Summary
Sir Norman Brearley CBE, DSO, MC, AFC, FRAeS (22 December 1890 – 9 June 1989) was a commercial and military pilot and one of the pioneers of the airline industry within Australia.
Sir Norman Brearley | |
|---|---|
 Norman Brearley in the 1920s | |
| Born | 22 December 1890 |
| Died | 9 June 1989 (aged 98) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Pilot |
| Title | Sir |
Early life edit
Born in Geelong, Victoria on 22 December 1890, Brearley moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1906.[1][2]
Aviation career edit
First World War edit
In April 1915, after undertaking a 5-year apprenticeship as a mechanic, Brearley worked his way to the United Kingdom and subsequently enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps and trained as a pilot.[3] On the Western Front, he was posted initially to No. 6 Squadron, but transferred to No. 29 Squadron, where he flew Airco DH.2 scouts (including patrols flown alongside Sergeant James McCudden).[2] However, in November 1916 he was shot down and badly wounded, with bullets perforating both lungs: he landed in no man's land, but managed to crawl back to Allied lines.[2][4] He returned to Western Australia to recover.[3] He subsequently returned to Britain where he became a flying instructor, initially at Gosport and then as commander of the school of special flying at Lilbourne.[2][4]
Post-war edit
Following the end of hostilities, Brearley bought two Avro 504 aircraft (plus a spare engine), which he had shipped to Australia.[2] In 1921, he founded Western Australian Airways Ltd., based at Geraldton.[1] In the same year, he was issued with Australia's first civil pilot's licence, under the 1921 Air Navigation Regulations.[1] His licence was numbered as licence No. 2, but there was no licence No. 1 at the time: a licence of that number was not issued until 1930, when it was presented to Amy Johnson in honour of her record flight from London to Australia.[1]
In 1927, Brearley opened the Perth Flying School at Maylands. He retired from commercial aviation in 1936 when he merged his airline with Australian National Airways.[3]
Later life edit
Brearley later served with the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II, commanding No. 4 Service Flying Training School at Geraldton from October 1942 to March 1944.[1][4]
Brearley was knighted in 1971. He died on 9 June 1989.[1][4]
Personal life edit
Brearley married Violet Claremont Stubbs at Christ Church, Claremont on 5 July 1917, when he was recovering from his injuries. She died in 1982, aged 85. The couple had a son and a daughter.[2][4]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "Brearley Pilot's Licences, Treasures of the Battye Library". State Library of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f Tucker 1990.
- ^ a b c "Australia's First Airline Service". Spirits of Ansett. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Bunbury 2007.
Further reading edit
- Brearley, Sir Norman; Mayman, Ted (1971). Australian Aviator. Adelaide: Rigby. ISBN 0-85179-227-8.
- Bunbury, Bill (2007). "Brearley, Sir Norman (1890–1989)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538.
- Mayman, Ted (1979). "Sir Norman Brearley, the aviator". In Hunt, Lyall (ed.). Westralian Portraits. Nedlands: University of Western Australia Press. pp. 193–198. ISBN 0-85564-157-6.
- Tucker, Stuart (March 1990). "Sir Norman Brearley CBE, DSO, MC, AFC, FRAeS [obituary]". Cross and Cockade International. 21 (1): 53–54.
External links edit
- "28. Group Capt. Sir Norman Brearley (1891–1989), aviator". Karrakatta Cemetery Historical Walk Trail 1. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board: Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 1 February 2021.