John Cowe McIntosh (1892 – 28 March 1921) was a British-born Australian aviator. McIntosh was born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and later emigrated to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

.National Library of Australia
/ref> On the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914, he enlisted in the Australian Army Medical Corps, serving with the 4th Field Ambulance in

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

and reaching the rank of corporal. In 1918, he transferred to the Australian Flying Corps and began flying training near

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in England. He was commissioned 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 ...

in April 1919 and shortly afterwards was promoted

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 ...

. After the end of the war, the Australian government offered a prize of £10,000 for the first flight from England to Australia. He paired with another Australian Flying Corps officer,

Ray Parer Raymond John Paul Parer (18 February 1894 – 4 July 1967) was an Australian aviator. Parer was born in South Melbourne, Victoria, the second of nine children of a Spanish-born caterer, Michael Parer, and his Australian wife Myria (née Caro ...

, and, although leaving well after the event had been won, they arrived in Darwin on 2 August 1920. Their aircraft was an Airco DH-9, and theirs was the only other entrant to successfully complete the race. He and Parer were awarded the Air Force Cross for this feat on 23 November 1920, as well as £500 each.Isaacs, K., "Parer, Raymond John Paul (1894–1967)", ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 11, Melbourne University Press, 1988, pp.133–134
/ref> In 1921, McIntosh was killed in an air crash near

Pithara, Western Australia Pithara is a small town in the wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It is located about 240 km north of Perth, in the Shire of Dalwallinu. At the , Pithara had a population of 257, a 25% fall from the previous . The name ''Pithara'' was ...

. It was the first fatal air crash in the state.Photograph of the monument to McIntosh, State Library of Western Australia
/ref>

Footnotes

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McIntosh, John 1892 births 1921 deaths Scottish emigrants to Australia Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army officers Australian Army soldiers Australian aviators Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Australia Accidental deaths in Western Australia Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1921