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William Bostock

Air Vice Marshal William Dowling Bostock, CB, DSO, OBE (5 February 1892 – 28 April 1968) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). During World War II he led RAAF Command, the Air Force's main operational formation, with responsibility for the defence of Australia and air offensives against Japanese targets in the South West Pacific Area. His achievements in the role earned him the Distinguished Service Order and the American Medal of Freedom. General Douglas MacArthur described him as "one of the world's most successful airmen".

William Bostock
Air Vice Marshal Bill Bostock, 1945
Born5 February 1892
Sydney, New South Wales
Died28 April 1968(1968-04-28) (aged 76)
Benalla, Victoria
AllegianceAustralia
Service/branchRoyal Australian Air Force
Years of service1914–1946
RankAir Vice Marshal
UnitNo. 48 Squadron RFC (1917–1918)
Commands held
Battles/warsWorld War I

World War II

Awards
Other workMember for Indi (1949–1958)

A veteran of World War I, Bostock first saw combat as a soldier in the Australian Imperial Force at Gallipoli, then as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps on the Western Front, where he earned the Belgian Croix de guerre. He joined the newly formed RAAF in 1921 and by 1941 had risen to become its third most senior officer, serving as Director of Training from 1930 to 1931, commanding officer of No. 3 Squadron from 1931 to 1936, and Director of Operations and Intelligence from 1938 to 1939.

The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff at the outbreak of World War II, Bostock was considered a leading candidate for the position of Chief of the Air Staff in 1942 but was passed over in favour of Air Commodore George Jones, a friend of twenty years. Appointed Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command soon after, Bostock became involved in a bitter and long-running dispute with Jones over control of the Air Force in the South West Pacific. Following his retirement from the RAAF in 1946, he became a journalist and later a Federal Member of Parliament.

Early life and World War I edit

Bostock was born in Surry Hills, an inner-city suburb of Sydney, to an English father, also named William, and a Spanish mother, Mary. He was educated at The School, Mount Victoria, in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, where he completed his junior certificate.[1][2] The family later moved to Burwood, in Sydney's Inner West. After leaving school Bostock was employed as an apprentice with the Marconi Company for two-and-a-half years,[3] and spent time at sea as a wireless operator.[1]

In November 1914, Bostock joined the 2nd Signal Troop of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) as a sapper.[1][4] He landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, serving there until August, when he was evacuated suffering from dysentery.[1] He returned to active duty in January 1916, and was promoted to lance corporal the following month.[5] Raised to sergeant, Bostock was posted to Egypt with the ANZAC Mounted Division in April 1916, and saw action against Turkish forces in the Sinai Peninsula.[6]

Bostock transferred from the AIF to the Royal Flying Corps Special Reserve on 18 February 1917, and was commissioned as a probationary second lieutenant. He was posted to No. 48 Squadron in August, following pilot training in Egypt and England.[1][5] Bostock fought on the Western Front and was awarded the Belgian Croix de guerre.[6][7] He was invalided back to Britain in March 1918, after which he transferred to the newly created Royal Air Force (RAF).[1]

Inter-war years edit

 
Wapitis of No. 3 Squadron, commanded by Bostock, in the Richmond area, October 1932

Bostock married his Australian fiancée, Gwendolen Norton, in Southampton on 6 March 1919. The couple had two daughters, one of whom, Gwendolen Joan, would serve as a cipher officer in the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) during World War II.[8] Bostock retired from the RAF and returned to civilian life in Australia that October.[1] In September 1921, he joined the recently formed Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and was commissioned a flying officer.[9] He became a friend and mentor to Flying Officer (later Air Marshal Sir) George Jones, another World War I veteran, who had flown with the Australian Flying Corps and had joined the Air Force in March.[10][11] By mid-1922 Bostock had been promoted to flight lieutenant.[12]

Having served at No. 1 Flying Training School (No. 1 FTS), Point Cook, since entering the RAAF, Bostock was posted to Britain in 1926 to attend RAF Staff College, Andover.[6][13] While there he was admonished by the college's commandant, via letter, due to the particular school he had chosen for his daughter and because he did his own gardening; Bostock was said to have returned the letter marked "noted and ignored".[2] On his return to Australia as a squadron leader in 1928, he took charge of No. 1 FTS, and became Director of Training at RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne, in December 1929.[1][13] From 1931 to 1936 Bostock was commanding officer (CO) of No. 3 Squadron, flying Westland Wapitis and, later, Hawker Demons. At the time, his position as No. 3 Squadron commander doubled as CO of the unit's base, RAAF Station Richmond, New South Wales.[14] A wing commander from 1934,[1] he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the King's Birthday Honours on 31 May 1935.[15] Following a two-year posting in Britain on the staff of No. 1 Bomber Group,[1][16] Bostock was promoted to group captain on 1 September 1938 and made Director of Operations and Intelligence. Within a year he had become Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.[1]

World War II edit

Deputy Chief of the Air Staff edit

 
Air Vice Marshal Bostock (right) as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett, in May 1942

The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff position that Bostock occupied at the outbreak of World War II was a new one that initially augmented, and later supplanted, an existing Assistant Chief of the Air Staff role. Unlike the Assistant Chief, the Deputy had the authority to act in place of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) if required. This increased status saw Bostock given a place on Australia's Joint Planning Committee.[17] He was the RAAF's delegate to a defence conference in Singapore in October 1940; the Australian contingent found the local forces ill-prepared for an attack by the Japanese and recommended significant increases in air capability, both in Australia and the Pacific Islands, to meet the threat.[18] Bostock rose rapidly in rank during this period, becoming acting air commodore on 1 June 1940 and substantive air vice marshal on 1 October 1941.[2][19] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1942 New Year Honours.[20]

Third in seniority in the RAAF after Air Marshal Richard Williams and Air Vice Marshal Stanley Goble,[10] and considered, in the words of historian Chris Coulthard-Clark, to be "among the Air Force's best brains" at the time,[21] Bostock was a prime candidate for the position of CAS in May 1942.[10][22] He was also first choice of the incumbent CAS, Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett, whose two-year term was coming to an end.[10] Bostock's closeness to Burnett, who had made no secret of his contempt for John Curtin's Federal Labor government, damaged his chances for selection and his friend, George Jones, then only a substantive wing commander and acting air commodore, took the position.[10][23] Although he had expected to be made CAS, Bostock warmly congratulated Jones, possibly expecting that his (Bostock's) new role as chief of staff to the Commander of Allied Air Forces, Lieutenant General George Brett, with responsibility for air operations in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA), would prove the more important appointment in a time of war.[23]

Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command edit

In August 1942, General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander SWPA, replaced Lieutenant General Brett with Major General (later General) George Kenney. Kenney created two new formations subordinate to Allied Air Forces Headquarters: the US Fifth Air Force and RAAF Command. Bostock was chosen to be Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command,[10] with twenty-four Australian squadrons at his disposal plus one each from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.[24] The only Australian air combat units in the SWPA not under Bostock's command were those based in New Guinea as No. 9 Operational Group RAAF (No. 9 OG), controlled by Fifth Air Force.[24][25] RAAF Command was charged with defending Australia, except in the north-east, protecting the sea lanes to New Guinea, and conducting operations against Japanese shipping, airfields and other installations in the Dutch East Indies.[1]

He looked gruff and tough ... but he impressed me as being honest and I believed that, if he would work with me at all, he would be loyal to me.

—George Kenney on Bill Bostock, 1942 [26]

By the end of 1943, No. 9 OG, originally the RAAF's mobile strike formation, had effectively become a static garrison force in New Guinea. Bostock proposed that it be renamed Northern Area Command to better reflect its current function. Kenney asked Bostock to raise a new RAAF mobile formation, which led to the establishment of No. 10 Operational Group (No. 10 OG) on 13 November 1943 at Nadzab, under the command of Group Captain Frederick Scherger.[27] In February 1944, RAAF Command took over many of the units of No. 9 OG, as well as responsibility for the Port Moresby and Milne Bay sectors. Bostock again recommended changing No. 9 OG's name to Northern Area, and also proposed changing No. 10 OG's name to Tactical Air Force, RAAF, in view of its increased strength from the infusion of new squadrons. No. 9 OG became Northern Command on 11 April.[28] On 14 September, Bostock had an audience with Prime Minister Curtin, wherein the latter outlined his preferences for the deployment of RAAF Command, particularly that it should be represented in forward Allied operations, and employed primarily in the support of Australian ground forces. Bostock concurred; Curtin meanwhile authorised changing No. 10 OG's name to First Tactical Air Force (No. 1 TAF), with effect from 25 October. RAAF Command's complement had now swelled to forty-one Australian squadrons.[29]

 
Bostock (right) with Australian I Corps commander Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead (centre) and Rear Admiral Forrest B. Royal of the US Navy (left), following a meeting at Morotai in April 1945

On 15 March 1945, Bostock established a forward headquarters on Morotai Island to directly control No. 1 TAF for the upcoming Oboe operations, the reoccupation of Borneo. Kenney gave him responsibility for all Allied air operations south of the Philippines, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) units which were based in the Solomon Islands to support the Bougainville Campaign were assigned to RAAF Command.[30][31] Bostock wrote to Kenney, "I am particularly anxious that the 1st Tactical Air Force should continue to be employed as a forward offensive formation rather than in a garrison role."[30] In April, Kenney's Allied Air Headquarters issued an order that Bostock would be named Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAAF Command, because he had several Air Officers Commanding (AOCs) reporting to him. Bostock duly passed on this change of nomenclature to his subordinate units but Air Force Headquarters in Melbourne vetoed the change in June.[32]

Bostock had control of the USAAF Fifth and Thirteenth Air Forces, as well as No. 1 TAF, during Operation Oboe One, the invasion of Tarakan, commencing 1 May 1945.[33] By this time RAAF Command comprised some 17,000 personnel.[32] On Operation Oboe Six, the invasion of LabuanBrunei in June, Bostock also had at his disposal aircraft based in Australia under Western and North-Western Area Commands.[34] For Operation Oboe Two, the invasion of Balikpapan in July, Bostock marshalled forty Allied squadrons. His aim, in concert with that of Kenney and I Corps commander Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, was to deliver the heaviest aerial bombardment possible against enemy targets, to enable Australian assault forces to land with minimal casualties. Together with a naval barrage, this resulted in what the official history of the RAAF in World War II described as a "scene of indescribable ruin" on the battlefield, and allowed seventeen waves of troops to disembark their landing craft without loss.[35] MacArthur called the Labuan air offensive "flawless",[1] and General Sir Thomas Blamey, Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Military Forces, congratulated Bostock on his "high order of control" and "ready and full cooperation" throughout the Borneo campaign.[31]

Rivalry with George Jones edit

From 1942, the structure of the RAAF was divided such that Bostock was in operational charge of the Air Force in the South West Pacific but relied on Air Vice Marshal Jones as CAS for supplies of manpower and equipment, while Jones was nominally in command of the entire RAAF but played no part in directing its major air operations against Japan.[36][37] The situation was, according to George Odgers, a source of "acute personal tension" between the two senior officers for the remainder of the war.[36] It was exacerbated by the fact that although the CAS was de jure head of the RAAF, Jones' rank of air vice marshal was no higher than Bostock's. Air Force historian Alan Stephens later commented: "The system of divided command... was not an ideal arrangement, but with men of goodwill it could have worked. Regrettably Bostock and Jones were not of that mind..."[38]

 
Bostock (centre) with newly appointed Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal George Jones (left), and former CAS, Air Chief Marshal Burnett, in 1942

Bostock's relationship to Kenney permitted him to ignore operational requests from Jones,[39] while Jones continued to assert administrative control over Bostock's command.[40] When Jones tried to remove Bostock from RAAF Command in April 1943 and replace him with Air Commodore Joe Hewitt, AOC of No. 9 Operational Group, Bostock appealed to Kenney, who advised Jones that he was opposed to any such change of command. Kenney threatened to escalate the matter to the Australian government, and some time later MacArthur told Curtin that Hewitt "was not an adequate replacement" for Bostock.[41] The matter was allowed to drop,[42] but the rivalry continued. In January 1945, an acrimonious series of cables was exchanged between the two air vice marshals. Jones complained to Bostock of the latter's "insubordinate tone" and "repeated attempts to usurp authority of this Headquarters". Bostock replied that as AOC RAAF Command he was "responsible to Commander, Allied Air Forces, and not, repeat not, subordinate to you", and that he would "continue to take the strongest exception to your unwarranted and uninformed interference".[43]

Their feud was blamed for contributing to the low morale that precipitated the so-called "Morotai Mutiny" of April 1945, when a group of senior pilots in the First Tactical Air Force submitted their resignations rather than continue to attack what they believed to be worthless targets.[44] Alerted to the issue by No. 1 TAF's commander, Air Commodore Harry Cobby, Bostock appealed to the pilots to withdraw their resignations. According to historian Kristen Alexander, his methods were construed as an attempt to "make the situation go away or to at least cover it up"; one of the "mutineers", Squadron Leader John Waddy, quoted Bostock as saying, "I will leave these applications on the table and if you pick them up, all records and all notes of any of this affair will be expunged from Air Force records and files and nothing will be heard about it".[44] When the pilots refused to drop the matter, Bostock signalled Jones, advising that he found morale on the island to be at a "dangerously low level" and recommending the CAS replace Cobby with Air Commodore Scherger.[45] Kenney concurred with Bostock, and Jones sacked Cobby.[46] A subsequent investigation vindicated the stand taken by the pilots; one of them, Wing Commander Kenneth Ranger, told the inquiry of Jones and Bostock: "I deplore the fighting and wrangling between them which is common knowledge throughout the Air Force. Every week there are instances of it."[44]

The Chief of the Air Staff ... who has no authority or responsibility for the conduct of operations, has no right – particularly no moral right – to dispute, on operational or tactical grounds, operational requirements demanded by the Air Office Commanding R.A.A.F. Command ...

—Bill Bostock, 1944 [47]

The conflict between the commanders reached its nadir during the invasion of Tarakan in May 1945, when Jones grounded RAAF bomber squadrons scheduled to take part in the attack due to their crews having exceeded their monthly quota of flying hours. Bostock was not consulted about the decision and fully expected to see Australian aircraft as he watched for the Allied formations from a US warship during the battle. He later said that he would have thankfully "fallen through a crack in the boards on the deck" when he saw only American aircraft flying overhead, and had to apologise to Kenney for the RAAF's absence.[38] Over all, the dual system of control and the tension between its two senior officers confused the RAAF's efforts in the field and reduced its influence on Allied strategy in the Pacific.[6]

Later life edit

 
Bostock (front row, left), General Sir Thomas Blamey (front row, centre) and Air Vice Marshal Jones (behind Blamey) with other Australian delegates to the Japanese surrender aboard USS Missouri, September 1945

Bostock and Jones represented the RAAF at the Japanese surrender aboard USS Missouri on 2 September 1945.[48] RAAF Command was disbanded the same day.[49] Bostock was one of several senior Air Force commanders summarily retired early in 1946, in his case six years before the compulsory retirement age of 60.[50] Among the reasons for Bostock's dismissal were, according to private government papers, an "inability to work in harmony with certain other high ranking RAAF officers",[51] and "lack of balance and appreciation of responsibility".[52] He appealed the decision, citing a letter from MacArthur that described him as "one of the world's most successful airmen ... superior in every respect", but was unsuccessful.[52] Newspapers raised questions about Bostock's departure, The Herald in Melbourne speculating on the part played by rivalries within the service.[51]

After his retirement from the military, Bostock went into journalism and become an aviation correspondent for The Herald. He wrote a series of articles criticising the Air Force's organisation and presenting his side of the story of RAAF Command, motivated partly by his belief that the official history of Australia in World War II would fail to adequately cover it. The articles caused considerable controversy and prompted the Minister for Air, Arthur Drakeford, to make a formal response in Federal Parliament, labelling Bostock's allegations "malicious and unjustified".[53]

 
Bostock as Member for Indi

Bostock was decorated twice in 1948 for his war service, in March with the Distinguished Service Order "in recognition of distinguished services whilst in command of air operations in the Borneo Campaign during the period March to September, 1945",[54] and in April with the American Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm.[20] He entered politics in 1949, standing as a Liberal Party candidate for the Federal Division of Indi in Victoria. Elected to the House of Representatives, he retained his seat until being defeated in the 1958 poll. Bostock served on a joint committee for foreign affairs and sometimes came into conflict with his own party on matters of defence policy. He continued to contribute to The Herald while in government.[1] During parliamentary debates in 1951 and again in 1957, Bostock spoke for "an integrated defence force with a single minister", advocating amalgamation of the four separate Departments of Defence, Air, Navy and Army into one Department of Defence, headed by the Minister for Defence. He further proposed that a single Commander-in-Chief lead the Army, Navy and Air Force; the Chief of the General Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff, and the Chief of the Air Staff would report directly to the new position.[55][56] In 1973 the single-service departments were abolished in favour of an all-encompassing Department of Defence, and by 1984 a Chief of the Defence Force position had evolved to directly command all three armed services through their respective chiefs.[57]

Bostock's wife Gwendolen died in 1947, and he married 33-year-old Nanette O'Keefe in Melbourne on 1 June 1951; they had three sons. He owned a property near Benalla, in rural Victoria, where he died in 1968. Survived by his second wife and his five children, Bostock was accorded an Air Force funeral and cremated.[1]

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Garrison, "Bostock, William Dowling (1892–1968)"
  2. ^ a b c Stephens and Isaacs, High Fliers, pp. 50–53
  3. ^ AIF personnel file, p. 1 at National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  4. ^ First World War Nominal Roll: William Dowling Bostock at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  5. ^ a b AIF personnel file, p. 4 at National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  6. ^ a b c d Dennis et al., The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History, pp. 116–117
  7. ^ "No. 30631". The London Gazette. 12 April 1918. p. 4523.
  8. ^ Thomson, The WAAAF in Wartime Australia, p. 337
  9. ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 34–35
  10. ^ a b c d e f Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 116–119
  11. ^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 16–19
  12. ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 47
  13. ^ a b Air Vice Marshals A-K 6 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine at Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  14. ^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 46, 123
  15. ^ "No. 34166". The London Gazette. 31 May 1935. p. 3604.
  16. ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 93
  17. ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 69–70 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 143–144 1 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, p. 44
  20. ^ a b Honours and Awards (Gazetted): William Dowling Bostock 6 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
  21. ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 446
  22. ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 475–477 22 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ a b Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 75–79
  24. ^ a b Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 4–6 27 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 585–588 Archived 5 June 2009 at WebCite
  26. ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 571–572 Archived 5 June 2009 at WebCite
  27. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 182–183
  28. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 198–200
  29. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 296–299
  30. ^ a b Odgers, Air War Against Japan, p. 435 18 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  31. ^ a b Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 169–170
  32. ^ a b Odgers, Air War Against Japan, p. 439 18 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, p. 452
  34. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 475–477
  35. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 482–484 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  36. ^ a b Odgers, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 42–43
  37. ^ Horner, "The Evolution of Australian Higher Command Arrangements", p. 13
  38. ^ a b Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 120–122
  39. ^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 132, 159
  40. ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force2, pp. 595–596 Archived 5 June 2009 at WebCite
  41. ^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 123–126
  42. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 16–18 27 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  43. ^ Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 436–437 18 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  44. ^ a b c Alexander, "Cleaning the augean stables"
  45. ^ Odgers, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 122–123
  46. ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 123–125
  47. ^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, p. 141
  48. ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p. 208
  49. ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p. 66
  50. ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 179
  51. ^ a b Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 237–240
  52. ^ a b Stephens, Going Solo, p. 23
  53. ^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 243–249
  54. ^ "No. 38238". The London Gazette. 12 May 1948. p. 1869.
  55. ^ Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Australian House of Representatives. 25 October 1951. pp. 1234–1237.
  56. ^ Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Australian House of Representatives. 14 November 1957. pp. 2241–2242.
  57. ^ Horner, "The Evolution of Australian Higher Command Arrangements", pp. 24–27

References edit

  • Alexander, Kristen (1 September 2004). ""Cleaning the augean stables". The Morotai Mutiny?". Sabretache. Military Historical Society of Australia.
  • Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1991). . North Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0-04-442307-1. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013.
  • Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin (1995). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-553227-9.
  • Garrisson, A.D. (1993). "Bostock, William Dowling (1892–1968)". Australian Dictionary of Biography: Volume 13. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. pp. 224–225.
  • Gillison, Douglas (1962). . Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 2000369. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011.
  • Helson, Peter (2006). Ten Years at the Top (Ph. D thesis). Sydney: University of New South Wales. OCLC 225531223.
  • Horner, David (2002). . Command Papers. Centre for Defence Leadership Studies, Australian Defence College. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014.
  • Odgers, George (1968) [1957]. . Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 11218821. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013.
  • Odgers, George (1984). The Royal Australian Air Force: An Illustrated History. Brookvale, New South Wales: Child & Henry. ISBN 0-86777-368-5.
  • Roylance, Derek (1991). Air Base Richmond. RAAF Base Richmond: Royal Australian Air Force. ISBN 0-646-05212-8.
  • Stephens, Alan (1995). Going Solo: The Royal Australian Air Force 1946–1971. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-42803-1.
  • Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-555541-4.
  • Stephens, Alan; Isaacs, Jeff (1996). High Fliers: Leaders of the Royal Australian Air Force. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-45682-5.
  • Thomson, Joyce (1991). The WAAAF in Wartime Australia. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84525-8.
Military offices
New title
Post established
Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
1939–1941
Vacant
Title next held by
John McCauley in 19421
New title
Command established
Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command
1942–1945
Command disestablished
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Indi
1949–1958
Succeeded by
Notes and references
1. Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, p. 479

william, bostock, vice, marshal, william, dowling, bostock, february, 1892, april, 1968, senior, commander, royal, australian, force, raaf, during, world, raaf, command, force, main, operational, formation, with, responsibility, defence, australia, offensives,. Air Vice Marshal William Dowling Bostock CB DSO OBE 5 February 1892 28 April 1968 was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force RAAF During World War II he led RAAF Command the Air Force s main operational formation with responsibility for the defence of Australia and air offensives against Japanese targets in the South West Pacific Area His achievements in the role earned him the Distinguished Service Order and the American Medal of Freedom General Douglas MacArthur described him as one of the world s most successful airmen William BostockAir Vice Marshal Bill Bostock 1945Born5 February 1892Sydney New South WalesDied28 April 1968 1968 04 28 aged 76 Benalla VictoriaAllegianceAustraliaService wbr branchRoyal Australian Air ForceYears of service1914 1946RankAir Vice MarshalUnitNo 48 Squadron RFC 1917 1918 Commands heldNo 3 Squadron 1931 1936 RAAF Command 1942 1945 Battles warsWorld War I Gallipoli Campaign Western FrontWorld War II Pacific War South West Pacific theatreAwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Croix de guerre Belgium Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm US Other workMember for Indi 1949 1958 A veteran of World War I Bostock first saw combat as a soldier in the Australian Imperial Force at Gallipoli then as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps on the Western Front where he earned the Belgian Croix de guerre He joined the newly formed RAAF in 1921 and by 1941 had risen to become its third most senior officer serving as Director of Training from 1930 to 1931 commanding officer of No 3 Squadron from 1931 to 1936 and Director of Operations and Intelligence from 1938 to 1939 The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff at the outbreak of World War II Bostock was considered a leading candidate for the position of Chief of the Air Staff in 1942 but was passed over in favour of Air Commodore George Jones a friend of twenty years Appointed Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command soon after Bostock became involved in a bitter and long running dispute with Jones over control of the Air Force in the South West Pacific Following his retirement from the RAAF in 1946 he became a journalist and later a Federal Member of Parliament Contents 1 Early life and World War I 2 Inter war years 3 World War II 3 1 Deputy Chief of the Air Staff 3 2 Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command 3 3 Rivalry with George Jones 4 Later life 5 Notes 6 ReferencesEarly life and World War I editBostock was born in Surry Hills an inner city suburb of Sydney to an English father also named William and a Spanish mother Mary He was educated at The School Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales where he completed his junior certificate 1 2 The family later moved to Burwood in Sydney s Inner West After leaving school Bostock was employed as an apprentice with the Marconi Company for two and a half years 3 and spent time at sea as a wireless operator 1 In November 1914 Bostock joined the 2nd Signal Troop of the Australian Imperial Force AIF as a sapper 1 4 He landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 serving there until August when he was evacuated suffering from dysentery 1 He returned to active duty in January 1916 and was promoted to lance corporal the following month 5 Raised to sergeant Bostock was posted to Egypt with the ANZAC Mounted Division in April 1916 and saw action against Turkish forces in the Sinai Peninsula 6 Bostock transferred from the AIF to the Royal Flying Corps Special Reserve on 18 February 1917 and was commissioned as a probationary second lieutenant He was posted to No 48 Squadron in August following pilot training in Egypt and England 1 5 Bostock fought on the Western Front and was awarded the Belgian Croix de guerre 6 7 He was invalided back to Britain in March 1918 after which he transferred to the newly created Royal Air Force RAF 1 Inter war years edit nbsp Wapitis of No 3 Squadron commanded by Bostock in the Richmond area October 1932Bostock married his Australian fiancee Gwendolen Norton in Southampton on 6 March 1919 The couple had two daughters one of whom Gwendolen Joan would serve as a cipher officer in the Women s Auxiliary Australian Air Force WAAAF during World War II 8 Bostock retired from the RAF and returned to civilian life in Australia that October 1 In September 1921 he joined the recently formed Royal Australian Air Force RAAF and was commissioned a flying officer 9 He became a friend and mentor to Flying Officer later Air Marshal Sir George Jones another World War I veteran who had flown with the Australian Flying Corps and had joined the Air Force in March 10 11 By mid 1922 Bostock had been promoted to flight lieutenant 12 Having served at No 1 Flying Training School No 1 FTS Point Cook since entering the RAAF Bostock was posted to Britain in 1926 to attend RAF Staff College Andover 6 13 While there he was admonished by the college s commandant via letter due to the particular school he had chosen for his daughter and because he did his own gardening Bostock was said to have returned the letter marked noted and ignored 2 On his return to Australia as a squadron leader in 1928 he took charge of No 1 FTS and became Director of Training at RAAF Headquarters Melbourne in December 1929 1 13 From 1931 to 1936 Bostock was commanding officer CO of No 3 Squadron flying Westland Wapitis and later Hawker Demons At the time his position as No 3 Squadron commander doubled as CO of the unit s base RAAF Station Richmond New South Wales 14 A wing commander from 1934 1 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the King s Birthday Honours on 31 May 1935 15 Following a two year posting in Britain on the staff of No 1 Bomber Group 1 16 Bostock was promoted to group captain on 1 September 1938 and made Director of Operations and Intelligence Within a year he had become Deputy Chief of the Air Staff 1 World War II editDeputy Chief of the Air Staff edit nbsp Air Vice Marshal Bostock right as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff with the Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett in May 1942The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff position that Bostock occupied at the outbreak of World War II was a new one that initially augmented and later supplanted an existing Assistant Chief of the Air Staff role Unlike the Assistant Chief the Deputy had the authority to act in place of the Chief of the Air Staff CAS if required This increased status saw Bostock given a place on Australia s Joint Planning Committee 17 He was the RAAF s delegate to a defence conference in Singapore in October 1940 the Australian contingent found the local forces ill prepared for an attack by the Japanese and recommended significant increases in air capability both in Australia and the Pacific Islands to meet the threat 18 Bostock rose rapidly in rank during this period becoming acting air commodore on 1 June 1940 and substantive air vice marshal on 1 October 1941 2 19 He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1942 New Year Honours 20 Third in seniority in the RAAF after Air Marshal Richard Williams and Air Vice Marshal Stanley Goble 10 and considered in the words of historian Chris Coulthard Clark to be among the Air Force s best brains at the time 21 Bostock was a prime candidate for the position of CAS in May 1942 10 22 He was also first choice of the incumbent CAS Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett whose two year term was coming to an end 10 Bostock s closeness to Burnett who had made no secret of his contempt for John Curtin s Federal Labor government damaged his chances for selection and his friend George Jones then only a substantive wing commander and acting air commodore took the position 10 23 Although he had expected to be made CAS Bostock warmly congratulated Jones possibly expecting that his Bostock s new role as chief of staff to the Commander of Allied Air Forces Lieutenant General George Brett with responsibility for air operations in the South West Pacific Area SWPA would prove the more important appointment in a time of war 23 Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command edit In August 1942 General Douglas MacArthur Supreme Commander SWPA replaced Lieutenant General Brett with Major General later General George Kenney Kenney created two new formations subordinate to Allied Air Forces Headquarters the US Fifth Air Force and RAAF Command Bostock was chosen to be Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command 10 with twenty four Australian squadrons at his disposal plus one each from the Netherlands the United Kingdom and the United States 24 The only Australian air combat units in the SWPA not under Bostock s command were those based in New Guinea as No 9 Operational Group RAAF No 9 OG controlled by Fifth Air Force 24 25 RAAF Command was charged with defending Australia except in the north east protecting the sea lanes to New Guinea and conducting operations against Japanese shipping airfields and other installations in the Dutch East Indies 1 He looked gruff and tough but he impressed me as being honest and I believed that if he would work with me at all he would be loyal to me George Kenney on Bill Bostock 1942 26 By the end of 1943 No 9 OG originally the RAAF s mobile strike formation had effectively become a static garrison force in New Guinea Bostock proposed that it be renamed Northern Area Command to better reflect its current function Kenney asked Bostock to raise a new RAAF mobile formation which led to the establishment of No 10 Operational Group No 10 OG on 13 November 1943 at Nadzab under the command of Group Captain Frederick Scherger 27 In February 1944 RAAF Command took over many of the units of No 9 OG as well as responsibility for the Port Moresby and Milne Bay sectors Bostock again recommended changing No 9 OG s name to Northern Area and also proposed changing No 10 OG s name to Tactical Air Force RAAF in view of its increased strength from the infusion of new squadrons No 9 OG became Northern Command on 11 April 28 On 14 September Bostock had an audience with Prime Minister Curtin wherein the latter outlined his preferences for the deployment of RAAF Command particularly that it should be represented in forward Allied operations and employed primarily in the support of Australian ground forces Bostock concurred Curtin meanwhile authorised changing No 10 OG s name to First Tactical Air Force No 1 TAF with effect from 25 October RAAF Command s complement had now swelled to forty one Australian squadrons 29 nbsp Bostock right with Australian I Corps commander Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead centre and Rear Admiral Forrest B Royal of the US Navy left following a meeting at Morotai in April 1945On 15 March 1945 Bostock established a forward headquarters on Morotai Island to directly control No 1 TAF for the upcoming Oboe operations the reoccupation of Borneo Kenney gave him responsibility for all Allied air operations south of the Philippines and the Royal New Zealand Air Force RNZAF units which were based in the Solomon Islands to support the Bougainville Campaign were assigned to RAAF Command 30 31 Bostock wrote to Kenney I am particularly anxious that the 1st Tactical Air Force should continue to be employed as a forward offensive formation rather than in a garrison role 30 In April Kenney s Allied Air Headquarters issued an order that Bostock would be named Air Officer Commanding in Chief RAAF Command because he had several Air Officers Commanding AOCs reporting to him Bostock duly passed on this change of nomenclature to his subordinate units but Air Force Headquarters in Melbourne vetoed the change in June 32 Bostock had control of the USAAF Fifth and Thirteenth Air Forces as well as No 1 TAF during Operation Oboe One the invasion of Tarakan commencing 1 May 1945 33 By this time RAAF Command comprised some 17 000 personnel 32 On Operation Oboe Six the invasion of Labuan Brunei in June Bostock also had at his disposal aircraft based in Australia under Western and North Western Area Commands 34 For Operation Oboe Two the invasion of Balikpapan in July Bostock marshalled forty Allied squadrons His aim in concert with that of Kenney and I Corps commander Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead was to deliver the heaviest aerial bombardment possible against enemy targets to enable Australian assault forces to land with minimal casualties Together with a naval barrage this resulted in what the official history of the RAAF in World War II described as a scene of indescribable ruin on the battlefield and allowed seventeen waves of troops to disembark their landing craft without loss 35 MacArthur called the Labuan air offensive flawless 1 and General Sir Thomas Blamey Commander in Chief of the Australian Military Forces congratulated Bostock on his high order of control and ready and full cooperation throughout the Borneo campaign 31 Rivalry with George Jones edit From 1942 the structure of the RAAF was divided such that Bostock was in operational charge of the Air Force in the South West Pacific but relied on Air Vice Marshal Jones as CAS for supplies of manpower and equipment while Jones was nominally in command of the entire RAAF but played no part in directing its major air operations against Japan 36 37 The situation was according to George Odgers a source of acute personal tension between the two senior officers for the remainder of the war 36 It was exacerbated by the fact that although the CAS was de jure head of the RAAF Jones rank of air vice marshal was no higher than Bostock s Air Force historian Alan Stephens later commented The system of divided command was not an ideal arrangement but with men of goodwill it could have worked Regrettably Bostock and Jones were not of that mind 38 nbsp Bostock centre with newly appointed Chief of the Air Staff Air Vice Marshal George Jones left and former CAS Air Chief Marshal Burnett in 1942Bostock s relationship to Kenney permitted him to ignore operational requests from Jones 39 while Jones continued to assert administrative control over Bostock s command 40 When Jones tried to remove Bostock from RAAF Command in April 1943 and replace him with Air Commodore Joe Hewitt AOC of No 9 Operational Group Bostock appealed to Kenney who advised Jones that he was opposed to any such change of command Kenney threatened to escalate the matter to the Australian government and some time later MacArthur told Curtin that Hewitt was not an adequate replacement for Bostock 41 The matter was allowed to drop 42 but the rivalry continued In January 1945 an acrimonious series of cables was exchanged between the two air vice marshals Jones complained to Bostock of the latter s insubordinate tone and repeated attempts to usurp authority of this Headquarters Bostock replied that as AOC RAAF Command he was responsible to Commander Allied Air Forces and not repeat not subordinate to you and that he would continue to take the strongest exception to your unwarranted and uninformed interference 43 Their feud was blamed for contributing to the low morale that precipitated the so called Morotai Mutiny of April 1945 when a group of senior pilots in the First Tactical Air Force submitted their resignations rather than continue to attack what they believed to be worthless targets 44 Alerted to the issue by No 1 TAF s commander Air Commodore Harry Cobby Bostock appealed to the pilots to withdraw their resignations According to historian Kristen Alexander his methods were construed as an attempt to make the situation go away or to at least cover it up one of the mutineers Squadron Leader John Waddy quoted Bostock as saying I will leave these applications on the table and if you pick them up all records and all notes of any of this affair will be expunged from Air Force records and files and nothing will be heard about it 44 When the pilots refused to drop the matter Bostock signalled Jones advising that he found morale on the island to be at a dangerously low level and recommending the CAS replace Cobby with Air Commodore Scherger 45 Kenney concurred with Bostock and Jones sacked Cobby 46 A subsequent investigation vindicated the stand taken by the pilots one of them Wing Commander Kenneth Ranger told the inquiry of Jones and Bostock I deplore the fighting and wrangling between them which is common knowledge throughout the Air Force Every week there are instances of it 44 The Chief of the Air Staff who has no authority or responsibility for the conduct of operations has no right particularly no moral right to dispute on operational or tactical grounds operational requirements demanded by the Air Office Commanding R A A F Command Bill Bostock 1944 47 The conflict between the commanders reached its nadir during the invasion of Tarakan in May 1945 when Jones grounded RAAF bomber squadrons scheduled to take part in the attack due to their crews having exceeded their monthly quota of flying hours Bostock was not consulted about the decision and fully expected to see Australian aircraft as he watched for the Allied formations from a US warship during the battle He later said that he would have thankfully fallen through a crack in the boards on the deck when he saw only American aircraft flying overhead and had to apologise to Kenney for the RAAF s absence 38 Over all the dual system of control and the tension between its two senior officers confused the RAAF s efforts in the field and reduced its influence on Allied strategy in the Pacific 6 Later life edit nbsp Bostock front row left General Sir Thomas Blamey front row centre and Air Vice Marshal Jones behind Blamey with other Australian delegates to the Japanese surrender aboard USS Missouri September 1945Bostock and Jones represented the RAAF at the Japanese surrender aboard USS Missouri on 2 September 1945 48 RAAF Command was disbanded the same day 49 Bostock was one of several senior Air Force commanders summarily retired early in 1946 in his case six years before the compulsory retirement age of 60 50 Among the reasons for Bostock s dismissal were according to private government papers an inability to work in harmony with certain other high ranking RAAF officers 51 and lack of balance and appreciation of responsibility 52 He appealed the decision citing a letter from MacArthur that described him as one of the world s most successful airmen superior in every respect but was unsuccessful 52 Newspapers raised questions about Bostock s departure The Herald in Melbourne speculating on the part played by rivalries within the service 51 After his retirement from the military Bostock went into journalism and become an aviation correspondent for The Herald He wrote a series of articles criticising the Air Force s organisation and presenting his side of the story of RAAF Command motivated partly by his belief that the official history of Australia in World War II would fail to adequately cover it The articles caused considerable controversy and prompted the Minister for Air Arthur Drakeford to make a formal response in Federal Parliament labelling Bostock s allegations malicious and unjustified 53 nbsp Bostock as Member for IndiBostock was decorated twice in 1948 for his war service in March with the Distinguished Service Order in recognition of distinguished services whilst in command of air operations in the Borneo Campaign during the period March to September 1945 54 and in April with the American Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm 20 He entered politics in 1949 standing as a Liberal Party candidate for the Federal Division of Indi in Victoria Elected to the House of Representatives he retained his seat until being defeated in the 1958 poll Bostock served on a joint committee for foreign affairs and sometimes came into conflict with his own party on matters of defence policy He continued to contribute to The Herald while in government 1 During parliamentary debates in 1951 and again in 1957 Bostock spoke for an integrated defence force with a single minister advocating amalgamation of the four separate Departments of Defence Air Navy and Army into one Department of Defence headed by the Minister for Defence He further proposed that a single Commander in Chief lead the Army Navy and Air Force the Chief of the General Staff the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff would report directly to the new position 55 56 In 1973 the single service departments were abolished in favour of an all encompassing Department of Defence and by 1984 a Chief of the Defence Force position had evolved to directly command all three armed services through their respective chiefs 57 Bostock s wife Gwendolen died in 1947 and he married 33 year old Nanette O Keefe in Melbourne on 1 June 1951 they had three sons He owned a property near Benalla in rural Victoria where he died in 1968 Survived by his second wife and his five children Bostock was accorded an Air Force funeral and cremated 1 Notes edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Garrison Bostock William Dowling 1892 1968 a b c Stephens and Isaacs High Fliers pp 50 53 AIF personnel file p 1 at National Archives of Australia Retrieved 2 September 2023 First World War Nominal Roll William Dowling Bostock at Australian War Memorial Retrieved 4 February 2019 a b AIF personnel file p 4 at National Archives of Australia Retrieved 4 February 2008 a b c d Dennis et al The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History pp 116 117 No 30631 The London Gazette 12 April 1918 p 4523 Thomson The WAAAF in Wartime Australia p 337 Coulthard Clark The Third Brother pp 34 35 a b c d e f Stephens The Royal Australian Air Force pp 116 119 Helson Ten Years at the Top pp 16 19 Coulthard Clark The Third Brother p 47 a b Air Vice Marshals A K Archived 6 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine at Royal Australian Air Force Retrieved 31 January 2011 Roylance Air Base Richmond pp 46 123 No 34166 The London Gazette 31 May 1935 p 3604 Coulthard Clark The Third Brother p 93 Gillison Royal Australian Air Force pp 69 70 Archived 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Gillison Royal Australian Air Force pp 143 144 Archived 1 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Helson Ten Years at the Top p 44 a b Honours and Awards Gazetted William Dowling Bostock Archived 6 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine at Australian War Memorial Retrieved 14 October 2008 Coulthard Clark The Third Brother p 446 Gillison Royal Australian Air Force pp 475 477 Archived 22 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine a b Helson Ten Years at the Top pp 75 79 a b Odgers Air War Against Japan pp 4 6 Archived 27 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Gillison Royal Australian Air Force pp 585 588 Archived 5 June 2009 at WebCite Gillison Royal Australian Air Force pp 571 572 Archived 5 June 2009 at WebCite Odgers Air War Against Japan pp 182 183 Odgers Air War Against Japan pp 198 200 Odgers Air War Against Japan pp 296 299 a b Odgers Air War Against Japan p 435 Archived 18 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine a b Stephens The Royal Australian Air Force pp 169 170 a b Odgers Air War Against Japan p 439 Archived 18 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Odgers Air War Against Japan p 452 Odgers Air War Against Japan pp 475 477 Odgers Air War Against Japan pp 482 484 Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine a b Odgers The Royal Australian Air Force pp 42 43 Horner The Evolution of Australian Higher Command Arrangements p 13 a b Stephens The Royal Australian Air Force pp 120 122 Helson Ten Years at the Top pp 132 159 Gillison Royal Australian Air Force2 pp 595 596 Archived 5 June 2009 at WebCite Helson Ten Years at the Top pp 123 126 Odgers Air War Against Japan pp 16 18 Archived 27 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Odgers Air War Against Japan pp 436 437 Archived 18 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine a b c Alexander Cleaning the augean stables Odgers The Royal Australian Air Force pp 122 123 Stephens The Royal Australian Air Force pp 123 125 Helson Ten Years at the Top p 141 Stephens Going Solo p 208 Stephens Going Solo p 66 Stephens The Royal Australian Air Force p 179 a b Helson Ten Years at the Top pp 237 240 a b Stephens Going Solo p 23 Helson Ten Years at the Top pp 243 249 No 38238 The London Gazette 12 May 1948 p 1869 Parliamentary Debates Hansard Australian House of Representatives 25 October 1951 pp 1234 1237 Parliamentary Debates Hansard Australian House of Representatives 14 November 1957 pp 2241 2242 Horner The Evolution of Australian Higher Command Arrangements pp 24 27References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Bostock Alexander Kristen 1 September 2004 Cleaning the augean stables The Morotai Mutiny Sabretache Military Historical Society of Australia Coulthard 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 Dennis Peter Grey Jeffrey Morris Ewan Prior Robin 1995 The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History South Melbourne Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 553227 9 Garrisson A D 1993 Bostock William Dowling 1892 1968 Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 13 Melbourne Melbourne University Press pp 224 225 Gillison Douglas 1962 Australia in the War of 1939 1945 Series Three Air Volume I Royal Australian Air Force 1939 1942 Canberra Australian War Memorial OCLC 2000369 Archived from the original on 7 June 2011 Helson Peter 2006 Ten Years at the Top Ph D thesis Sydney University of New South Wales OCLC 225531223 Horner David 2002 The Evolution of Australian Higher Command Arrangements Command Papers Centre for Defence Leadership Studies Australian Defence College Archived from the original on 9 November 2014 Odgers George 1968 1957 Australia in the War of 1939 1945 Series Three Air Volume II Air War Against Japan 1943 1945 Canberra Australian War Memorial OCLC 11218821 Archived from the original on 14 October 2013 Odgers George 1984 The Royal Australian Air Force An Illustrated History Brookvale New South Wales Child amp Henry ISBN 0 86777 368 5 Roylance Derek 1991 Air Base Richmond RAAF Base Richmond Royal Australian Air Force ISBN 0 646 05212 8 Stephens Alan 1995 Going Solo The Royal Australian Air Force 1946 1971 Canberra Australian Government Publishing Service ISBN 0 644 42803 1 Stephens Alan 2006 2001 The Royal Australian Air Force A History London Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 555541 4 Stephens Alan Isaacs Jeff 1996 High Fliers Leaders of the Royal Australian Air Force Canberra Australian Government Publishing Service ISBN 0 644 45682 5 Thomson Joyce 1991 The WAAAF in Wartime Australia Melbourne Melbourne University Press ISBN 0 522 84525 8 Military officesNew titlePost established Deputy Chief of the Air Staff1939 1941 VacantTitle next held byJohn McCauley in 19421New titleCommand established Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command1942 1945 Command disestablishedParliament of AustraliaPreceded byJohn McEwen Member for Indi1949 1958 Succeeded byMac HoltenNotes and references1 Gillison Royal Australian Air Force p 479 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Bostock amp oldid 1173449331, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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