Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...
Sir Neville Patrick McNamara, (17 April 1923 – 7 May 2014) was a senior commander of the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
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(RAAF). He served as
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), the RAAF's highest-ranking position, from 1979 until 1982, and as
Chief of the Defence Force Staff (CDFS), Australia's top military role at the time, from 1982 until 1984. He was the second RAAF officer to hold the rank of air chief marshal.
[ The first four-star RAAF officer was Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Scherger, who served as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1961 to 1966.][Dennis et al., ''Oxford Companion to Australian Military History'', pp. 338–339]
Born in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
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, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, McNamara joined the RAAF during World War II and saw action in the
South West Pacific
Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million as of ...
, flying
P-40 Kittyhawks. He also flew combat missions in
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 ...
s during 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 1961, he was awarded the
Air Force Cross for his leadership of
No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit. He gained further operational experience heading the
RAAF presence in Ubon, Thailand, in the late 1960s. Promoted to
air commodore, McNamara was Commander RAAF Forces Vietnam, and Deputy Commander Australian Forces Vietnam, in 1971–72, for which he was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
. As
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 1976, he was named 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 ...
.
Knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
while CAS in 1980, he retired after completing his term as CDFS in 1984.
Early life and World War II
Neville Patrick McNamara was born on 17 April 1923 in
Toogoolawah, Queensland. He was educated at Toogoolawah State School, and by the Christian Brothers in
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
and at
St. Joseph's Nudgee College. He enlisted in the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(RAAF) on 12 October 1941. Following aircrew training, he 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 ...
on 15 October 1942. He served as an
instructor before being posted to the
South West Pacific
Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million as of ...
as a fighter pilot with
No. 75 Squadron, flying
P-40 Kittyhawks.
[Stephens; Isaacs, ''High Fliers'', pp. 162–164] He was
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 ...
in the
Citizen Air Force on 1 May 1944, and was promoted to
flying officer on 1 November.
Post-war career
Rise to senior command
After the war, McNamara was stationed in Japan with
No. 82 Squadron, as part of the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth taskforce consisting of Australian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952.
At its peak, t ...
(BCOF).
He was promoted to temporary
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 ...
on 1 May 1946, and received a short-service commission in the Permanent Air Force on 23 September 1948, with the rank of flight lieutenant. In 1949 he was posted to
Headquarters North-Eastern Area for
air traffic control
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...
work.
[ He married Dorothy Miller on 27 May 1950; the couple had two daughters.][Singh, ''Who's Who in Australia 2010'', p. 1412] On 1 September 1950, McNamara was granted a permanent commission in the RAAF. From 1951 to 1953, he served as an instructor 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 ...
in East Sale, Victoria, gaining promotion 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 ...
on 1 July 1952. He then 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 ...
as the Executive Officer of No. 77 Squadron, 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 ...
s. Initially employed in the conflict as a fighter unit, by this time No. 77 Squadron's role was primarily ground attack
In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement ...
, using the Meteors' cannon augmented by newly fitted rocket armament. McNamara briefly took charge of the unit in November–December 1953 when there was a hiatus between commanding officers rotating out and rotating in.
Returning to Australia in 1954, McNamara was posted to Headquarters Training Command as pilot training officer. In 1955–56 he served as staff officer fighter operations at the Department of Air
The Department of Air is a former Australian federal government department. Created on 13 November 1939 following the outbreak of the Second World War, it assumed control of the administration and finance of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF ...
, before undertaking training at RAAF Staff College. He was Commanding Officer No. 25 Squadron at Pearce Pearce may refer to:
Places
*Pearce, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb
*Division of Pearce, an electoral division in Western Australia
*Pearce, Arizona, United States, an unincorporated community
*RAAF Base Pearce, the main Royal Australian Ai ...
, Western Australia, in 1957–58,[ receiving promotion 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 ...
on 1 July 1957. He took charge of No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit (No. 2 OCU) 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, in 1959. No. 2 OCU was responsible for training pilots to fly 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 ...
jet fighter, which was operated by Nos. 3, 75 and 77 Squadrons. His performance as commanding officer earned him the Air Force Cross in the 1961 Queen's Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...
.
In 1960, McNamara was posted to the UK to attend the Joint Services Staff College. The following year he became CO and senior air staff officer of the RAAF Staff in London.[ In 1964 he was appointed Director of Personnel (Officers) at the Department of Air. He received the ]Air Efficiency Award
The Air Efficiency Award, post-nominal letters AE for officers, was instituted in 1942. It could be awarded after ten years of meritorious service to officers, airmen and airwomen in the Auxiliary and Volunteer Air Forces of the United Kingdom ...
in 1965, and the following year took command of RAAF Ubon, Thailand. Operating under the provisions of the SEATO agreement during the early years of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, the Australian contingent included No. 79 Squadron, flying Sidewinder-equipped CAC Sabres. Although only fifty kilometres from the Laotian border and occasionally scrambled to intercept North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
ese fighters, the Sabres never saw action, in contrast to their USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
brethren also based at Ubon. Limited as its military role was, the RAAF presence was judged politically valuable. Completing his tour in Thailand, McNamara served as air staff officer at RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located within the City of Hawkesbury, approximately North-West of the Sydney Central Business District in New South Wales, Australia. Situated between the towns of W ...
, New South Wales, in 1967–68.[ He 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 ...
on 5 July 1967 and to the substantive rank the following 1 January. His next appointment was as Director General Organisation at the Department of Air.[
]
Senior RAAF and Defence Force command
Promoted to acting air commodore on 12 April 1971, McNamara became the last Commander RAAF Forces Vietnam and Deputy Commander Australian Force Vietnam (AFV) that month. Believing that the Air Force paid "lip service" to its army co-operation responsibilities in the 1950s and 1960s, he familiarised himself with the finer points of air/ground operations by accompanying No. 9 Squadron helicopters on missions supporting 1st Australian Task Force in Phuoc Tuy Province
Phước ( vi, Phước) is a common gender-neutral name originating from Vietnam. It means "blessing" or "lucky". Notable people with this name include:
Given name
*Lưu Hữu Phước
Lưu Hữu Phước (12 September 1921 in Cần Thơ, Coch ...
. Given the responsibility of overseeing the withdrawal of the RAAF from Vietnam in 1972, McNamara was praised for his "wise and patient counsel, devotion to duty and firm control", leading to his appointment as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in September that year. He had been promoted to substantive air commodore on 1 January. In 1973, he was posted to the United States as the Australian Air Attache to Washington, D.C. Promoted to 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 ...
on 20 March 1975, he returned to Australia that year and took up duties as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff, which he later described as "an invaluable learning experience for the top job". 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 ...
(AO) on 7 June 1976 for "distinguished service in responsible positions".
McNamara was promoted to air marshal and became Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) in March 1979. He succeeded Air Marshal Sir James Rowland, who had been the first CAS to personally command the RAAF in a legal sense, following the abolition of the Australian Air Board in 1976. Previously, the CAS position was more akin to a chairman, "first among equals" with the other members of the Air Board. Under this earlier arrangement, McNamara considered that some senior commanders tended to behave like "regional war lords" who thought that the CAS existed purely to handle politicians and paperwork, while they (the commanders) got on with the Air Force's "real work".[Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', pp. 296–297] As CAS, McNamara put in train development of new strategies for the air defence of Australia, later remarking that "capability must be matched by ideas". He also supervised the selection process that chose the F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...
to the replace the RAAF's Mirage III fighters. McNamara personally favoured the F/A-18 due to its multi-role capability. Appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(KBE) on 31 December 1980, he was the last CAS to be knighted before Australia abandoned the imperial honours system.
In 1982, McNamara became the first Air Force member to directly command all three of Australia's armed services as Chief of the Defence Force Staff (CDFS), which had replaced the earlier senior position in the defence force, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. He also became only the second RAAF officer to be raised to the rank of air chief marshal
Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...
. As CDFS, McNamara had to work to repair strained relations between the Defence Department's military and civilian components. He sought to accomplish this through a restrained management style and respect for the department's public servants
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
. At the same time, he maintained the need for military and civilian personnel to be easily distinguishable, and reversed a trend for armed force personnel to wear suits "in the office" and uniforms only "on parade", which was the preference of Secretary of the Department of Defence Arthur Tange
Sir Arthur Harold Tange (18 August 1914 – 10 May 2001) was a prominent Australian senior public servant of the middle to late 20th century.
A considerable intellect, he was one of the most influential people in the government of Australia f ...
. The military and public service wings of the department still clashed over the question of enlarging the CDFS's role to achieve more coherent defence planning. Shortly after McNamara completed his term as CDFS in 1984, the position was redesignated Chief of the Defence Force (CDF), to more clearly reflect its authority over the Australian armed services.
Retirement
Air Chief Marshal McNamara retired from military life in April 1984. He was awarded the Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...
on 1 January 2001 for his "service to Australian society through the Royal Australian Air Force". That year he joined celebrations at 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, to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the RAAF. McNamara published his autobiography, ''The Quiet Man'', in 2005. He died at Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, said to possess the whitest sand in the world.
A area of land around the southern headland of the bay is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia ...
, New South Wales, on 7 May 2014, and was survived by his wife and two daughters. He is commemorated by Sir Neville McNamara Drive in North Turramurra
North Turramurra is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Turramurra is located north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Counci ...
, New South Wales.
Notes
References
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Further reading
*McNamara, Neville (2005). ''The Quiet Man: The Autobiography of Air Chief Marshal Sir Neville McNamara''. Tuggeranong, Australian Capital Territory: Air Power Development Centre.
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNamara, Neville
1923 births
2014 deaths
Military personnel from Queensland
Australian aviators
Australian military personnel of the Korean War
Australian military personnel of the Vietnam War
Australian World War II pilots
Chiefs of Defence Force Staff (Australia)
Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Officers of the Order of Australia
People from Queensland
Australian recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
Recipients of the Centenary Medal
Royal Australian Air Force air marshals