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Elwyn Roy King

August 21, 2023

Elwyn Roy King, DSO, DFC (13 May 1894 – 28 November 1941) was a fighter ace in the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) during World War I. He achieved twenty-six victories in aerial combat, making him the fourth highest-scoring Australian pilot of the war, and second only to Harry Cobby in the AFC. A civil pilot and engineer between the wars, he served in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) from 1939 until his death.

Elwyn Roy King
Elwyn Roy King, c. 1917–18
Nickname(s)"Bo", "Beau", "Bow"
Born13 May 1894
Bathurst, New South Wales
Died28 November 1941(1941-11-28) (aged 47)
Point Cook, Victoria
AllegianceAustralia
Service/branchAustralian Imperial Force
Australian Flying Corps
Royal Australian Air Force
Years of service1915–19
1939–41
RankGroup Captain
UnitNo. 4 Squadron AFC (1917–19)
Commands heldNo. 3 EFTS (1940)
No. 5 EFTS (1940–41)
No. 1 SFTS (1941)
RAAF Station Point Cook (1941)
Battles/warsWorld War I World War II
AwardsDistinguished Service Order
Distinguished Flying Cross
Mentioned in Despatches
Other workBusinessman

Born in Bathurst, New South Wales, King initially saw service as a lighthorseman in Egypt in 1916. He transferred to the AFC as a mechanic in January 1917, and was subsequently commissioned as a pilot. Posted to No. 4 Squadron, he saw action on the Western Front flying Sopwith Camels and Snipes. He scored seven of his "kills" in the latter type, more than any other pilot. His exploits earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Order, and a mention in despatches. Returning to Australia in 1919, King spent some years in civil aviation before co-founding a successful engineering business. He joined the RAAF following the outbreak of World War II and held several training commands, rising to the rank of group captain shortly before his sudden death in November 1941 at the age of forty-seven.

Early life

Roy King was born on 13 May 1894 at The Grove, near Bathurst, New South Wales. He was the son of English-born Elizabeth Mary (Miller) King and Richard King, an Australian labourer. The youth attended public school, and further educated himself in mechanical engineering via correspondence. Having been employed repairing bicycles, automobiles, and farming equipment, he was living in Forbes and working as a motor mechanic when he joined the Australian Imperial Force under the name Roy King on 20 July 1915.[1][2]

World War I

Early service

On 5 October 1915, King embarked for Egypt aboard HMAT Themistocles, as part of the reinforcements for the 12th Regiment of the 4th Light Horse Brigade.[2][3] He joined the 12th Light Horse at Heliopolis in February 1916, as the unit was reassembling following its service in the Gallipoli Campaign.[1][4][5] The regiment was engaged in the defence of the Suez Canal during May, and subsequently undertook patrols and sorties in the Sinai Desert.[5]

King transferred to the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) on 13 January 1917, and was posted to Britain to join No. 4 Squadron AFC (also referred to as No. 71 (Australian) Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, by the British) as an air mechanic on 18 April.[4][6] He was assigned to a training squadron for flying instruction in August.[4] On 15 October, he gained his wings and officer's commission.[4][7] Allocated to No. 4 Squadron in November 1917, King was posted to France for active duty on 21 March 1918.[1][4] The same day, the Germans launched Operation Michael, the opening phase of the Spring Offensive.[8]

Fighter ace

No. 4 Squadron was operating its Sopwith Camels in hazardous, low-altitude support of Australian ground troops when King arrived in France, and he had little opportunity for air-to-air combat.[1][9] The burly 6-foot-5-inch (196 cm) King—nicknamed "Bo", "Beau", or "Bow"—also had problems landing the Camel; crammed into its small cockpit, his large frame impeded control stick movement.[1][10] The resulting rough landings annoyed his commanding officer, Major Wilfred McCloughry, brother of ace Edgar McCloughry.[1][11] King's friend and fellow No. 4 Squadron pilot, Harry Cobby, recalled that "there was some speculation that he might go home—but he proved himself an impressive pilot".[12] Cobby often took King on "special missions" to make mischief with the Germans; No. 4 Squadron found that two-man patrols were generally able to lure enemy aircraft into a fight, whereas larger formations tended to deter engagements.[13] On 14 May 1918, King shot down a two-seat German scout that was spotting for artillery between Ypres and Bailleul, but clouds prevented him from confirming its destruction.[14] By 20 May, he had been credited with his first aerial victory, over a Pfalz D.III near Kemmel–Neuve Église.[4][10] He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 June.[7] On 20 June, he destroyed a German balloon over Estaires; although vulnerable to attack with incendiary bullets, these large observation platforms were generally well protected by fighters and anti-aircraft defences, and were thus considered a dangerous but valuable target.[15] Later that month he shot down two more aircraft, a Pfalz and a two-seat LVG, in the Lys region.[16]

 
King (fourth from right), Captain Harry Cobby (centre) and fellow officers of No. 4 Squadron AFC with their Sopwith Camels, Western Front, June 1918

King registered his fifth victory, an LVG, after raiding Armentières on 25 July 1918.[17] Four days later, he led a flight of six Camels from No. 4 Squadron escorting Airco DH.9 light bombers of the Royal Air Force in another raid on Armentières. In an action that the Australian official history highlighted as an "example of cool and skilful air fighting", the DH.9s completed their bombing mission while the Camels drove off an attacking force of at least ten German Fokkers, three of the Australians including King claiming victories, without any Allied losses.[18] He destroyed a German two-seater on 3 August and another the following day, sharing the second with Herbert Watson.[19] No. 4 Squadron was heavily engaged in the Allies' great offensive on the Western Front, launched with the Battle of Amiens on 8 August.[20][21] King was credited with two victories—a balloon and an LVG—near Estaires during a bombing raid on 10 August.[22] On 12 and 13 August, the Camels of No. 4 Squadron operated in a massed formation over Flanders with the S.E.5s of No. 2 Squadron AFC, the former's two flights led by Cobby and King, and the latter's by Adrian Cole and Roy Phillipps. Pickings were scarce and No. 4 Squadron's only success came on the second day when King and his flight collectively destroyed a two-seat Albatros.[23]

On 16 August 1918, King participated in a major assault against the German airfield at Haubourdin, near Lille, that resulted in thirty-seven enemy aircraft being destroyed on the ground. During the action, described by the official history as a "riot of destruction", King set on fire a hangar housing four or five German planes.[24] He also, according to No. 2 Squadron pilot Charles Copp, flew down Haubourdin's main street, waving as he went, his reason being that "the girls in that village must have had a heck of a time with all that bombing and must have been terribly scared so I thought I'd cheer them up a bit".[25] By this time the Lille sector was largely clear of German fighters. The official history recorded that on 25 August, "King went out alone as far as Don railway station, bombed it, machine-gunned a train, and returned among the low clouds—all without seeing any enemy."[26] The only contact around this time was on 30 August, when King, Thomas Baker and another pilot shot down two DFWs near Laventie.[27] On 1 September, King destroyed an observation balloon over Aubers Ridge.[28] Three days later he shot down an LVG after attacking a train near Lille with Cobby.[29] He was recommended for the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 8 September.[30] The award, promulgated in The London Gazette on 3 December, cited his "gallant and valuable service in bombing and attacking with machine gun fire enemy billets, trains, troops etc", during which "he ensure[d] success by descending to low altitudes, disregarding personal danger".[31] On 16 September, following a lull in aerial combat in the region, King destroyed a Fokker biplane over Lille.[32] Around this time he was promoted to captain and flight commander.[10] He took over "A" Flight from Cobby, who had been posted to England.[33][34] By the end of September, King's tally was eighteen. He registered his final victory in a Camel on 2 October, when he used bombs to send down his fourth balloon.[4][10]

 
Sopwith Snipe of No. 4 Squadron, c. 1918. King achieved seven victories in the Snipe, making him the most successful pilot of the type.

During October 1918, King converted with the rest of No. 4 Squadron to the upgraded Sopwith Snipe, whose larger cockpit was a better fit for him.[1][20] He scored with the Snipe on both 28 and 29 October, the latter over Tournai, in what is frequently described as "one of the greatest air battles of the war".[35][36][37] At Tournai, amid a confrontation involving over seventy-five Allied and German fighters, King evaded five enemy Fokkers that dived on him, before destroying an LVG in a head-on attack.[37] The next day, he downed three Fokker D.VIIs, two without firing a shot. As he zoomed up from shooting one out of control, he cut off another. This second Fokker pulled up to avoid collision and toppled onto a third Fokker.[37][38] One of the war's last air battles took place near Leuze on 4 November. King's destruction of two D.VIIs in the space of five minutes, the latter in flames, capped his combat career.[10][39] His tally of seven victories with the Snipe in the closing days of the war made him the highest-scoring pilot in this type.[10][40]

King's final wartime score of twenty-six included six aircraft driven down out of control, thirteen aircraft and four balloons destroyed, and three other aircraft destroyed in victories shared with other airmen.[10][41] This made him second only to Harry Cobby as the most successful ace in the AFC, as well as the fourth most successful of all the Australian aces in the war (his top-scoring compatriots, Robert Little and Roderic (Stan) Dallas, flew with the British Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force).[10][42] King was recommended for a bar to his DFC, which was upgraded to the Distinguished Service Order and awarded on 3 June 1919. The recommendation noted his victories in the air and described him as having "proved himself a very brilliant patrol leader" and as "a magnificent example at all times to all pilots in the Squadron by his keenness on the ground and gallantry in the air which was of the highest possible order".[43][44] He was also belatedly mentioned in despatches in July 1919 for his wartime service.[1][4]

Interbellum and World War II

 
King (second right), Captain George Jones (far right) and other officers of No. 4 Squadron AFC with a German Junkers J.I in Germany, December 1918

Following the end of hostilities, No. 4 Squadron joined the British Army of Occupation at Bickendorf, near Cologne, Germany, in December 1918. The unit returned to England in March 1919, and King sailed with it back to Australia aboard RMS Kaisar-i-Hind on 6 May.[2][20] He left the AFC on 11 August 1919 in Melbourne, before gaining employment as an air courier for Larkin-Sopwith Aviation Co. of Australasia Ltd, which had been co-founded by fighter ace Herbert Larkin.[1][45] While working for Larkin-Sopwith, King refused an appointment in the newly established Australian Air Corps (AAC)—forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)—because it had not then offered a commission to Frank McNamara, VC.[1][46] In a letter to the AAC selection committee on 30 January 1920, King wrote "I feel I must forfeit my place in favor (sic) of this very good and gallant officer"; McNamara received a commission in the AAC that April.[46]

King's career with Larkin-Sopwith involved many pioneering flights.[1] In 1920 alone, flying a Sopwith Gnu, he was credited with making the first aerial deliveries of mail and newspapers to several cities in eastern Australia,[47][48][49] and with making the first aircraft landing at several townships in southern Queensland.[50] He also competed in air races.[51][52] By April 1922, working with Larkin-Sopwith's successor, Larkin Aircraft Supply Co. Ltd, King was reported as having safely flown 2,000 passengers and 48,000 miles (77,000 km) throughout Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.[53][54] He soon left the aviation business to go into partnership with another pilot, T.T. Shipman, founding Shipman, King and Co. Pty Ltd.[1][55] Importing and building machinery, the company was successful and allowed King to take up the restoration and racing of motor vehicles. He married Josephine Livingston, twenty, at St John's Anglican Church, Camberwell, on 31 March 1925. The couple had a son and a daughter.[1]

In December 1939, soon after the outbreak of World War II, King joined the RAAF as a squadron leader. Initially considered for general flying duties, he was assigned training commands commencing in the new year.[1] On 2 January 1940, he became the inaugural commanding officer of No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School (No. 3 EFTS) in Essendon, Victoria. Part of Australia's contribution to the Empire Air Training Scheme, No. 3 EFTS initially comprised a significant civilian presence, many of the aircraft and staff under King's control being from private airline companies and the Royal Victorian Aero Club; by July, all private machines had been pressed into RAAF service and the civilian element largely disappeared.[56] King assumed command of No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School at Narromine, New South Wales, on 21 December.[57] Promoted to wing commander, he took over No. 1 Service Flying Training School at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria, from Group Captain John McCauley on 7 July 1941.[58] In October, King was promoted to acting group captain and posted to command the newly established Station Headquarters Point Cook.[1]

Death and legacy

King died unexpectedly of cerebral oedema on 28 November 1941, aged 47.[1][55] Survived by his wife and children, he was cremated at Fawkner Crematorium, Melbourne.[1][59] His funeral service at South Yarra was attended by hundreds of mourners from the military and civil aviation world, including the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett, and a representative of the Minister for Air; the pallbearers included Air Vice Marshal Henry Wrigley, Air Commodore Raymond Brownell, Group Captain Allan Walters, and Wing Commander Henry Winneke.[60]

Elwyn Roy King's name appears on panel 97 in the Commemorative Area of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.[61] His youngest brother Francis, who served as a flying officer with No. 30 Squadron in New Guinea, died in an aircraft crash on 31 May 1943.[62][63]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Fraser, Alan. King, Elwyn Roy (1894–1941). Retrieved 2 January 2014. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b c . The AIF Project. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  3. ^ . Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Garrisson, Australian Fighter Aces, p. 93
  5. ^ a b "12th Light Horse Regiment". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  6. ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 9
  7. ^ a b "Flying Corps return". The Sunday Times. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 15 June 1919. p. 1. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  8. ^ Molkentin, Fire in the Sky, p. 236
  9. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, pp. 234, 239 2014-01-08 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Newton, Australian Air Aces, p. 43
  11. ^ Fraser, Alan. McCloughry, Wilfred Ashton (1894–1943). Retrieved 2 January 2014. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  12. ^ Molkentin, Fire in the Sky, p. 283
  13. ^ Molkentin, Fire in the Sky, pp. 267, 281
  14. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, pp. 281–282 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, pp. 284, 288 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, pp. 289–290 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 298 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 303 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 338 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ a b c "4 Squadron AFC". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  21. ^ Molkentin, Fire in the Sky, pp. 284–285
  22. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, pp. 340–341 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 313 2014-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, pp. 346–349 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ Molkentin, Fire in the Sky, p. 298
  26. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 350 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 351 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  28. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 353 2014-01-08 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 356 2014-01-08 at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ (PDF). Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  31. ^ "No. 31046". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 December 1918. p. 14323.
  32. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 359 2014-01-08 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ Molkentin, Fire in the Sky, p. 321
  34. ^ Richards, Australian Airmen, p. 76
  35. ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 21
  36. ^ Odgers, Air Force Australia, pp. 42–43
  37. ^ a b c Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, pp. 376–379 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  38. ^ Molkentin, Fire in the Sky, pp. 321–322
  39. ^ Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 381 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  40. ^ Shores, British and Empire Aces, p. 76
  41. ^ Shores et al., Above the Trenches, p. 224
  42. ^ Wilson, The Brotherhood of Airmen, pp. 30–31
  43. ^ "No. 31378". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1919. p. 7030.
  44. ^ (PDF). Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  45. ^ Smith, Ann G. Larkin, Herbert Joseph (1894–1972). Retrieved 4 January 2014. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  46. ^ a b Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 20
  47. ^ "Aeroplanes visit Sale". Gippsland Times. Gippsland, Victoria: National Library of Australia. 11 March 1920. p. 3. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  48. ^ "'Couriers' by air". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 10 July 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  49. ^ "Aerial mail in the Riverina". Maffra Spectator. Maffra, Victoria: National Library of Australia. 20 December 1920. p. 3. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  50. ^ "Aviation". Forbes Advocate. Forbes, New South Wales: National Library of Australia. 29 October 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  51. ^ "Flying". The Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, New South Wales: National Library of Australia. 3 January 1920. p. 2. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  52. ^ "Victorian aerial derby". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 28 December 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  53. ^ "Air travel". The Chronicle. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 29 April 1922. p. 38. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  54. ^ "Aviator's action". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 22 November 1923. p. 12. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  55. ^ a b "Death of Group Capt E.R. King". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 29 November 1941. p. 3. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  56. ^ RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 18–19
  57. ^ RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 22–23
  58. ^ RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 100–101
  59. ^ "King, Elwyn Roy". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  60. ^ "Funeral of Group Capt King". The Argus. National Library of Australia. 1 December 1941. p. 5. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  61. ^ "Roll of Honour – Elwyn Roy King". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  62. ^ "Deaths on active service". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 12 June 1943. p. 2. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  63. ^ "Roll of Honour – Francis Cairo King". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 12 January 2014.

References

  • Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1991). . North Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0-04-442307-1. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013.
  • Cutlack, F. M. (1941) [1923]. The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 (11th edition): Volume VIII – The Australian Flying Corps in the Western and Eastern Theatres of War, 1914–1918. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. OCLC 220900299.
  • Garrisson, A. D. (1999). . Fairbairn, Australian Capital Territory: Air Power Studies Centre. ISBN 0-642-26540-2. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016.
  • Molkentin, Michael (2010). Fire in the Sky: The Australian Flying Corps in the First World War. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74237-072-9.
  • Newton, Dennis (1996). Australian Air Aces. Fyshwyck, Australian Capital Territory: Aerospace Publications. ISBN 1-875671-25-0.
  • Odgers, George (1996) [1984]. Air Force Australia. Frenchs Forest, New South Wales: National. ISBN 1-86436-081-X.
  • RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 8: Training Units. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-42800-7.
  • Richards, E. J., ed. (1918). Australian Airmen: History of the 4th Squadron, Australian Flying Corps. Melbourne: Bruce & Co. OCLC 3945672.
  • Shores, Christopher (2001). British and Empire Aces of World War 1. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 1-84176-377-2.
  • Shores, Christopher; Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell (1990). Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces, 1915–1920. London: Grub Street. ISBN 0-948817-19-4.
  • Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-555541-4.
  • Wilson, David (2005). The Brotherhood of Airmen. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-74114-333-0.

August 21, 2023
elwyn, king, 1894, november, 1941, fighter, australian, flying, corps, during, world, achieved, twenty, victories, aerial, combat, making, fourth, highest, scoring, australian, pilot, second, only, harry, cobby, civil, pilot, engineer, between, wars, served, r. Elwyn Roy King DSO DFC 13 May 1894 28 November 1941 was a fighter ace in the Australian Flying Corps AFC during World War I He achieved twenty six victories in aerial combat making him the fourth highest scoring Australian pilot of the war and second only to Harry Cobby in the AFC A civil pilot and engineer between the wars he served in the Royal Australian Air Force RAAF from 1939 until his death Elwyn Roy KingElwyn Roy King c 1917 18Nickname s Bo Beau Bow Born13 May 1894Bathurst New South WalesDied28 November 1941 1941 11 28 aged 47 Point Cook VictoriaAllegianceAustraliaService wbr branchAustralian Imperial ForceAustralian Flying CorpsRoyal Australian Air ForceYears of service1915 191939 41RankGroup CaptainUnitNo 4 Squadron AFC 1917 19 Commands heldNo 3 EFTS 1940 No 5 EFTS 1940 41 No 1 SFTS 1941 RAAF Station Point Cook 1941 Battles warsWorld War I Western Front German spring offensive Hundred Days Offensive World War IIAwardsDistinguished Service OrderDistinguished Flying CrossMentioned in DespatchesOther workBusinessmanBorn in Bathurst New South Wales King initially saw service as a lighthorseman in Egypt in 1916 He transferred to the AFC as a mechanic in January 1917 and was subsequently commissioned as a pilot Posted to No 4 Squadron he saw action on the Western Front flying Sopwith Camels and Snipes He scored seven of his kills in the latter type more than any other pilot His exploits earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross the Distinguished Service Order and a mention in despatches Returning to Australia in 1919 King spent some years in civil aviation before co founding a successful engineering business He joined the RAAF following the outbreak of World War II and held several training commands rising to the rank of group captain shortly before his sudden death in November 1941 at the age of forty seven Contents 1 Early life 2 World War I 2 1 Early service 2 2 Fighter ace 3 Interbellum and World War II 4 Death and legacy 5 Notes 6 ReferencesEarly life EditRoy King was born on 13 May 1894 at The Grove near Bathurst New South Wales He was the son of English born Elizabeth Mary Miller King and Richard King an Australian labourer The youth attended public school and further educated himself in mechanical engineering via correspondence Having been employed repairing bicycles automobiles and farming equipment he was living in Forbes and working as a motor mechanic when he joined the Australian Imperial Force under the name Roy King on 20 July 1915 1 2 World War I EditEarly service Edit On 5 October 1915 King embarked for Egypt aboard HMAT Themistocles as part of the reinforcements for the 12th Regiment of the 4th Light Horse Brigade 2 3 He joined the 12th Light Horse at Heliopolis in February 1916 as the unit was reassembling following its service in the Gallipoli Campaign 1 4 5 The regiment was engaged in the defence of the Suez Canal during May and subsequently undertook patrols and sorties in the Sinai Desert 5 King transferred to the Australian Flying Corps AFC on 13 January 1917 and was posted to Britain to join No 4 Squadron AFC also referred to as No 71 Australian Squadron Royal Flying Corps by the British as an air mechanic on 18 April 4 6 He was assigned to a training squadron for flying instruction in August 4 On 15 October he gained his wings and officer s commission 4 7 Allocated to No 4 Squadron in November 1917 King was posted to France for active duty on 21 March 1918 1 4 The same day the Germans launched Operation Michael the opening phase of the Spring Offensive 8 Fighter ace Edit No 4 Squadron was operating its Sopwith Camels in hazardous low altitude support of Australian ground troops when King arrived in France and he had little opportunity for air to air combat 1 9 The burly 6 foot 5 inch 196 cm King nicknamed Bo Beau or Bow also had problems landing the Camel crammed into its small cockpit his large frame impeded control stick movement 1 10 The resulting rough landings annoyed his commanding officer Major Wilfred McCloughry brother of ace Edgar McCloughry 1 11 King s friend and fellow No 4 Squadron pilot Harry Cobby recalled that there was some speculation that he might go home but he proved himself an impressive pilot 12 Cobby often took King on special missions to make mischief with the Germans No 4 Squadron found that two man patrols were generally able to lure enemy aircraft into a fight whereas larger formations tended to deter engagements 13 On 14 May 1918 King shot down a two seat German scout that was spotting for artillery between Ypres and Bailleul but clouds prevented him from confirming its destruction 14 By 20 May he had been credited with his first aerial victory over a Pfalz D III near Kemmel Neuve Eglise 4 10 He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 June 7 On 20 June he destroyed a German balloon over Estaires although vulnerable to attack with incendiary bullets these large observation platforms were generally well protected by fighters and anti aircraft defences and were thus considered a dangerous but valuable target 15 Later that month he shot down two more aircraft a Pfalz and a two seat LVG in the Lys region 16 King fourth from right Captain Harry Cobby centre and fellow officers of No 4 Squadron AFC with their Sopwith Camels Western Front June 1918King registered his fifth victory an LVG after raiding Armentieres on 25 July 1918 17 Four days later he led a flight of six Camels from No 4 Squadron escorting Airco DH 9 light bombers of the Royal Air Force in another raid on Armentieres In an action that the Australian official history highlighted as an example of cool and skilful air fighting the DH 9s completed their bombing mission while the Camels drove off an attacking force of at least ten German Fokkers three of the Australians including King claiming victories without any Allied losses 18 He destroyed a German two seater on 3 August and another the following day sharing the second with Herbert Watson 19 No 4 Squadron was heavily engaged in the Allies great offensive on the Western Front launched with the Battle of Amiens on 8 August 20 21 King was credited with two victories a balloon and an LVG near Estaires during a bombing raid on 10 August 22 On 12 and 13 August the Camels of No 4 Squadron operated in a massed formation over Flanders with the S E 5s of No 2 Squadron AFC the former s two flights led by Cobby and King and the latter s by Adrian Cole and Roy Phillipps Pickings were scarce and No 4 Squadron s only success came on the second day when King and his flight collectively destroyed a two seat Albatros 23 On 16 August 1918 King participated in a major assault against the German airfield at Haubourdin near Lille that resulted in thirty seven enemy aircraft being destroyed on the ground During the action described by the official history as a riot of destruction King set on fire a hangar housing four or five German planes 24 He also according to No 2 Squadron pilot Charles Copp flew down Haubourdin s main street waving as he went his reason being that the girls in that village must have had a heck of a time with all that bombing and must have been terribly scared so I thought I d cheer them up a bit 25 By this time the Lille sector was largely clear of German fighters The official history recorded that on 25 August King went out alone as far as Don railway station bombed it machine gunned a train and returned among the low clouds all without seeing any enemy 26 The only contact around this time was on 30 August when King Thomas Baker and another pilot shot down two DFWs near Laventie 27 On 1 September King destroyed an observation balloon over Aubers Ridge 28 Three days later he shot down an LVG after attacking a train near Lille with Cobby 29 He was recommended for the Distinguished Flying Cross DFC on 8 September 30 The award promulgated in The London Gazette on 3 December cited his gallant and valuable service in bombing and attacking with machine gun fire enemy billets trains troops etc during which he ensure d success by descending to low altitudes disregarding personal danger 31 On 16 September following a lull in aerial combat in the region King destroyed a Fokker biplane over Lille 32 Around this time he was promoted to captain and flight commander 10 He took over A Flight from Cobby who had been posted to England 33 34 By the end of September King s tally was eighteen He registered his final victory in a Camel on 2 October when he used bombs to send down his fourth balloon 4 10 Sopwith Snipe of No 4 Squadron c 1918 King achieved seven victories in the Snipe making him the most successful pilot of the type During October 1918 King converted with the rest of No 4 Squadron to the upgraded Sopwith Snipe whose larger cockpit was a better fit for him 1 20 He scored with the Snipe on both 28 and 29 October the latter over Tournai in what is frequently described as one of the greatest air battles of the war 35 36 37 At Tournai amid a confrontation involving over seventy five Allied and German fighters King evaded five enemy Fokkers that dived on him before destroying an LVG in a head on attack 37 The next day he downed three Fokker D VIIs two without firing a shot As he zoomed up from shooting one out of control he cut off another This second Fokker pulled up to avoid collision and toppled onto a third Fokker 37 38 One of the war s last air battles took place near Leuze on 4 November King s destruction of two D VIIs in the space of five minutes the latter in flames capped his combat career 10 39 His tally of seven victories with the Snipe in the closing days of the war made him the highest scoring pilot in this type 10 40 King s final wartime score of twenty six included six aircraft driven down out of control thirteen aircraft and four balloons destroyed and three other aircraft destroyed in victories shared with other airmen 10 41 This made him second only to Harry Cobby as the most successful ace in the AFC as well as the fourth most successful of all the Australian aces in the war his top scoring compatriots Robert Little and Roderic Stan Dallas flew with the British Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force 10 42 King was recommended for a bar to his DFC which was upgraded to the Distinguished Service Order and awarded on 3 June 1919 The recommendation noted his victories in the air and described him as having proved himself a very brilliant patrol leader and as a magnificent example at all times to all pilots in the Squadron by his keenness on the ground and gallantry in the air which was of the highest possible order 43 44 He was also belatedly mentioned in despatches in July 1919 for his wartime service 1 4 Interbellum and World War II Edit King second right Captain George Jones far right and other officers of No 4 Squadron AFC with a German Junkers J I in Germany December 1918Following the end of hostilities No 4 Squadron joined the British Army of Occupation at Bickendorf near Cologne Germany in December 1918 The unit returned to England in March 1919 and King sailed with it back to Australia aboard RMS Kaisar i Hind on 6 May 2 20 He left the AFC on 11 August 1919 in Melbourne before gaining employment as an air courier for Larkin Sopwith Aviation Co of Australasia Ltd which had been co founded by fighter ace Herbert Larkin 1 45 While working for Larkin Sopwith King refused an appointment in the newly established Australian Air Corps AAC forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force RAAF because it had not then offered a commission to Frank McNamara VC 1 46 In a letter to the AAC selection committee on 30 January 1920 King wrote I feel I must forfeit my place in favor sic of this very good and gallant officer McNamara received a commission in the AAC that April 46 King s career with Larkin Sopwith involved many pioneering flights 1 In 1920 alone flying a Sopwith Gnu he was credited with making the first aerial deliveries of mail and newspapers to several cities in eastern Australia 47 48 49 and with making the first aircraft landing at several townships in southern Queensland 50 He also competed in air races 51 52 By April 1922 working with Larkin Sopwith s successor Larkin Aircraft Supply Co Ltd King was reported as having safely flown 2 000 passengers and 48 000 miles 77 000 km throughout Victoria New South Wales and Queensland 53 54 He soon left the aviation business to go into partnership with another pilot T T Shipman founding Shipman King and Co Pty Ltd 1 55 Importing and building machinery the company was successful and allowed King to take up the restoration and racing of motor vehicles He married Josephine Livingston twenty at St John s Anglican Church Camberwell on 31 March 1925 The couple had a son and a daughter 1 In December 1939 soon after the outbreak of World War II King joined the RAAF as a squadron leader Initially considered for general flying duties he was assigned training commands commencing in the new year 1 On 2 January 1940 he became the inaugural commanding officer of No 3 Elementary Flying Training School No 3 EFTS in Essendon Victoria Part of Australia s contribution to the Empire Air Training Scheme No 3 EFTS initially comprised a significant civilian presence many of the aircraft and staff under King s control being from private airline companies and the Royal Victorian Aero Club by July all private machines had been pressed into RAAF service and the civilian element largely disappeared 56 King assumed command of No 5 Elementary Flying Training School at Narromine New South Wales on 21 December 57 Promoted to wing commander he took over No 1 Service Flying Training School at RAAF Point Cook Victoria from Group Captain John McCauley on 7 July 1941 58 In October King was promoted to acting group captain and posted to command the newly established Station Headquarters Point Cook 1 Death and legacy EditKing died unexpectedly of cerebral oedema on 28 November 1941 aged 47 1 55 Survived by his wife and children he was cremated at Fawkner Crematorium Melbourne 1 59 His funeral service at South Yarra was attended by hundreds of mourners from the military and civil aviation world including the Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett and a representative of the Minister for Air the pallbearers included Air Vice Marshal Henry Wrigley Air Commodore Raymond Brownell Group Captain Allan Walters and Wing Commander Henry Winneke 60 Elwyn Roy King s name appears on panel 97 in the Commemorative Area of the Australian War Memorial Canberra 61 His youngest brother Francis who served as a flying officer with No 30 Squadron in New Guinea died in an aircraft crash on 31 May 1943 62 63 Notes Edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Fraser Alan King Elwyn Roy 1894 1941 Retrieved 2 January 2014 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help a b c Roy King The AIF Project Archived from the original on 27 February 2012 Retrieved 2 January 2014 Australian Imperial Force Nominal Roll Australian War Memorial Archived from the original on 4 January 2014 Retrieved 4 January 2014 a b c d e f g h Garrisson Australian Fighter Aces p 93 a b 12th Light Horse Regiment Australian War Memorial Retrieved 2 January 2014 Stephens The Royal Australian Air Force p 9 a b Flying Corps return The Sunday Times Sydney National Library of Australia 15 June 1919 p 1 Retrieved 4 January 2014 Molkentin Fire in the Sky p 236 Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps pp 234 239 Archived 2014 01 08 at the Wayback Machine a b c d e f g h Newton Australian Air Aces p 43 Fraser Alan McCloughry Wilfred Ashton 1894 1943 Retrieved 2 January 2014 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Molkentin Fire in the Sky p 283 Molkentin Fire in the Sky pp 267 281 Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps pp 281 282 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps pp 284 288 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps pp 289 290 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps p 298 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps p 303 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps p 338 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine a b c 4 Squadron AFC Australian War Memorial Retrieved 26 December 2009 Molkentin Fire in the Sky pp 284 285 Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps pp 340 341 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps p 313 Archived 2014 01 06 at the Wayback Machine Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps pp 346 349 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Molkentin Fire in the Sky p 298 Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps p 350 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps p 351 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps p 353 Archived 2014 01 08 at the Wayback Machine Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps p 356 Archived 2014 01 08 at the Wayback Machine Recommendation Distinguished Flying Cross PDF Australian War Memorial Archived from the original PDF on 7 January 2014 Retrieved 2 January 2014 No 31046 The London Gazette Supplement 3 December 1918 p 14323 Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps p 359 Archived 2014 01 08 at the Wayback Machine Molkentin Fire in the Sky p 321 Richards Australian Airmen p 76 Stephens The Royal Australian Air Force p 21 Odgers Air Force Australia pp 42 43 a b c Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps pp 376 379 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Molkentin Fire in the Sky pp 321 322 Cutlack The Australian Flying Corps p 381 Archived 2014 01 04 at the Wayback Machine Shores British and Empire Aces p 76 Shores et al Above the Trenches p 224 Wilson The Brotherhood of Airmen pp 30 31 No 31378 The London Gazette Supplement 3 June 1919 p 7030 Recommendation Bar to Distinguished Flying Cross PDF Australian War Memorial Archived from the original PDF on 10 October 2012 Retrieved 2 January 2014 Smith Ann G Larkin Herbert Joseph 1894 1972 Retrieved 4 January 2014 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help a b Coulthard Clark The Third Brother p 20 Aeroplanes visit Sale Gippsland Times Gippsland Victoria National Library of Australia 11 March 1920 p 3 Retrieved 28 February 2014 Couriers by air The Brisbane Courier Brisbane National Library of Australia 10 July 1920 p 5 Retrieved 28 February 2014 Aerial mail in the Riverina Maffra Spectator Maffra Victoria National Library of Australia 20 December 1920 p 3 Retrieved 2 March 2014 Aviation Forbes Advocate Forbes New South Wales National Library of Australia 29 October 1920 p 5 Retrieved 28 February 2014 Flying The Barrier Miner Broken Hill New South Wales National Library of Australia 3 January 1920 p 2 Retrieved 8 January 2014 Victorian aerial derby The Register Adelaide National Library of Australia 28 December 1920 p 5 Retrieved 28 February 2014 Air travel The Chronicle Adelaide National Library of Australia 29 April 1922 p 38 Retrieved 8 January 2014 Aviator s action The Register Adelaide National Library of Australia 22 November 1923 p 12 Retrieved 8 January 2014 a b Death of Group Capt E R King The Argus Melbourne National Library of Australia 29 November 1941 p 3 Retrieved 4 January 2014 RAAF Historical Section Units of the Royal Australian Air Force pp 18 19 RAAF Historical Section Units of the Royal Australian Air Force pp 22 23 RAAF Historical Section Units of the Royal Australian Air Force pp 100 101 King Elwyn Roy Commonwealth War Graves Commission Retrieved 4 January 2014 Funeral of Group Capt King The Argus National Library of Australia 1 December 1941 p 5 Retrieved 4 January 2014 Roll of Honour Elwyn Roy King Australian War Memorial Retrieved 2 January 2014 Deaths on active service The Argus Melbourne National Library of Australia 12 June 1943 p 2 Retrieved 12 January 2014 Roll of Honour Francis Cairo King Australian War Memorial Retrieved 12 January 2014 References EditCoulthard Clark Chris 1991 The Third Brother The Royal Australian Air Force 1921 39 North Sydney Allen amp Unwin ISBN 0 04 442307 1 Archived from the original on 16 December 2013 Cutlack F M 1941 1923 The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914 1918 11th edition Volume VIII The Australian Flying Corps in the Western and Eastern Theatres of War 1914 1918 Sydney Angus amp Robertson OCLC 220900299 Garrisson A D 1999 Australian Fighter Aces 1914 1953 Fairbairn Australian Capital Territory Air Power Studies Centre ISBN 0 642 26540 2 Archived from the original on 24 November 2016 Molkentin Michael 2010 Fire in the Sky The Australian Flying Corps in the First World War Crows Nest New South Wales Allen amp Unwin ISBN 978 1 74237 072 9 Newton Dennis 1996 Australian Air Aces Fyshwyck Australian Capital Territory Aerospace Publications ISBN 1 875671 25 0 Odgers George 1996 1984 Air Force Australia Frenchs Forest New South Wales National ISBN 1 86436 081 X RAAF Historical Section 1995 Units of the Royal Australian Air Force A Concise History Volume 8 Training Units Canberra Australian Government Publishing Service ISBN 0 644 42800 7 Richards E J ed 1918 Australian Airmen History of the 4th Squadron Australian Flying Corps Melbourne Bruce amp Co OCLC 3945672 Shores Christopher 2001 British and Empire Aces of World War 1 Oxford Osprey ISBN 1 84176 377 2 Shores Christopher Franks Norman Guest Russell 1990 Above the Trenches A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915 1920 London Grub Street ISBN 0 948817 19 4 Stephens Alan 2006 2001 The Royal Australian Air Force A History London Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 555541 4 Wilson David 2005 The Brotherhood of Airmen Crows Nest New South Wales Allen amp Unwin ISBN 1 74114 333 0 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elwyn Roy King amp oldid 1169107458, 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