Charles Eaton (RAAF officer)
Charles Eaton | |
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Nickname(s) | "Moth" |
Born | Lambeth, London, England | 21 December 1895
Died | 12 November 1979 Frankston, Victoria, Australia | (aged 83)
Allegiance |
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Service/ | |
Years of service |
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Rank | Group Captain |
Unit |
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Commands held |
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Battles/wars |
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Awards |
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Other work | Diplomat |
Charles Eaton, OBE, AFC (21 December 1895 – 12 November 1979) was a senior officer and aviator in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and later served as a diplomat. Born in London, he joined the British Army upon the outbreak of World War I and saw action on the Western Front before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. Posted as a bomber pilot to No. 206 Squadron, he was twice captured by German forces, and twice escaped. Eaton left the military in 1920 and worked in India until moving to Australia in 1923. Two years later he joined the RAAF, serving initially as an instructor at No. 1 Flying Training School. Between 1929 and 1931, he was chosen to lead three expeditions to search for lost aircraft in Central Australia, gaining national attention and earning the Air Force Cross for his "zeal and devotion to duty".[1]
In 1939, on the eve of World War II, Eaton became the inaugural commanding officer of
Early life and World War I
Charles Eaton was born on 21 December 1895 in Lambeth, London, the son of William Walpole Eaton, a butcher, and his wife Grace. Schooled in Wandsworth, Charles worked in Battersea Town Council from the age of fourteen, before joining the London Regiment upon the outbreak of World War I in August 1914.[2][3] Attached to a bicycle company in the 24th Battalion of the 47th Division, he arrived at the Western Front in March 1915. He took part in trench bombing missions and attacks on enemy lines of communication, seeing action in the Battles of Aubers Ridge, Festubert, Loos, and the Somme.[3][4]
On 14 May 1915, Eaton transferred to the
Between the wars
Eaton remained in the RAF after the war. He married Beatrice Godfrey in St. Thomas's church at
Regarded as one of the RAAF's most skilful cross-country pilots and navigators, Eaton came to public attention as leader of three military expeditions to find lost aircraft in
Eaton was awarded the
Following a 1937 decision to establish the first
World War II
Once war was declared, Darwin began to receive more attention from military planners. In June 1940, No. 12 Squadron was "cannibalised" to form two other units, Headquarters RAAF Station Darwin and No. 13 Squadron. No. 12 Squadron retained its Wirraway flight, while its two flights of Ansons went to the new squadron; these were replaced later that month by more capable Lockheed Hudsons.[21] Eaton was appointed CO of the base, gaining promotion to temporary group captain in September.[2] His squadrons were employed in escort, maritime reconnaissance, and coastal patrol duties, the overworked aircraft having to be sent to RAAF Station Richmond, New South Wales, after every 240 hours flying time—with a consequent three-week loss from Darwin's strength—as deep maintenance was not yet possible in the Northern Territory.[21] Soon after the establishment of Headquarters RAAF Station Darwin, Minister for Air James Fairbairn visited the base. Piloting his own light plane, he was greeted by four Wirraways that proceeded to escort him into landing; the Minister subsequently complimented Eaton on the "keen-ness and efficiency of all ranks", particularly considering the challenging environment.[22] When Fairbairn died in the Canberra air disaster shortly afterwards, his pilot was Flight Lieutenant Robert Hitchcock, son of Bob Hitchcock of the Kookaburra and also a former member of Eaton's No. 21 Squadron.[23][24]
As senior air commander in the region, Eaton sat on the Darwin Defence Co-ordination Committee. He was occasionally at loggerheads with his naval counterpart,
On 30 November 1943, Eaton returned to the Northern Territory to establish No. 79 Wing at Batchelor, comprising No. 1 and No. 2 Squadrons (flying Bristol Beaufort light reconnaissance bombers), No. 31 Squadron (Bristol Beaufighter long-range fighters), and No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron (
Completing his tour with No. 79 Wing, Eaton was appointed Air Officer Commanding Southern Area, Melbourne, in January 1945. The German submarine U-862 operated off southern Australia during the first months of 1945, and the few combat units in Eaton's command were heavily engaged in anti-submarine patrols which sought to locate this and any other U-boats in the area. The Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command, Air Vice Marshal Bill Bostock, considered the sporadic attacks to be partly "nuisance value", designed to draw Allied resources away from the front line of the South West Pacific war. In April, Eaton complained to Bostock that intelligence from British Pacific Fleet concerning its ships' movements eastwards out of Western Area was hours out of date by the time it was received at Southern Area Command, leading to RAAF aircraft missing their rendezvous and wasting valuable flying hours searching empty ocean. There had been no U-boat strikes since February, and by June the naval authorities indicated that there was no pressing need for air cover except for the most important vessels.[36]
Post-war career and legacy
Eaton retired from the RAAF on 31 December 1945.
Charles Eaton died in Frankston on 12 November 1979. Survived by his wife and two sons, he was cremated. In accordance with his wishes, his ashes were scattered near Tennant Creek, site of his 1929 forced landing during the search for the Kookaburra, from an RAAF
Today, we might think of Eaton perhaps as the pioneer of our contribution to assistance to the civil community—a tradition that continues today. Perhaps I might jog your memory to a more recent series of rescues no less hazardous for all concerned—the amazing location of missing yachtsmen Thierry Dubois, Isabelle Autissier and Tony Bullimore by our P-3s that guided the Navy to their eventual rescue. My observation is that such activities remain vital for our relevance in that we must remain connected, supportive and responsive to the wants and needs of the Australian community.[13]
Notes
- ^ a b "No. 33697". The London Gazette. 10 March 1931. p. 1648.
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d Williamson, Mitch (2002). "'Moth' Eaton: From Trench to Sky". Cross and Cockade. Vol. 33. pp. 104–110.
- ^ a b Kelton, Group Captain Mark (23 March 2006). "Remembered: Darwin's man of action". Air Force News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ "P03531.004". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ a b c Grose, An Awkward Truth, p. 51
- ^ a b c d e Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, pp. 1–3
- ^ Alexander, Who's Who in Australia 1950, p. 235
- ^ a b "Eaton, Charles". World War 2 Nominal Roll. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 404
- ^ "East-West Air Race Ends". The Age. 7 October 1929. Archived from the original on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ a b c Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 297–303
- ^ a b c d e f Lax, 100 Years of Aviation, p. 81
- ^ a b Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, pp. 4–12
- ^ Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, pp. 13–17
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 268
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 450
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 342–344
- ^ a b Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 145–148
- ^ Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, p. 22
- ^ a b c d Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, pp. 125–126 Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, p. 5
- ^ a b Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, p. 27
- ^ Wilson, The Brotherhood of Airmen, pp. 36–37
- ^ Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, p. 31
- ^ Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, p. 36
- ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 136
- ^ "No. 35399". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1942. p. 13.
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 114–115 Archived 27 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, p. 38
- ^ a b c d Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 215–218
- ^ a b Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, pp. 48–49
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 243–244
- ^ Recommendation: Mention in Dispatches Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ^ "No. 36975". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 March 1945. p. 1326.
- ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 351–354 Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Award: Dutch Order of Orange-Nassau – Commander". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ a b c Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, pp. 52–53
- ^ RAAF, The Australian Experience of Air Power, pp. 142–143
- ^ a b Farram, Charles "Moth" Eaton, pp. 54–55
- ^ "Search results for 'Eaton (Suburb)'". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Search results for 'Charles Eaton Drive'". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
References
- Alexander, Joseph A., ed. (1950). OCLC 458407057.
- Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1991). The Third Brother: The Royal Australian Air Force 1921–39. North Sydney: ISBN 0-04-442307-1.
- Farram, Steven (2007). Charles "Moth" Eaton: Pioneer Aviator of the Northern Territory. Darwin: ISBN 978-0-9803846-1-1.
- Gillison, Douglas (1962). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume I – Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942. Canberra: OCLC 2000369. Archived from the originalon 7 June 2011.
- Grose, Peter (2009). An Awkward Truth: The Bombing of Darwin, February 1942. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74175-643-2.
- Lax, Air Commodore Mark (4–5 August 2003). Wing Commander Keith Brent (ed.). Key Events in RAAF History. 100 Years of Aviation: The Australian Military Experience – The Proceedings of the 2003 RAAF History Conference. Fairbairn, Australian Capital Territory: The Aerospace Centre. ISBN 0-642-26587-9.
- OCLC 246580191. Archived from the originalon 14 October 2013.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 1: Introduction, Bases, Supporting Organisations. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-42792-2.
- Royal Australian Air Force (2008). The Australian Experience of Air Power (PDF). Tuggeranong, Australian Capital Territory: Air Power Development Centre. ISBN 978-1-920800-14-7.
- Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: ISBN 0-19-555541-4.
- Wilson, David (2005). The Brotherhood of Airmen. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-74114-333-0.
Further reading
- Eaton, Charles Stuart (2021). The Cross in the Sky. Melbourne: Superscript Publishing. ISBN 978-1-922603-03-6.