Stewart Blacker

Lore & Background

Blacker was born in Cheshire to Major Latham Charles Miller Blacker of the Royal Artillery. He was educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After passing out in 1906, he was commissioned onto the Unattached List of the Indian Army. He served with the 69th Punjabis and 57th Wilde's Rifles, and saw action in Afghanistan, Turkestan, and Russia, earning several mentions in dispatches.

He learned to fly in 1911, receiving Certificate No. 121 from the Royal Aero Club. At the start of the First World War he was attached to the Royal Flying Corps and was shot down and wounded in 1915, 1916, and 1917. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1919 for his service in Persia. After the war he became a private developer of weapons, funding his own research, and served on the Imperial General Staff between 1924 and 1928. He married Lady Doris Peel, daughter of William Peel, 1st Earl Peel.

After retiring from the Indian Army as a major in 1931, he was commissioned into the 58th (Home Counties) Field Brigade, Royal Artillery (Territorial Army). In 1933 he was part of the Lady Houston-funded expedition to fly over Mount Everest, organizing the event with Colonel Percy T. Etherton and serving as chief observer; he later wrote a book titled 'First over Everest'. At the start of the Second World War, as a lieutenant colonel, he took his weapons to the War Office and was introduced to Major Millis Jefferis, who engaged him. From Coates Castle in West Sussex, his Blacker Bombard was developed, briefly adopted by the British Army, then redeployed for the Home Guard. His experimental guns based on the same principle were further developed by Jefferis into the PIAT. For his contributions to the Bombard, PIAT, Hedgehog, and Petard demolition mortar, he received £25,000 interim payment and a further £7,000 from the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors. In July 1941 he proposed a projectile for the Ordnance QF 25-pounder, which was rejected. He retired from the Territorial Army in October 1942.

Reader's Guide

Stewart Blacker's significance lies in his inventive contributions to British weaponry during the Second World War. His Blacker Bombard, a spigot mortar, was initially used by the British Army and later by the Home Guard, providing a relatively simple and effective anti-tank and anti-personnel weapon. More importantly, the same principle was adapted by Major Millis Jefferis to create the Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar, which became a crucial naval weapon for attacking submerged U-boats, and the PIAT, a man-portable anti-tank weapon used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces. Blacker's work bridged the gap between private invention and military adoption, though his ideas often required further development by others. His receipt of £32,000 from the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors reflects the official recognition of his contributions. Beyond weapons, his participation in the 1933 Mount Everest flight expedition and his book 'First over Everest' show a broader adventurous spirit. His legacy is that of a prolific but sometimes overlooked inventor whose designs had a direct impact on the conduct of the war.

Did You Know?

• He was shot down and wounded in 1915, 1916, and 1917 while serving with the Royal Flying Corps.
• He organized the 1933 Lady Houston-funded expedition to fly over Mount Everest and served as chief observer.

Military Career and Service in the Indian Army

Latham Valentine Stewart Blacker entered the British Army after completing his training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1907. Commissioned onto the Unattached List of the Indian Army before being formally admitted, he went on to serve with several distinguished units including the 69th Punjabis, the Queen's Own Corps of Guides, and the 57th Wilde's Rifles. His postings took him across Afghanistan, Turkestan, and Russia, where his performance earned multiple mentions in dispatches. Beyond his ground service, Blacker had acquired flying skills as early as 1911, earning Certificate No. 121 from the Royal Aero Club. When the First World War broke out, he attached himself to the Royal Flying Corps, where he endured the harrowing experience of being shot down and wounded three separate times—in 1915, 1916, and 1917. His service in Persia was recognized with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1921. He ultimately retired from the Indian Army holding the rank of major in 1932.

Self-Funded Weapons Innovation and Wartime Impact

After the First World War, Blacker took an unconventional path by establishing himself as a private weapons developer, personally financing his own research into new ordnance. This independent work eventually bore fruit at the outbreak of the Second World War, when, as a lieutenant colonel, he brought his designs to contacts at the War Office. There he was introduced to Major Millis Jefferis, who engaged him and sent him to Coates Castle in West Sussex, where his Blacker Bombard—a spigot mortar—was developed. Though the Bombard saw brief adoption by the British Army before being reassigned to the Home Guard, its underlying principle proved far more consequential. Jefferis further developed one of Blacker's experimental guns into the PIAT anti-tank weapon, and the same spigot-mortar concept evolved into the Hedgehog anti-submarine weapon. Blacker also contributed to the Petard demolition mortar. For these contributions, he received an interim payment of £25,000 and a further £7,000 from the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors. In 1941, he even proposed a trailing-stick projectile for the 25-pounder gun, though the Ordnance Board rejected the idea.

Aviation and the Everest Expedition

Blacker's relationship with aviation stretched well beyond his wartime flying service. Having received his pilot's certificate from the Royal Aero Club in 1911, he maintained a lifelong passion for flight that would take him to extraordinary heights. This passion culminated in 1933 when he joined the Lady Houston-funded expedition to fly over Mount Everest. Organizing the endeavor alongside Colonel Percy T. Etherton, Blacker served as chief observer for the historic flight. The expedition's account was published in 1938 by Cherry Tree (Withy Grove Press) as First over Everest: The Houston – Mount Everest Expedition 1933, co-authored with P. F. M. Fellowes, Etherton, and the Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale. Earlier, in 1922, Blacker had published On Secret Patrol in High Asia through John Murray, documenting his experiences in the remote regions where he had served with the Indian Army. His obituary in Flight magazine further attests to the aviation community's recognition of his contributions to the field.

Family, Education, and Personal Life

Blacker came from a military family with deep roots in the British Army. He was a descendant of Valentine Blacker (1778–1823) and the son of Major Latham Charles Miller Blacker of the Royal Artillery. Born in Cheshire on 1 October 1887, he received his education at Cheltenham College and Bedford School before attending Sandhurst. His personal life was shaped by a notable marriage to Lady Doris Peel, daughter of William Peel, 1st Earl Peel, who had served as Secretary of State for India. After retiring from the Indian Army in 1932, Blacker was commissioned into the 58th (Home Counties) Field Brigade of the Royal Artillery Territorial Force, a posting he held until his retirement from the Territorial Army in October 1942. He also served on the Imperial General Staff between 1924 and 1928. Latham Valentine Stewart Blacker OBE passed away on 19 April 1964, leaving behind a legacy that spanned military service, aviation, and weapons innovation.

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