Elwyn Roy King,
DSO,
DFC (13 May 1894 – 28 November 1941) was a
fighter ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
in 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 ...
(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
Air Commodore Arthur Henry Cobby, (26 August 1894 – 11 November 1955) was an Australian military aviator. He was the leading fighter ace of the Australian Flying Corps during World War I, with 29 victories, despite seeing active servic ...
in the AFC. A civil pilot and engineer between the wars, he served in the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(RAAF) from 1939 until his death.
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 Camel
The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...
s and
Snipes
Snipes may refer to:
* Snipe, a wading bird
* Snipes (surname)
* ''Snipes'' (film), a 2001 film
* ''Snipes'' (video game), a 1983 text-mode networked computer game
* Snipes Mountain AVA
Snipes Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area l ...
. 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
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
, and a
mention 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 ...
. 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
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 ...
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
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
and working as a motor mechanic when he joined the
Australian Imperial Force under the name Roy King on 20 July 1915.
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
The 4th Light Horse Brigade was a mounted infantry brigade of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) serving in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. The brigade was initially formed as a part-time militia formation in the early 1900s in Victo ...
.
[ He joined the 12th Light Horse at Heliopolis in February 1916, as the unit was reassembling following its service in the Gallipoli Campaign.][Garrisson, ''Australian Fighter Aces'', p. 93] The regiment was engaged in the defence of the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
during May, and subsequently undertook patrols and sorties 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 ...
.[
King transferred 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 ...
(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
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
, by the British) as an air mechanic on 18 April.[ He was assigned to a training squadron for flying instruction in August.][ On 15 October, he gained his ]wings
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...
and officer's commission. Allocated to No. 4 Squadron in November 1917, King was posted to France for active duty on 21 March 1918.[ The same day, the Germans launched ]Operation Michael
Operation Michael was a major German military offensive during the First World War that began the German Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France. Its goal was to ...
, the opening phase of the Spring Offensive.
Fighter ace
No. 4 Squadron was operating its Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...
s in hazardous, low-altitude support of Australian ground troops when King arrived in France, and he had little opportunity for air-to-air combat.[ The burly King—nicknamed "Bo", "Beau", or "Bow"—also had problems landing the Camel; crammed into its small cockpit, his large frame impeded control stick movement.][Newton, ''Australian Air Aces'', p. 43] The resulting rough landings annoyed his commanding officer, Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
Wilfred McCloughry, brother of ace Edgar McCloughry.[ King's friend and fellow No. 4 Squadron pilot, ]Harry Cobby
Air Commodore Arthur Henry Cobby, (26 August 1894 – 11 November 1955) was an Australian military aviator. He was the leading fighter ace of the Australian Flying Corps during World War I, with 29 victories, despite seeing active servic ...
, recalled that "there was some speculation that he might go home—but he proved himself an impressive pilot". 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. On 14 May 1918, King shot down a two-seat German scout that was spotting for artillery between Ypres
Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though
the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...
and Bailleul, but clouds prevented him from confirming its destruction. By 20 May, he had been credited with his first aerial victory, over a Pfalz D.III near Kemmel
Heuvelland () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Dranouter, Kemmel, De Klijte, Loker, Nieuwkerke, Westouter, Wijtschate and Wulvergem. Heuvelland is a thinly populated rur ...
– Neuve Église.[ He was promoted to ]lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
on 1 June.[ On 20 June, he destroyed a German balloon over ]Estaires
Estaires (; vls, Stegers) is a commune in the Nord department of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
The town gives its name to a type of chicken bred in the area: the Estaires chicken.
Geography
Estaires is located in French Fla ...
; 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. Later that month he shot down two more aircraft, a Pfalz and a two-seat LVG, in the Lys region.
King registered his fifth victory, an LVG, after raiding Armentières
Armentières (; vls, Armentiers) is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
The motto of the town is ''Pauvre mais fière'' (Poor but proud).
Geogra ...
on 25 July 1918. 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
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
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 Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 1919 ...
s, three of the Australians including King claiming victories, without any Allied losses. He destroyed a German two-seater on 3 August and another the following day, sharing the second with Herbert Watson. No. 4 Squadron was heavily engaged in the Allies' great offensive
The Great Offensive ( tr, Büyük Taarruz; ) was the largest and final military operation of the Turkish War of Independence, fought between the Turkish Armed Forces loyal to the government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and the Kin ...
on the Western Front, launched with the Battle of Amiens on 8 August.[ King was credited with two victories—a balloon and an LVG—near Estaires during a bombing raid on 10 August. On 12 and 13 August, the Camels of No. 4 Squadron operated in a massed formation over ]Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
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
Roy Cecil Phillipps, MC & Bar, DFC (1 March 1892 – 21 May 1941) was an Australian fighter ace of World War I. He achieved fifteen victories in aerial combat, four of them in a single action on 12 June 1918. A grazier b ...
. 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.
On 16 August 1918, King participated in a major assault against the German airfield at Haubourdin
Haubourdin () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
Population
Heraldry
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord ...
, near Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
, 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. 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". 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
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON
*Don (river), a river in European Russia
*Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name
*Don, Benin, a town in Benin
*Don, Dang, a vill ...
railway station, bombed it, machine-gunned a train, and returned among the low clouds—all without seeing any enemy." The only contact around this time was on 30 August, when King, Thomas Baker and another pilot shot down two DFWs near Laventie
Laventie (; vls, Wentie) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Geography
A small farming and light industrial town, situated some northeast of Béthune and west of Lille, at the junction of the D ...
. On 1 September, King destroyed an observation balloon over Aubers Ridge
The Battle of Aubers (Battle of Aubers Ridge) was a British offensive on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front on 9 May 1915 during the First World War. The battle was part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a ...
. Three days later he shot down an LVG after attacking a train near Lille with Cobby. He was recommended for the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 8 September. The award, promulgated in ''The London Gazette
''The London Gazette'' is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are ...
'' 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 success by descending to low altitudes, disregarding personal danger". On 16 September, following a lull in aerial combat in the region, King destroyed a Fokker biplane over Lille. Around this time he was promoted to captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
and flight commander.[ He took over "A" Flight from Cobby, who had been posted to England. 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.][
]
During October 1918, King converted with the rest of No. 4 Squadron to the upgraded Sopwith Snipe
The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of th ...
, whose larger cockpit was a better fit for him. He scored with the Snipe on both 28 and 29 October, the latter over Tournai
Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
, in what is frequently described as "one of the greatest air battles of the war".[Odgers, ''Air Force Australia'', pp. 42–43][
Cutlack]
''The Australian Flying Corps'', pp. 376–379
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. The next day, he downed three Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qu ...
s, 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. 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.[ His tally of seven victories with the Snipe in the closing days of the war made him the highest-scoring pilot in this type.][
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.][ 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
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
and Royal Air Force).[ King was recommended for a ]bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
to his DFC, which was upgraded to the Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
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". He was also belatedly 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 July 1919 for his wartime service.[
]
Interbellum and World War II
Following the end of hostilities, No. 4 Squadron joined the British Army of Occupation at Bickendorf
Bickendorf is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in ...
, near Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
, 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.[ He left the AFC on 11 August 1919 in ]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 ...
, 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.[ While working for Larkin-Sopwith, King refused an appointment in the newly established ]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 ...
(AAC)—forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(RAAF)—because it had not then offered a commission to Frank McNamara, VC.[Coulthard-Clark, ''The Third Brother'', p. 20] In a letter to the AAC selection committee on 30 January 1920, King wrote "I feel I must forfeit my place in favor ''(sic
The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...
)'' of this very good and gallant officer"; McNamara received a commission in the AAC that April.[
King's career with Larkin-Sopwith involved many pioneering flights.][ In 1920 alone, flying a ]Sopwith Gnu
The Sopwith Gnu was a 1910s British touring biplane, designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation & Engineering Company of Kingston-upon-Thames. It was one of the first cabin aircraft designed for civil use.
Design and development
Designed for t ...
, he was credited with making the first aerial deliveries of mail and newspapers to several cities in eastern Australia, and with making the first aircraft landing at several townships in southern Queensland. He also competed in air races. 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 throughout Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. He soon left the aviation business to go into partnership with another pilot, T.T. Shipman, founding Shipman, King and Co. Pty Ltd. 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
Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross.
Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...
, on 31 March 1925. The couple had a son and a daughter.[
In December 1939, soon after the outbreak of World War II, King joined the RAAF as a ]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 ...
. Initially considered for general flying duties, he was assigned training commands commencing in the new year.[ On 2 January 1940, he became the inaugural commanding officer of No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School (No. 3 EFTS) 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 King ...
, Victoria. Part of Australia's contribution to 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 ...
, 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
The Royal Victorian Aero Club is an Australian aero club based at Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne.
History
Founded by pioneer aviators in 1914 at Point Cook, the club is one of Australia's oldest flying training organisations.
The Australi ...
; by July, all private machines had been pressed into RAAF service and the civilian element largely disappeared. King assumed command of No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School at Narromine
Narromine ( /næroʊmaɪn/) is a rural Australian town located approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Dubbo in the Orana region of New South Wales. The town is at the centre of Narromine Shire. The 2016 census recorded a population o ...
, New South Wales, on 21 December. 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 ...
, he took over No. 1 Service Flying Training School at RAAF Point Cook
RAAF Williams is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base set across two locations, at Point Cook and Laverton, located approximately south-west of the Melbourne central business district in Victoria, Australia. Both establishm ...
, Victoria, from Group Captain John McCauley
Air Marshal Sir John Patrick Joseph McCauley, KBE, CB (18 March 1899 – 3 February 1989) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1954 to 1957. A Duntroon g ...
on 7 July 1941. In October, King was promoted to acting 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 posted to command the newly established Station Headquarters Point Cook.[
]
Death and legacy
King died unexpectedly of cerebral oedema
Cerebral edema is excess accumulation of fluid (edema) in the intracellular or extracellular spaces of the brain. This typically causes impaired nerve function, increased pressure within the skull, and can eventually lead to direct compressio ...
on 28 November 1941, aged 47.[ Survived by his wife and children, he was cremated at Fawkner Crematorium, Melbourne.][ His funeral service at ]South Yarra
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popul ...
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 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 ...
, Air Commodore Raymond Brownell
Air Commodore Raymond James Brownell, (17 May 1894 – 12 April 1974) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and a First World War flying ace. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Brownell was working as a clerk with a firm of acco ...
, Group Captain Allan Walters
Air Vice Marshal Allan Leslie Walters, CB, CBE, AFC (2 November 1905 – 19 October 1968) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in Victoria and raised in Western Australia, he graduated from th ...
, and Wing Commander 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 ...
.
Elwyn Roy King's name appears on panel 97 in the Commemorative Area of the 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 ...
, Canberra. 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.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Elwyn
1894 births
1941 deaths
Military personnel from New South Wales
Australian military personnel of World War I
Australian World War I flying aces
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
People from New South Wales
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Royal Australian Air Force officers
Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II
Australian Flying Corps officers