Alan Rawlinson

Alan Charles Rawlinson, (31 July 1918 – 27 August 2007) was an Australian airman who became a fighter ace in World War II.

He was credited with at least eight aerial victories, as well as two aircraft probably destroyed, and another eight damaged.

Alan Charles Rawlinson was born on 31 July 1918 in Fremantle, Western Australia.

He was the son of Arthur Rawlinson, who played for East Fremantle in the West Australian Football League.

The Rawlinson family was among the earliest residents of Beaconsfield, and gave its name to a street in O'Connor.

Moving to Melbourne when he was eight years old, Alan was educated at Geelong Road State School in Footscray and at Williamstown High School, representing both schools in football, swimming and athletics.

Before leaving high school with his Intermediate Certificate, he joined the East Melbourne Harriers' Club, becoming its 1935–36 season champion.

Born in Fremantle, Western Australia, Rawlinson joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1938.

Rawlinson was living in the Melbourne suburb of Ivanhoe and had been working as a clerk for two-and-a-half years when he joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on 19 July 1938.

He underwent flying instruction as an air cadet at No. 1 Flying Training School, Point Cook, and was granted a short-service commission as a pilot officer on probation from 22 June 1939.

On 7 July he was posted to No. 3 (Army Cooperation) Squadron, which operated Hawker Demon biplane fighters out of RAAF Station Richmond, New South Wales.

He spent much of the remainder of the year learning instrument flying on the Link Trainer, and undertaking a parachute training course.

In April 1940, the RAAF confirmed Rawlinson's appointment as a pilot officer and his promotion to temporary flying officer backdated to 22 November 1939.

He was posted to the Middle East in July 1940 and saw action with No. 3 (Army Cooperation) Squadron, flying Gloster Gladiator and Gauntlet biplanes initially, and later Hawker Hurricanes and P-40 Tomahawks.

He was posted in July 1940 to the Middle East with No. 3 Squadron, which was to support the 6th Division in the Western Desert campaign against Italian forces.

Sailing via Bombay, the squadron arrived in Suez, Egypt, on 23 August 1940.

The next month it was equipped with a flight of Westland Lysander high-wing monoplane reconnaissance aircraft and two flights of Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters, augmented by four Gloster Gauntlet biplanes to be used for dive bombing; Rawlinson initially trained on the Gauntlet.

Rawlinson took part in No. 3 Squadron's first aerial combat on 19 November 1940.

Flying a Gladiator, he was one of three pilots escorting Flight Lieutenant Blake Pelly on a reconnaissance mission when they were engaged by eighteen Italian Fiat CR.42 biplanes near Rabia in western Egypt.

The Australians claimed six CR.42s destroyed for the loss of one Gladiator.

Rawlinson has been variously credited with one CR.42 destroyed, one probably destroyed, or one damaged.

According to his biographer Lex McAulay, Rawlinson believed he destroyed a CR.42 in a head-on attack but did not see it crash, so his claim was downgraded to "damaged".

He flew Gauntlets on dive-bombing missions in December; the type was withdrawn from service mid-month.

On 22 December 1940, as the Allies advanced along the Libyan coast to Bardia, Rawlinson's rank of flying officer was made substantive; it was the highest permanent rank he received during the war.

Four days later, he was in a formation of eight Gladiators that attacked ten Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers and their escort of twenty-four CR.42s; the Australians claimed two CR.42s destroyed, and five damaged including one probably destroyed, which was credited to Rawlinson.

Twice credited with shooting down three enemy aircraft in a single sortie, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in October 1941 and took command of No. 3 Squadron the next month.

He received a bar to his DFC in December 1941, and returned to Australia in March 1942.

In May the following year, Rawlinson was posted to the South West Pacific as the inaugural commanding officer of No. 79 Squadron, flying Supermarine Spitfires in New Guinea.

On 22 January 1941, Rawlinson and Flying Officer Wilfred Arthur were despatched in Gladiators to attack an Italian schooner off Tobruk; they machine-gunned the vessel, setting it on fire.

Three days later, Rawlinson claimed two Fiat G.50 fighters damaged after five of the Italian monoplanes attacked five Gladiators patrolling near Mechili.

He was notified of his promotion to temporary flight lieutenant, effective from New Year's Day, on 27 January.

No. 3 Squadron began re-arming with Hawker Hurricane fighters on 29 January 1941, and Rawlinson started his conversion on 3 February.

A week later, the squadron moved to RAF Station Benina to take over the air defence of Benghazi, which had been occupied by the 6th Division.

After serving as commanding officer of the RAAF's Paratroop Training Unit at Richmond, New South Wales, between April 1944 and May 1945, he returned to the Pacific to command No. 78 (Fighter) Wing, which operated P-40 Kittyhawks in Borneo.

Promoted to acting group captain in July 1945, he held command of No. 78 Wing until his discharge from the RAAF in December 1946.

Rawlinson was commissioned into the Royal Air Force (RAF) in March 1947.

He flew de Havilland Vampire jet fighters as commanding officer of No. 54 Squadron in 1949, and then as commander of flying operations at RAF Odiham from 1949 to 1952.

He was awarded the Air Force Cross in June 1952.

Between 1953 and 1958 he was in charge of the RAF's Guided Weapons Trials Unit in the UK and Australia.

Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in June 1958, he commanded RAF Buchan in 1960–61 before retiring from the military to live in South Australia.