Lieutenant-Colonel Latham Valentine Stewart BlackerOBE (1 October 1887 – 19 April 1964) was a British Army officer and inventor of weapons; he invented the Blacker Bombard, from which was developed the Hedgehog anti-submarine spigot-mortar – and laid the basis of the PIAT anti-tank weapon.
Blacker had learned to fly in 1911, receiving Certificate No. 121 from the Royal Aero Club,[1] and at the start of the First World War he was attached to the Royal Flying Corps. He was shot down and wounded in 1915, 1916 and 1917. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1921 for his service in Persia.
In 1933, he was with the Lady Houston-funded expedition to fly over Mount Everest. He organized the event with Colonel Percy T. Etherton and was the chief observer,[3] writing a book First over Everest.
At the start of the Second World War Blacker was a lieutenant colonel. He took his weapons to his contacts at the War Office and was introduced to Major Millis Jefferis who engaged him and sent him to Coates Castle at Coates, West Sussex, from where his Blacker Bombard, a spigot mortar was developed. It was adopted briefly by the British Army before it was redeployed for use with the Home Guard.
Later one of his experimental guns based on the same principle was developed further by Jefferis and entered service as the PIAT. For his contributions to the Bombard, PIAT, the Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar and Petard demolition mortar[a] he received £25,000 interim payment and a further £7,000 by the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors (the body which determined the recompense to inventors whose ideas were used by the government during the war).[4]
Blacker retired from the Territorial Army in October 1942.
On Secret Patrol in High Asia. London: John Murray, 1922.
First over Everest: The Houston – Mount Everest Expedition 1933, Cherry Tree (Withy Grove Press), GB (1938), Fellowes, P. F. M. with L. V. Stewart Blacker and P. T. Etherton and the Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale.
Notesedit
^a 290mm high explosive warhead fires from a spigot mortar which was used on the AVRE variant of the Churchill tank
Referencesedit
^"Lt Col L. V. S. Blacker", Flight International: 698, 30 April 1964
^"Lt Col L. V. S. Blacker", Flight International: 699, 30 April 1964
^Cohen Commission (1957). Awards to Inventors – Use of Inventions and Designs by Government Departments. p. 46 – via Archive.org.
Stuart Macrae (2004). "Stewart Blacker". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31907. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Blacker, Barnaby The Adventures and Inventions of Stewart Blacker Pen and Sword.
External linksedit
Obituary in Flight magazine
January 01, 1970
stewart, blacker, lieutenant, colonel, latham, valentine, october, 1887, april, 1964, british, army, officer, inventor, weapons, invented, blacker, bombard, from, which, developed, hedgehog, anti, submarine, spigot, mortar, laid, basis, piat, anti, tank, weapo. Lieutenant Colonel Latham Valentine Stewart Blacker OBE 1 October 1887 19 April 1964 was a British Army officer and inventor of weapons he invented the Blacker Bombard from which was developed the Hedgehog anti submarine spigot mortar and laid the basis of the PIAT anti tank weapon Latham Valentine Stewart BlackerStewart Blacker in flying gear 1933Born 1887 10 18 18 October 1887Grappenhall CheshireDied19 April 1964 1964 04 19 aged 76 Petersfield HampshireAllegianceUnited KingdomService wbr branchBritish Indian ArmyBritish ArmyYears of service1907 1942RankLieutenant ColonelAwardsOBESpouse s Lady Doris PeelRelationsHarold Blacker brother A descendant of Valentine Blacker 1778 1823 he was born in Cheshire to Major Latham Blacker of the Indian Army He was educated at Cheltenham College and Bedford School before going to the Royal Military College Sandhurst After passing out from the college in 1907 he was commissioned into the Indian Army himself He served in Afghanistan Turkestan and Russia earning several mentions in dispatches He served with the 69th Punjabis Queen s Own Corps of Guides and 57th Wilde s Rifles Blacker had learned to fly in 1911 receiving Certificate No 121 from the Royal Aero Club 1 and at the start of the First World War he was attached to the Royal Flying Corps He was shot down and wounded in 1915 1916 and 1917 He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1921 for his service in Persia After the war he set himself up as a private developer of weapons funding his own research He served on the Imperial General Staff between 1924 and 1928 He married Lady Doris Peel the daughter of William Peel 1st Earl Peel the former Secretary of State for India 2 After retiring from the Indian Army as a major in 1932 Blacker was commissioned into the 58th Home Counties Field Brigade Royal Artillery Territorial Army In 1933 he was with the Lady Houston funded expedition to fly over Mount Everest He organized the event with Colonel Percy T Etherton and was the chief observer 3 writing a book First over Everest Men of the Saxmundham Home Guard prepare to fire a Blacker Bombard during training with War Office At the start of the Second World War Blacker was a lieutenant colonel He took his weapons to his contacts at the War Office and was introduced to Major Millis Jefferis who engaged him and sent him to Coates Castle at Coates West Sussex from where his Blacker Bombard a spigot mortar was developed It was adopted briefly by the British Army before it was redeployed for use with the Home Guard Later one of his experimental guns based on the same principle was developed further by Jefferis and entered service as the PIAT For his contributions to the Bombard PIAT the Hedgehog anti submarine mortar and Petard demolition mortar a he received 25 000 interim payment and a further 7 000 by the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors the body which determined the recompense to inventors whose ideas were used by the government during the war 4 Blacker retired from the Territorial Army in October 1942 Contents 1 Published works 2 Notes 3 References 4 External linksPublished works editOn Secret Patrol in High Asia London John Murray 1922 First over Everest The Houston Mount Everest Expedition 1933 Cherry Tree Withy Grove Press GB 1938 Fellowes P F M with L V Stewart Blacker and P T Etherton and the Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale Notes edit a 290mm high explosive warhead fires from a spigot mortar which was used on the AVRE variant of the Churchill tankReferences edit Lt Col L V S Blacker Flight International 698 30 April 1964 Obituary David Blacker The Daily Telegraph 17 August 2002 Lt Col L V S Blacker Flight International 699 30 April 1964 Cohen Commission 1957 Awards to Inventors Use of Inventions and Designs by Government Departments p 46 via Archive org Stuart Macrae 2004 Stewart Blacker Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 31907 Subscription or UK public library membership required Blacker Barnaby The Adventures and Inventions of Stewart Blacker Pen and Sword External links editObituary in Flight magazine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Stewart Blacker amp oldid 1182522252, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
