Air Commodore Arthur William Murphy,
DFC,
AFC,
FRAeS
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...
(17 November 1891 – 21 April 1963) was a senior engineer and aviator in the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
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(RAAF). He accompanied
Henry Wrigley
Air Vice Marshal Henry Neilson Wrigley, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom), DFC, Air Force Cross (United Kingdom), AFC (21 April 1892 – 14 September 1987) was a senior commander in the ...
on the first trans-Australia flight from
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
to
Darwin in 1919, a feat that earned both men the
Air Force Cross. Murphy later played a leading role in military aircraft maintenance and production.
A veteran of World War I, Murphy served first as a mechanic and then as a pilot with the
Australian Flying Corps
The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC was established in 1912, though it was not until ...
. Based in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, he flew with
No. 1 Squadron and was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross. Murphy was the first airman on the RAAF's strength when it formed in 1921, and rose to the rank of temporary air commodore during World War II, commanding
No. 1 Aircraft Depot and, later,
No. 4 Maintenance Group. He was also the RAAF's first Inspector of Air Accidents. A fellow of the
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...
, Murphy retired from the military in 1946, and died in 1963 aged seventy-one.
Early life and World War I
![P01184Murphy1918](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/P01184Murphy1918.jpg)
Murphy was born 17 November 1891 in
Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
, a suburb of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, to
joiner
A joiner is an artisan and tradesperson who builds things by joining pieces of wood, particularly lighter and more ornamental work than that done by a carpenter, including furniture and the "fittings" of a house, ship, etc. Joiners may work in ...
and engineer Charles Hubert Murphy and his wife Mary. Educated at
Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1905, the school caters for boys from Year 9 t ...
and
Footscray Technical School, he spent five years with
Austral Otis
Austral Otis was a Melbourne engineering works established in 1887 on site of former Langlands foundry in Grant Street, South Melbourne. It was one of the largest manufacturers of elevators in Australia and continued as the Otis Elevator Company.
...
Engineering as an
apprentice
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
. Having been employed at various engineering firms, Murphy joined the
Australian Army's Aviation Instructional Staff at
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at R ...
Point Cook
Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Point Cook recorded a population of 66,781 at the 2021 census.
Point Cook ...
in 1914 to train as an air mechanic.
[Fraser, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', p.633] By February 1916, he had risen to the rank of
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
and volunteered for the
Australian Imperial Force to serve overseas.
[Arthur William Murphy](_blank)
a
. Retrieved on 24 March 2009. Transferring to the
Australian Flying Corps
The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC was established in 1912, though it was not until ...
, Murphy was allocated to
No. 1 Squadron—also known until 1918 as No. 67 Squadron,
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
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, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
(RFC)—as a
warrant officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...
.
[Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', pp.9–10] He departed Melbourne aboard HMAT A67 ''Orsova'' on 16 March, bound for Egypt.
Based in the
Sinai Desert
Sinai commonly refers to:
* Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
* Mount Sinai, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
* Biblical Mount Sinai, the site in the Bible where Moses received the Law of God
Sinai may also refer to:
* Sinai, South Dakota, a place ...
and Palestine, Murphy was initially responsible for No. 1 Squadron aircraft maintenance; his achievements saw him
mentioned in despatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...
in 1917.
[Honours and Awards: Arthur William Murphy](_blank)
at Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...
. Retrieved on 24 March 2009. He then trained as a pilot with the RFC in Egypt, where he obtained a temporary
commission as a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
on 24 October. He flew with the RFC before returning to No. 1 Squadron in Palestine.
[Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', pp.32–33] During 1918, Murphy saw combat over Jordan, operating
Bristol Fighters.
[Cutlack]
''The Australian Flying Corps'', pp.117–118
/ref> On 12 August, he and his observer were selected to join Colonel T. E. Lawrence
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...
and his irregular Arab army in the Hejaz
The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...
near Daraa
Daraa ( ar, دَرْعَا, Darʿā, Levantine Arabic: , also Darʿā, Dara’a, Deraa, Dera'a, Dera, Derʿā and Edrei; means "''fortress''", compare Dura-Europos) is a city in southwestern Syria, located about north of the border with Jordan ...
, providing air cover and reconnaissance. Credited with bringing down two enemy aircraft while supporting Lawrence's troops, Murphy was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his "keenness, reliability and boldness".
Between the wars
Murphy's temporary commission was terminated after the war and he reverted to the rank of sergeant to remain in the Army, returning to Australia on 5 March 1919. Later that year he took part in the first transcontinental flight across Australia, from Melbourne to Darwin, Northern Territory, accompanying pilot and former schoolmate, Captain Henry Wrigley
Air Vice Marshal Henry Neilson Wrigley, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom), DFC, Air Force Cross (United Kingdom), AFC (21 April 1892 – 14 September 1987) was a senior commander in the ...
. The pair departed Point Cook on 16 November and arrived in Darwin on 12 December, having travelled in forty-seven flying hours. They flew in a single-engined Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2
The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...
with no radio, over unmapped and often hazardous terrain, and surveyed seventeen potential landing grounds along the journey.[Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', p.26][Wilson, ''The Brotherhood of Airmen'', p.32] Murphy and Wrigley were each awarded the Air Force Cross in recognition of their achievement. Such was the perceived danger of the expedition that while making preparations for the return flight they received a telegram from the Defence Department ordering them to desist, arrange for the B.E.2 to be dismantled and shipped back, and themselves to travel southwards by steamer.
Following disbandment of the wartime AFC, Murphy transferred to its successor, the Australian Air Corps
The Australian Air Corps (AAC) was a temporary formation of the Australian military that existed in the period between the disbandment of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) of World War I and the establishment of the Royal Australian Air F ...
, on 1 January 1920. On 31 March 1921, he joined the newly established Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(RAAF) as its first airman, literally "Airman No. 1" according to his papers. Nicknamed "Spud
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern United S ...
", and described as "immensely capable and popular", he was commissioned as a flying officer in September that year. Murphy married Alicia Shoebridge at Erskine Presbyterian Church in South Carlton, Melbourne, on 17 October 1922; the couple had two sons and a daughter. In July 1925, he was one of the founding pilots of the newly reformed No. 3 Squadron under Flight Lieutenant Frank Lukis
Air Commodore Francis William Fellowes (Frank) Lukis, CBE (27 July 1896 – 18 February 1966) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). A veteran of World War I, he first saw combat as a soldier in t ...
, when it became the first flying unit to be based at the recently opened RAAF Station Richmond, New South Wales. Promoted to flight lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...
, Murphy was posted to the RAAF Experimental Section under Wing Commander (later Sir) Lawrence Wackett
Sir Lawrence James Wackett (2 January 1896 – 18 March 1982) is widely regarded as "father of the Australian aircraft industry". He has been described as "one of the towering figures in the history of Australian aviation covering, as he did, ...
in November 1926. The following year he took part in a round-Australia survey flight under the command of the Chief of the Air Staff, Wing Commander (later Air Marshal Sir) Richard Williams.
Raised to squadron leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...
, Murphy was given temporary command of No. 1 Aircraft Depot at RAAF Station Laverton
RAAF Williams is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airfield, military air base set across two locations, at Point Cook, Victoria, Point Cook and Laverton, Victoria, Laverton, located approximately south-west of the Melbourne centr ...
, Victoria, in the opening months of 1933.[RAAF Historical Section, ''Units of the Royal Australian Air Force'', p.4] He subsequently took charge of the unit's workshops. Towards the end of 1935, he was responsible for specially modifying a Westland Wapiti
The Westland Wapiti was a British two-seat general-purpose military single-engined biplane of the 1920s. It was designed and built by Westland Aircraft Works to replace the Airco DH.9A in Royal Air Force service.
First flying in 1927, the Wa ...
and a de Havilland Gipsy Moth
The de Havilland DH.60 Moth is a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.
Development
The DH.60 was developed from the larger DH.51 biplane. ...
for Antarctic
The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...
conditions, to enable an Air Force team led by Flight Lieutenant (later Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...
) Eric Douglas and Flying Officer (later Air Marshal Sir) Alister Murdoch
Air Marshal Sir Alister Murray Murdoch, (9 December 1912 – 24 October 1984) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) from 1965 to 1969. Joining the Air Force ...
to rescue explorer Lincoln Ellsworth
Lincoln Ellsworth (May 12, 1880 – May 26, 1951) was a polar explorer from the United States and a major benefactor of the American Museum of Natural History.
Biography
Lincoln Ellsworth was born on May 12, 1880, to James Ellsworth and Eva F ...
, who was presumed lost on a journey across the continent. In 1936, Murphy was selected to join Wackett on a mission to investigate aircraft production overseas with a view to setting up local construction plants. The team determined that the North American NA-16
The North American Aviation NA-16 was the first trainer aircraft built by North American Aviation, and was the beginning of a line of closely related North American trainer aircraft that would eventually number more than 17,000 examples, notabl ...
was most suitable for Australian conditions and manufacture; following testing of a prototype, designated the NA-33, the design went into production in January 1939 as the CAC Wirraway
The CAC Wirraway (an Aboriginal word meaning "challenge") was a training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) between 1939 and 1946. It was an Australian development of ...
.[Coulthard-Clark, ''The Third Brother'', pp.275–281][Mellor]
''The Role of Science and Industry'', pp.381–383
/ref> Murphy was promoted to wing commander
Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
in November 1936 and appointed commanding officer of No. 1 Aircraft Depot in January 1938.
World War II and retirement
Murphy continued to play a leading role in aircraft maintenance and production during World War II. In 1939 he helped set up the Government Aircraft Factories
Government Aircraft Factories (GAF) was the name of an aircraft manufacturer owned by the Government of Australia. The primary factory was located at Fishermans Bend, a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria. It had its origins in the lead-up to World ...
and local manufacture of the Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort (manufacturer designation Type 152) is a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber. At l ...
torpedo bomber. Completing his tour as CO of No. 1 Aircraft Depot, he was promoted to group captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...
and appointed Inspector of Air Accidents in June 1940.[Coleman, ''Above Renown'', pp.99–104] The newly created position reported directly to the Chief of the Air Staff. Murphy's deputy was Flying Officer (later Sir) Henry Winneke
Sir Henry Arthur Winneke, (20 October 1908 – 28 December 1985) was a Chief Justice of Victoria and the 21st Governor of Victoria, from 1974 to 1982.
Early life and career
Winneke was born on 20 October 1908 to the descendants of German immi ...
, who found his boss's companionship "exhilarating". Murphy was, according to Winneke, "a product of the old school of airmen who could not only fly a plane but also pull it apart and put it together again", generally "amiable" but who "could act gruffly when the occasion demanded". The inspectorate was small but succeeded in reducing the number of accidents even as training expanded rapidly with Australia's participation in the Empire Air Training Scheme
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zea ...
. Murphy led the investigation into the Canberra air disaster of August 1940, and the Brocklesby mid-air collision that occurred the following month.
The RAAF formed No. 4 Maintenance Group in September 1942 to co-ordinate the efforts of maintenance units in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Murphy was appointed its commander, and held the post until the end of the war. He was promoted to temporary air commodore in July 1943. By 1945, he had passed the statutory retirement age for his substantive rank of wing commander, and was summarily retired from the RAAF along with several other senior staff and veterans of World War I including Wrigley and Williams, to make way for the advancement of younger and equally capable officers.[Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', pp.179–181] Discharged from the Air Force on 10 January 1946,Murphy, Arthur William
a
World War 2 Nominal roll
Retrieved on 24 March 2009. Murphy was later elected a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...
. He died of heart disease in Essendon Essendon may refer to:
Australia
*Electoral district of Essendon
*Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington
* Essendon, Victoria
**Essendon railway station
**Essendon Airport
* Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League
United Ki ...
, Melbourne, on 21 April 1963 at the age of seventy-one. Survived by his children, Murphy was cremated at Fawkner
Fawkner is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Hume and Merri-bek local government areas. Fawkner recorded a population of 14,274 at the 2021 census.
The ma ...
, Victoria.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Arthur William
1891 births
1963 deaths
Australian aviators
Australian aerospace engineers
Australian military personnel of World War I
Aviators from Melbourne
Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Military personnel from Melbourne
Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Royal Australian Air Force officers
Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II
People from Kew, Victoria