Al Slater

Who was Al Slater?

Sergeant Alistair Slater MM was a British Army soldier who served in B Squadron, Air Troop, 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, Al Slater was a member of 1 Para. He appeared in the 1982 British TV documentary titled The Paras as one of 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.

Al Slater was one of four SAS soldiers to be killed during the Troubles.