Adrian Trevor " King " Cole was born on the 19th of June 1896 in Malvern , Melbourne. Cole was a student in Melbourne before he enlisted in the Australian Flying Corps on the 28th of January 1916. Cole was posted to 1 AFC in early 1917 where 1 Sqn AFC, 14 Sqn RFC and some naval aircraft consisted of the sole entente aerial support for the fast moving ground battles between the Turks and the entente soldiers. Much of Cole's initial flying was in support of the Australian Lighthorse out patrolling in the desert. Including flying support to the 11th Australian Light Horse during the breakout from the Suez Canal in February of 1917.

During their support of the Lighthorse on February the 3rd 1917 Cole and Lieutenant J.M. Glen were attacked by enemy scouts from FA300 of the Pascha force while reconnoitering a light rail that the Germans and Turkish had been building from Tel el Sheria, midway along the Gaza- Beersheba defence line to Shellal, near Weli Sheikh Nuran. In the desert war supply lines were the key to most battles and the ever present thirst of men, livestock and machines for water dominating all strategic decisions. Monitoring the traffic and timetable of new supply lines like the light rail were highly important.

Later on February the 13th Cole with the observer Lieutenant A.J. Morgan and two other aircraft piloted by Captain Williams and Lieutenant R.M. Drummond with Lieutenant R.M. Smith , served as mobile communications between two columns of mounted infantry, one the 11th Lighthorse and the other the British Yeomanry and Indian infantry from Suez. They flew from the aerodrome of the No.57 Reserve Squadron at Ismailia. The columns had traveling with them two Australian Flying Corps mechanics carrying petrol, oil and spare parts for the aircraft. The columns reached Bir el Giddi and Ain Sudr. The BE aircraft landed at Bir el Giddi and spent a freezing night there where the pilots, observers and mechanics burnt oil lamps for warmth. The previous day the Lighthorsemen had been digging for water. Cole with Smith as his observer spent the next day patrolling for any signs of the Turkish forces but they saw nothing and the Lighthorsemen trekked back carrying the unused bombs for the BE aircraft.

On another occasion in February of 1917, Cole and observer Lieutent J.M. Glen directed the fire of a French Battleship at Jaffa in their BE. Glen was a Scotsmen in the Royal Flying Corps who was attached to the Australian Flying Corps from the 4th of October 1916 to the 10th of June 1917. Later in March, the combined forces of 1 Sqn AFC and 14 Sqn RFC struck out against the rail line at Tel el Sheira. Cole flew as part of a six machine formation that bombed the railway at dawn through the early morning fog. The pilots were surprised by the density of the AAA fire and Cole was holed in his petrol tank, forcing him to land on returning to the squadrons aerodrome. Captain Williams was also hit by the AAA fire and the petrol cock of engine switched off. Williams was about to land with a dud motor when he noticed the cock in the off position. He switched it to on and the motor started and he was able to fly home. In the same mission, a DH1 of 14 Sqn RFC was shot down and both the pilot and observer were captured.

On April 21st Captain Williams and observer E.S. Headlam were reconnoitering Tel el Sheria, with Cole and Lieutenant J.V. Tunbridge escorting in Martinsyde aircraft. Cole was was in Martinsyde A1583 when an "Archie" shell blew up immediately under his aircraft, destroying half his fuel tank and forcing him to land behind enemy lines. The squadron had only recently rebuilt the machine and Cole reluctantly was forced to burn it to keep it out of German and Turkish hands. Williams landed next to Cole and together the overloaded BE flew back to the squadrons aerodrome. Williams was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for the incident.

June 26th Cole took part in a bombing raid on Juresalem when the BE of Lieutenant C. le E Brown was forced down with engine seizure and Cole in his Martinsyde and another BE piloted by Lieutenant R.A Austin landed to pick Brown up. They burnt the disabled BE aircraft. The second BE was forced down with engine trouble before returning home and Cole attempted top pick both airmen up but the Martinsyde couldn't lift the extra weight of the three men. Cole then tried to take off with one other passenger but 10 feet above the ground his engine quit and the Martinsyde landed badly breaking it's undercarriage. The three men buried a camera and their guns. Two other BE aircraft flying above them as escort exhausted their petrol and were forced to land near Khalasa, they were picked up by the remaining aircraft in the formation and left their machines unburnt in the hope they would be salvageable. Of the eight aircraft the began the mission only three returned to their aerodromes under their own power. The raid had been a success as the Turkish diverted AAA guns to the Mount of Olives at Jerusalem.

In December of 1917 the Australian Flying Corps had expanded it's capacity by forming operational Squadrons to fight in the European Theatre. After the initial loss of experienced 1 Sqn AFC pilots, observers and ground staff to the new squadrons in August through September of 1917, more were to be transferred to the European Theatre over the next six months in leadership positions. Cole was one of these, being promoted to flight commander and transferred to fly with 2 Sqn AFC with SE5a aircraft. Before Cole left for Europe he was involved in an incident where he attacked six enemy scouts that were about to strafe entente cavalry while flying one of the squadrons new Bristol Fighter's. Cole was awarded the Military Cross for his valour on this occasion.

Cole figures in a story told by Lieutenant L.W. Sutherland in his book, Aces and Kings about the squadron receiving a visit form two Lighthorse "Iodine Men" or Doctors. The two after greeting the squadron mess asked where King [Cole} was. Once the pair of Doctors discovered Cole was resting due to a large boil on his face they began to argue over who was going to lance it. Eventually they flipped on it. When the group appeared in Cole's tent to lance his boil he roared no, in Sutherland's words, "We[the pilots and observers] followed the winner [Captain Henry Leahy] to where King lay in his tent, cursing frightfully and completely unaware of the reason for the visit. Doc. Leahy broke the news. King was firm. And profane. "

Eventually King Cole was manhandled to the medical tent by the group following the doctors. The hospital tent was a bell tent that had been dug in three feet into the ground to protect against bombing. As Leahy was about to cut off the boil, there was a crack as the undercarriage of an aircraft hit the top of the tent pole, and the tent collapsed on Cole and Leahy. Sutherland wrote, "It certainly was a mess. And the language. To make confusion more compounded no one could locate the door." A pilot of 14 Sqn RFC had misjudged his landing approach and clipped the top of the tent trying to get the aircraft down.

On the evening of June 2nd 1918 at 7.30 PM Cole flying an SE5a was part of a formation of twelve machines of 2 Sqn AFC when they met eight Pfalz and Fokker Triplane scouts 5 miles east of the lines. The SE5a's were positioned above the German formation, Cutlack quotes, " but the SE5a's had the height of them, and either destroyed or shot down out of control five of the eight." Cole with Lieutenant Primrose dived upon the rearmost machine and chased it down for 1000ft. Primrose zoomed to engage another Pfalz and Cole had his guns jam on him while attacking the first Pfalz and watched the Pfalz fall to the ground near Estrees-en-Chaussee. This was Cole's first victory.

Train strafing had become a sport amongst the two AFC squadrons in 80 Wing and on July 7th 1918, ten SE5a's of 2 Sqn AFC under the squadron commander Murray Jones took off in the early morning under the cover of mist and an overcast sky with a 2000 foot ceiling for concealment. The flight found a train at Harbourdin, and Murray Jones dropped two bombs on the train while Cole fired his machine guns up its length. Cole then dropped his bombs into the good shed. Later in July on the afternoon of the 17th Cole lead a flight of five aircraft from 2 Sqn over Armentieres and maneuvered his flight into advantage over a patrol of six Fokker Triplanes placing the flight above and to the east of the German aircraft. Cole dived on the leader firing into the aircraft which dropped onto it's back, Stone also started firing into the Triplane and it caught fire, plummeting 17000ft in flames. Above the Trenches names the German pilot as Lieutenant Otto Franke of Jasta 30.

On July 29th 1918, Cole's patrol accompanied by Major Murray Jones, attacked a Hannover 2 seater near Nieppe forest and shot it's observer. In August on the 7th two flights of 4 Sqn AFC flew to bomb and shoot up the Railyards at Saingham and were protected by eleven machines of 2 Sqn AFC high above them. Eight Fokker biplanes appeared at 6.30 AM but Cole and Lieutenant Smith dived through their formation and shot two down OOC successfully breaking any chance of them attacking the Sopwith Camels below.

Later in August 19th eight SE5a's under the command of Cole and Manuel set out for the Lys area, and at high altitude saw several formations of Fokker's in the sky between Laventie and Haubourdin. Cole and Wellwood at 17000ft had become separated from the rest of the group but having sighted seven Fokker DVII's over Harbourdin dived down to attack them. Cole shot one down OOC and drove another which " was sitting on the tail " of Wellwoods SE5a. The fight then became a dogfight and Cole followed one DVII from Lille in a SE direction diving after it, firing constantly for several thousand feet until it fell OOC. Cole now on his own was attacked by five Fokker Triplane's who had spun down from an attack higher up by Bristol Fighters. Luckily for Cole the Bristol's had followed the Triplane's down to the lower level.

On September 24th Cole led a patrol of fifteen SE5a's over the front at 17000ft to a point west of Lille. The flight first engaged a flight of eleven Fokker DVII's with two being sent down OOC Frank Smith destroying one which crashed near Capinghem. Franks had destroyed another the SE5a flight which had remained above the fight was attacked by a formation of three Pfalz Scouts from above. The SE5a's dived down into the mellee below and the Pfalz's followed in close pursuit, the Se5a's in the fight lower down attached themselves to the three Pfalz aircraft, with Frank Smith sending one down vertically, Wellwood flamed another and the third Cole fired into until it crashed at Harbourdin near Perenchies.

Through the last four months of the war Cole had been an extremely active and competent flight leader, and on the 28th of October Cole was to achieve his last victory of the war by attacking a DVII out of a formation of Fokker's which were attacking a flight of DH9's at 15000ft. Cole entered into a duel with the Fokker and after firing 300 rounds into it, the Fokker flamed. The German pilot leapt from his plane and in what was a first for the Australians he parachuted to safety, in Cole's words the pilot, " apparently descended safely".

Cole remained in the Air Force after the war and became Director of Training and then Commander of Point Cook in 1926. Later Cole was to be chairman for the McRobertson - mille Air Race in 1934. During World War II, Cole had a distinguished career which included being the Fighter Controller during the ill-fated Dieppe raid of August 19 , 1942, during which he was wounded. Cole ended his career in the RAAF as Air Vice Marshal CBE, DSO, MC and DFC and chairman of the Melbourne Centenary Air race Sub Committee.