachute Regiment recruits undertaking their basic training. The programme began filming just prior to the onset of hostilities of the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
.
Slater was one of four SAS soldiers to be killed during the Troubles.