Air Marshal John William "Jake" Newham,
AC (born 30 November 1930) is a retired senior commander of the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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(RAAF). He served as
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) from 1985 until 1987. Joining the RAAF in 1951, he flew
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...
jets with
No. 77 Squadron in the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
in 1953, and subsequently
de Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and ...
s with
No. 78 Wing on garrison duty in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. From 1958 to 1960, he served with
No. 3 Squadron, operating
CAC Sabre
The CAC Sabre, sometimes known as the Avon Sabre or CA-27, is an Australian variant of the North American Aviation F-86F Sabre fighter aircraft. The F-86F was redesigned and built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Equipping five ...
s during the
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...
. He took charge of No. 3 Squadron in 1967, when it re-equipped with the
Dassault Mirage III
The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizonta ...
supersonic fighter. His commands in the early 1970s included the
Aircraft Research and Development Unit
The Royal Australian Air Force's Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) plans, conducts and analyses the results of ground and flight testing of existing and new Air Force aircraft. ARDU consists of three test and evaluation flights ...
,
RAAF Base Laverton
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
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, and
No. 82 Wing, the last-mentioned during its first years operating the long-delayed
General Dynamics F-111C swing-wing bomber. He was appointed
Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) may refer to:
* Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Australia)
* Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (India)
* Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan)
* Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)
The Deputy Chief ...
in March 1984, and CAS in May the following year. His tenure as CAS coincided with the release of the
Dibb Report on Australia's defence capabilities, and the controversial transfer of the RAAF's battlefield helicopters to the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
. Newham retired from the Air Force in July 1987 and became a company director.
Early career
John William Newham, known as "Jake", was born in
Cowra
Cowra is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire, with a population of 9,863.
Cowra is located approximately above sea level, on the ...
, New South Wales, and educated at Cowra High School. After
matriculating
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...
, he worked as a clerk in the
Commonwealth Bank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of financial services including retail, busines ...
, and joined the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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(RAAF) in February 1951.
[Stephens; Isaacs, ''High Fliers'', pp. 174–176] He underwent flying training at
RAAF Base 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 ...
, Victoria, and graduated as a
sergeant pilot
A sergeant pilot was a non-commissioned officer who had undergone flight training and was a qualified pilot in the air forces of several Commonwealth countries before, during and after World War II. It was also a term used in the United States Arm ...
in July 1952.
Following fighter training, he saw operational service in the Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, flying Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...
jets with No. 77 Squadron from February to September 1953.[Singh, ''Who's Who in Australia 2010''] He later recalled that his first sortie
A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...
was as wingman to a 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 ...
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 ...
: "We flew up past P'yongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 population ...
and he showed me enemy gun locations by arranging for them to shoot at us".
Having been commissioned as a pilot officer
Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...
midway through his Korean service, Newham's next posting was with No. 78 (Fighter) Wing on Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, where he flew de Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and ...
s until 1955. The wing had been on garrison duty in Malta since July 1952, and Newham was one of five Korean War veterans who replaced pilots posted back to Australia. He married Jo Cranston in 1956; the couple had two daughters and a son. By November 1957, Newham had been promoted to flight lieutenant and was undergoing conversion training on the CAC Sabre
The CAC Sabre, sometimes known as the Avon Sabre or CA-27, is an Australian variant of the North American Aviation F-86F Sabre fighter aircraft. The F-86F was redesigned and built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Equipping five ...
. From 1958 to 1960 he served in Malaya with No. 3 Squadron, whose Sabres conducted operations against communist guerrillas in the final years of the Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...
.
Rise to senior command
Newham attended RAAF Staff College, Canberra, from January to December 1964. He then served as Chief Flying Instructor at No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit at RAAF Base Williamtown
RAAF Base Williamtown is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located north of the coastal city of Newcastle ( by road) in the local government area of Port Stephens, in New South Wales, Australia. The base serves as the h ...
, New South Wales, taking temporary command of the unit 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 ...
from July 1965 to April 1966. That August, he commenced conversion training on the Dassault Mirage III
The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizonta ...
supersonic jet fighter. 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 ...
, from July 1967 to October 1968 he led No. 3 Squadron at Williamtown as it re-equipped with the Mirage.[ In 1971, Newham was appointed commanding officer of the ]Aircraft Research and Development Unit
The Royal Australian Air Force's Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) plans, conducts and analyses the results of ground and flight testing of existing and new Air Force aircraft. ARDU consists of three test and evaluation flights ...
. The following year he became Officer Commanding RAAF Base Laverton
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
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, Victoria.
By now a 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 ...
, Newham was appointed Officer Commanding No. 82 Wing at RAAF Base Amberley
RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland in Australia and southwest of Brisbane CBD. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron (operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet), N ...
, Queensland, in 1973. He formed the RAAF Washington Flying Unit at McClellan Air Force Base
McClellan Air Force Base (1935–2001) is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California.
History
For the vast majority of its operational lifetime, McClella ...
, California, on 31 March to ferry the first twelve (out of a total order of twenty-four) General Dynamics F-111C swing-wing bombers to Australia.[RAAF Historical Section, ''Bomber Units'', p. 150] On 1 June, Newham led the first three F-111s in to land at Amberley, a gala occasion attended by the Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
and Minister for Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
, Lance Barnard
Lance Herbert Barnard AO (1 May 19196 August 1997) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was the deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1974 and held senior ministerial office in the Whitlam Government, most no ...
, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Charles Read, the Air Officer Commanding Operational Command, Air Vice Marshal Brian Eaton
Air Vice-Marshal Brian Alexander Eaton, (15 December 1916 – 17 October 1992) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in Tasmania and raised in Victoria, he joined the RAAF in 1936 and was promot ...
, and a large media contingent. Newham later recalled that "our air force cred went up in the area and in the world with that aeroplane". Read ordered Newham to operate the F-111 with great caution initially, well within limits, lest the long-delayed and controversial aircraft suffer greater damage to its reputation through early attrition. Despite Newham's protests over the plane's capabilities, the restrictions remained in place until 1975. That year he was appointed Staff Officer Operations at Headquarters Operational Command (OPCOM).
Senior command and later life
Newham was promoted air commodore in 1976 and became Senior Air Staff Officer at OPCOM, serving through the following year. In 1978 he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...
, London, and was made Director General of Operational Requirements in 1979. In this capacity he visited Israel to investigate air-to-air refuelling
Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft ...
operations, coming away favourably impressed: "the Israelis had more match practice than anybody around at the time. The experience gave me confidence in operational judgments." He was promoted air vice marshal
Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...
and appointed Chief of Air Force Operations in March 1980, effective from April, and served on the Chief of the Air Staff Advisory Committee. In 1982 he was posted to the United States as the Head of Australian Defence Staff in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Returning to Australia, Newham became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) may refer to:
* Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Australia)
* Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (India)
* Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan)
* Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)
The Deputy Chief ...
in March 1984.[ He was appointed an ]Officer of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
on 11 June for services to the RAAF.
Promoted to air marshal, Newham became Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) on 21 May 1985, succeeding Air Marshal David Evans.[Stephens, ''Australia's Air Chiefs'', v] Newham initially endorsed the Federal government's 1986 ''Review of Australia's Defence Capabilities'', otherwise known as the Dibb Report, but shortly afterwards publicly criticised its "understanding of the application of air power" and "debatable judgments", especially its lukewarm attitude to the employment of the F-111s for strategic strike. At a conference the same year, he reiterated the RAAF's position that "defensive action may prevent defeat, but wars can be won only by offensive action". On 9 June, he was raised to Companion of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
for service to the RAAF, "particularly as Chief of the Air Staff". Newham's term as CAS was also marked by the Federal government's decision to transfer the RAAF's battlefield helicopters to the Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
, against the recommendation of an independent committee. According to Air Force historians Alan Stephens and Keith Isaacs, "Newham protected the best interests of the Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...
by getting on with the business of effecting the transfer, notwithstanding the deep disappointment within his own service.[ In February 1987, OPCOM (subsequently Air Command) was restructured into ]Force Element Group
The Force Element Groups (FEGs) of the Australian Defence Force are the operational capabilities.
:''Capabilities are formed into Force Elements (FE), which in turn are aggregated into Force Element Groups (FEG). Each capability is assigned a leve ...
s (FEGs), large functional organisations that supplanted the earlier concept of all-powerful air base commands, to which every unit on a base reported. Initially established on a one-year trial basis, the FEGs have remained in place.[
Newham completed his tenure as CAS on 3 July 1987 and was succeeded by Air Marshal Ray Funnell.][ Retiring from the Air Force, he became Director of Helitech Industries.] On 23 July 1998, he was among those present when the Korean Ambassador to Australia awarded his government's Presidential Unit Citation to No. 77 Squadron. Newham was one of ten surviving veterans of the squadron belatedly presented with the US Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
in Canberra on 27 June 2011, for meritorious service in the Korean War.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Newham, John
1930 births
Australian aviators
Australian military personnel of the Korean War
Australian military personnel of the Malayan Emergency
Companions of the Order of Australia
Foreign recipients of the Air Medal
Living people
People from Cowra
Royal Australian Air Force air marshals
Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies