Paul Joseph McGinness, (14 February 1896 – 25 January 1952) was an Australian

flying 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 ...

of the

First World War 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 ...

, credited with seven aerial victories. He was a co-founder of Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (Qantas).

Early life

McGinness was born on his family's property ''Riverview'' at

Framlingham, Victoria Framlingham is a rural township located by the Hopkins River in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, about north-east of the coastal city of Warrnambool. In the 2016 census, the township had a population of 158. The town lies within ...

, near

Warrnambool Warrnambool ( Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Warrnambool had a population of 35,743. Situated on the Princes Highway, Warrnambool (A ...

, and attended St Patrick's College, Ballarat.

World War I service

McGinness enlisted in the 8th Light Horse Regiment on 17 September 1914 at the age of 18 and served throughout the Gallipoli and Sinai peninsular campaigns where McGinness was award the

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...

for "bravery and devotion to duty" on 22 April 1916. Due to a combination of outstanding leadership and heavy casualties, he rose through the ranks to become a squadron quartermaster sergeant. 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 ...

on 22 October 1917, McGinness was posted to 67th Squadron AFC, later posted to X Flight and the 1st Squadron, Australian Flying Corps. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 25 August 1918 and returned to Australia after the armistice on 17 April 1919. McGinness is commemorated Mortlake Avenue of Honour (Tree North 54)

Mortlake, Victoria Mortlake is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia on the Hamilton Highway, north-east of Warrnambool. It is in the Shire of Moyne local government area and the federal Division of Wannon. At the 2001 census, Mortlake had a pop ...

alongside brothers James Patrick McGinness (Tree North 56, 47th Battalion, died of wounds, 5 September 1916) and Micheal McGinness (Tree North 55, inventor of the "Trench Destroyer").

Founding of Qantas

Qantas was founded in

Winton, Queensland Winton is a town and locality in the Shire of Winton in Central West Queensland, Australia. It is northwest of Longreach. The main industries of the area are sheep and cattle raising. The town was named in 1876 by postmaster Robert Allen, aft ...

on 16 November 1920 by

Hudson Fysh Sir Wilmot Hudson Fysh, KBE, DFC (7 January 18956 April 1974) was an Australian aviator and businessman. A founder of the Australian airline company Qantas, Fysh was born in Launceston, Tasmania. Serving in the Battle of Gallipoli and Pale ...

, McGinness and Fergus McMaster as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited. The airline's first aircraft was an

Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...

K. It moved its headquarters to

Longreach, Queensland Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and Isisfor ...

in 1921 and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Queensland in 1930.

Later life

McGinness died at Hollywood Repatriation Hospital and was buried at

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

Early life

World War I service

Founding of Qantas

Later life

Notes

Further reading