Hippolyte De La Rue

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Hippolyte Ferdinand (Frank) De La Rue
Air Commodore
Commands heldNo. 223 Squadron RAF (1918–19)
No. 270 Squadron RAF (1919)
Seaplane Squadron (1931–33)
No. 1 FTS (1933–37)
RAAF Station Richmond (1938–40)
Western Area Command (1941–43)
Battles/warsWorld War I World War II
Awards
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Flying Cross
Silver Medal of Military Valor
(Italy)

Mercantile Marine as a youth, he became a pilot in Britain's Royal Naval Air Service during World War I. In 1918, he was given command of No. 223 Squadron in the newly formed Royal Air Force. The following year he took charge of No. 270 Squadron RAF in Egypt. Returning to Australia, De La Rue joined the short-lived Australian Air Corps in 1920, and became a founding member of the RAAF in March 1921. Specialising in maritime aviation, he led seaplane formations based at Point Cook
, Victoria, during the 1920s and early 1930s.

De La Rue was appointed commanding officer of

Air Officer Commanding Western Area from 1941 to 1943, and finished the war as Inspector of Administration at RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne
. Nicknamed "Kanga", De La Rue retired from the Air Force in 1946, and died in 1977 at the age of eighty-six.

Early life and World War I

Born on 13 March 1891 in

Gallipoli as navigator on Huntsgreen, from the Allied landings on 25 April 1915 until the withdrawal in December. In July 1916, he transferred once again, to the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) as a temporary flight sub-lieutenant, and was awarded his wings in November.[1]

Training as a

captain in the Royal Air Force (RAF) that April, following the merger of the RNAS and the Royal Flying Corps. He was posted to No. 223 Squadron in Otranto, Italy, later taking command of the unit. While piloting a Short seaplane escorting Allied bombers on a raid against the port city of Durrës, Albania, he rescued the crew of another seaplane that had been forced down in the Austrian-held harbour. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions, as well as the Italian Silver Medal of Military Valor.[1]

Between the wars

De La Rue was posted to

Flying Officers George Jones, Arthur Murphy, and Raymond Brownell.[11]

Three-quarter rear view of biplane on floats, taxiing along a stretch of water towards shore
In an Avro 504L, Flight Lieutenant De La Rue makes the first seaplane landing on the Yarra River, Victoria, June 1920

During the 1920s, De La Rue held a series of postings at

Presbyterian ceremony at Scots Church, Melbourne, on 1 October 1923; the couple would have a daughter.[1] He had another escape in August 1925 when he crashed a Sopwith Pup into a hangar; a witness said that De La Rue, who was "renowned for his fiery Gallic temper", strode from the wreckage and began to violently abuse the aircraft.[13]

By 1926, De La Rue was the examining officer on the

wing commander in December 1932, De La Rue led No. 1 FTS from early 1933. He was promoted group captain in January 1937,[1] and took over as commanding officer (CO) of Headquarters RAAF Station Richmond, New South Wales, from Group Captain Cole in January the following year.[15]

World War II

De La Rue and his staff at Headquarters Richmond worked "flat out" in the days prior to the outbreak of World War II to get the base to a fit state of readiness and, immediately after hostilities were declared on 3 September, to liaise with the Central War Room in Melbourne passing instructions to squadrons. The following day, Richmond's first wartime

Frank McNamara, and Henry Wrigley had greater landplane experience than De La Rue. The concept was in any case abandoned soon after, as Australia concentrated on participation in the Empire Air Training Scheme.[17] Sometime in the latter half of 1940, De La Rue was seeing dinner guests off the base at RAAF Richmond and attempted to re-enter the perimeter via the main gate. Wearing civilian clothes and without his security pass, he was challenged and then locked up by the guards, who did not recognise him or believe his assurances that he was their commander. De La Rue was finally released by the orderly officer but was still fuming the next morning; only the advice of the base warrant officer (disciplinary), who had congratulated the guards on their diligence, prevented the CO from taking action against all concerned.[18]

Two columns of men, some in military uniforms with peaked caps, some in civilian clothes, walking between two rows of troops with forage caps standing to attention with rifles and fixed bayonets, and further rows of troops behind them
Air Commodore De La Rue (in braided cap) inspecting RAAF flying school trainees, c. 1941

After completing his tenure at Richmond, De La Rue briefly took the role of senior air staff officer (SASO) at

Perth, on 9 January 1941.[1][23] Among the units he controlled in this position were No. 14 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron, No. 25 (General Purpose) Squadron, No. 35 (Transport) Squadron, and No. 77 (Fighter) Squadron.[24] De La Rue worked assiduously to prepare the latter for operations, as it was the only fighter squadron able to defend Perth and Fremantle.[25] He also lobbied RAAF Headquarters for a force of long-range PBY Catalina flying boats to augment the Lockheed Hudsons of No. 14 Squadron, but none were offered to him.[26]

De La Rue was made a temporary air commodore in July 1941.

Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[29]

Later life

De La Rue was summarily retired from the RAAF after the war, along with a number of other senior commanders and veterans of World War I, partly to make way for the advancement of younger and equally capable officers, and also due to his suspect health. In recommending early retirement, the CAS, Air Vice Marshal

Golden Jubilee; his fellow guests included Air Marshal Sir Richard Williams, Air Vice Marshals Henry Wrigley and Bill Anderson, and Wing Commander Sir Lawrence Wackett.[34] Frank De La Rue died at his home in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, on 18 May 1977. He was survived by his daughter, and cremated.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Coulthard-Clark, "De La Rue, Hippolyte Ferdinand"
  2. ^ Alexander, Who's Who in Australia 1965, pp. 238–239
  3. ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 20
  4. ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 23
  5. ^ Wilson, Military Aircraft of Australia, p. 25
  6. ^ Wilson, The Eagle and the Albatross, p. 12[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 16
  8. ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 42
  9. ^ a b Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 35
  10. ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 31, 334
  11. ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 38–40
  12. ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 157
  13. ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 166
  14. ^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, p. 18
  15. ^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 113
  16. ^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 62–63
  17. ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 456–458
  18. ^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 66–67
  19. ^ a b Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 113 Archived 22 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Herington, Air War Against Germany and Italy, pp. 108–110 Archived 14 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, pp. 113–116
  22. ^ Herington, Air War Against Germany and Italy, pp. 118–120
  23. ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 92
  24. ^ Ashworth, How Not to Run an Air Force, p. 300
  25. ^ Odgers, Mr Double Seven, p. 19
  26. ^ Wilson, The Eagle and the Albatross, pp. 72–73[permanent dead link]
  27. ^ Ashworth, How Not to Run an Air Force, p. 294
  28. ^ Stephens, Power With Attitude, p. 86
  29. ^ Awarded: Commander of the Order of the British Empire at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  30. ^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, p. 234
  31. ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 179–181
  32. ^ Stephens, Power With Attitude, p. 92
  33. ^ De La Rue, Hippolyte Ferdinand Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine at World War 2 Nominal roll Archived 5 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  34. ^ Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 451, 498

References

Military offices
New command Air Officer Commanding Western Area
1941–1943 		Succeeded by
Air Commodore Raymond Brownell

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