RAAF Base Richmond is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located within the City of Hawkesbury,approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) North-West of the Sydney Central Business District in New South Wales,Australia. Situated between the towns of Windsor and Richmond,the base is the oldest base in New South Wales and the second oldest in Australia. The base is home to the transport headquarters RAAF Air Lift Group,and its major operational formations,Nos. 84 and 86 Wings. The main aircraft type operated at the base is the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Richmond is a regular venue for air shows and had at times been mooted as a site for Sydney's proposed second international airport.
William Ellis Newton,VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross,the highest decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to a member of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. He was honoured for his actions as a bomber pilot in Papua New Guinea during March 1943 when,despite intense anti-aircraft fire,he pressed home a series of attacks on the Salamaua Isthmus,the last of which saw him forced to ditch his aircraft in the sea. Newton was still officially posted as missing when the award was made in October 1943. It later emerged that he had been taken captive by the Japanese,and executed by beheading on 29 March.
Air Marshal Sir James Anthony Rowland,was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF),serving as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) from 1975 to 1979. He held office as Governor of New South Wales from 1981 to 1989,and was Chancellor of the University of Sydney from 1990 to 1991.
No. 4 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron composed of the air force special forces Combat Controllers,aircrew who operate the Pilatus PC-21 aircraft and instructors for the Australian Defence Force Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) course.
Central Flying School (CFS) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) training unit,located at RAAF Base East Sale,Victoria. It operates the Pilatus PC-21 turboprop trainer. The school is responsible for training flight instructors,setting flying standards,and auditing flying practices. It is also home to the "Roulettes" aerobatic team. CFS was the first military aviation unit to be formed in Australia,in 1913,when its role was to provide basic flying training. Its current form dates from World War II,when it was re-established to train flying instructors for the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS).
Stanley George Sismey was an Australian cricketer. Sismey,who achieved the rank of Squadron Leader in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II,was the official Commanding Officer of the Australian Services XI that played England in the Victory Test series that followed VE Day in 1945. He was not,however,the on-field captain,an honour bestowed upon pre-war Test cricketer Lindsay Hassett. Sismey was the team's wicketkeeper and a middle order batsman during the five unofficial Test matches.
Air Marshal Sir George Jones,was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He rose from private soldier in World War I to air marshal in 1948,and served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1942 to 1952,the longest continuous tenure of any RAAF chief. Jones was a surprise appointee to the Air Force's top role,and his achievements in the position were coloured by a divisive relationship during World War II with his nominal subordinate,the head of RAAF Command,Air Vice-Marshal William Bostock.
Sir Thomas Walter White,was an Australian politician and pilot in the First World War. In 1914 he became one of the first airmen trained for the Australian Flying Corps (AFC),and the following year he was among the first AFC members to see action when he was deployed to the Middle East with the Mesopotamian Half Flight. After carrying out several missions behind Turkish lines,he was captured in November 1915 but escaped in July 1918. White was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and twice mentioned in despatches for his war service. He married Vera Deakin,a Red Cross worker and daughter of former Australian prime minister Alfred Deakin,in 1920.
Air Vice-Marshal William Hopton Anderson,was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He flew with the Australian Flying Corps in World War I,earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Belgian Croix de guerre for his combat service with No. 3 Squadron on the Western Front in 1917. The following year he took command of No. 7 (Training) Squadron and,later,No. 3 Squadron. Anderson led the Australian Air Corps during its brief existence in 1920–21,before joining the fledgling RAAF. The service's third most-senior officer,he primarily held posts on the Australian Air Board in the inter-war years. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1934,and promoted to air commodore in 1938.
Roger Levinge Dean,CBE was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney,he attended Newcastle Boys High School and Newcastle Grammar School before becoming a business executive. He served in World War II,1942–46. In 1949,he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Liberal member for Robertson,defeating Labor member Thomas Williams. Dean held the seat until 1964,when he resigned to become Administrator of the Northern Territory,a position he held until 1970. In that year,he was appointed Consul-General to San Francisco,where he remained until 1974. He died in 1998.
Robert George Halverson,was an Australian politician,air force officer and diplomat. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1984 to 1998,representing the Liberal Party. He was Speaker of the House from 1996 to 1998,and subsequently served as Ambassador to Ireland from 1998 to 2003.
Peter Grahame Browne was an Australian Federal politician. Born in Sydney,he enlisted in 1940 and served with the 2nd AIF as a Gunner in the 14th Heavy Anti-aircraft Battery in Darwin during the Bombing of Darwin from February 1942. In 1943 he transferred to the RAAF to undertake pilot training through the Empire Air Training Scheme,initially at 2 Initial Training School Bradfield Park,Sydney. He was medically discharged from the RAAF after suffering from mastoiditis.
Victor Seddon Vincent was an Australian politician. Born at Leonora,Western Australia,he was educated at Scotch College in Perth,and then the University of Western Australia,becoming a barrister. He practiced in Kalgoorlie from 1931. After serving in World War II (1939-1945),he was a member of Kalgoorlie Municipal Council,and President of the Kalgoorlie Chamber of Commerce. In 1949,he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Liberal Senator for Western Australia. He held the seat until his death in 1964;Peter Sim was appointed to replace him.
Air Marshal Sir Charles Frederick Read,KBE,CB,DFC,AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) from 1972 to 1975. Born in Sydney,Read joined the RAAF in 1937,and began his career flying biplane fighters. As a Beaufighter pilot,he led No. 31 Squadron and No. 77 Wing in the South West Pacific during World War II. His achievements earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross and a mention in despatches,and he finished the war an acting group captain.
Air Vice Marshal Adrian Lindley Trevor Cole,CBE,DSO,MC,DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Joining the army at the outbreak of World War I,he transferred to the Australian Flying Corps in 1916 and flew with No. 1 Squadron in the Middle East and No. 2 Squadron on the Western Front. He became an ace,credited with victories over ten enemy aircraft,and earned the Military Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1921,he was a founding member of the RAAF.
Air Vice-Marshal Francis Masson Bladin,was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in rural Victoria,he graduated from the Royal Military College,Duntroon,in 1920. Bladin transferred from the Army to the Air Force in 1923,and learned to fly at RAAF Point Cook,Victoria. He held training appointments before taking command of No. 1 Squadron in 1934. Quiet but authoritative,he was nicknamed "Dad" in tribute to the concern he displayed for the welfare of his personnel.
John Lloyd Waddy,was a senior officer and aviator in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF),and later served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and Minister of the Crown. As a fighter pilot during World War II,he shot down 15 enemy aircraft during the North African campaign,becoming one of Australia's top-scoring aces and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. Waddy went on to command No. 80 Squadron in the South West Pacific,where he was awarded the US Air Medal. He was one of eight senior pilots who took part in the "Morotai Mutiny" of April 1945.
Garnet Francis Malley,was an Australian fighter ace of World War I,credited with six aerial victories. He was an aviation adviser to Chiang Kai-shek's government in China during the 1930s,and an intelligence officer in World War II.
Air Marshal Selwyn David Evans AC,DSO,AFC was a senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF),and a writer and consultant on defence matters. He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1982 until 1985. After leaving the RAAF he published two military treatises,A Fatal Rivalry:Australia's Defence at Risk and War:A Matter of Principles,as well as an autobiography.
Air Vice Marshal Frank Headlam,was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born and educated in Tasmania,he joined the RAAF as an air cadet in January 1934. He specialised in flying instruction and navigation before the outbreak of World War II. In April 1941,he became commanding officer of No. 2 Squadron,which operated Lockheed Hudsons. The squadron was deployed to Dutch Timor in December,and saw action against Japanese forces in the South West Pacific. After returning to Australia in February 1942,Headlam held staff appointments and training commands,finishing the war a group captain.
