Captain Arthur H. Cobby. DSO, DFC and bars

Name Arthur Henry Cobby Date of Birth 26th August 1894 Place of Birth Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Occupation Bank Clerk Date of Enlistment 22nd December 1916 Place of Enlistment - Flying Unit 2 Sqn AFC, 4 Sqn AFC Previous Unit - Service Australian Flying Corps Theatres France AIF Rank Captain Awards DSO, DFC and 2 bars, George Medal, CBE Victories 24 aircraft and 5 balloons Nickname "Harry" AIF Fate Returned To Australia Date of AIF Fate 6th May 1919 Final Rank Air Commodore, RAAF Date of Death 11th November 1955 Place of Death - Cause of Death Natural Causes Notes Arthur Cobby was the leading ace of the Australian Flying Corps

Arthur Henry Cobby was born on the 26th of August 1894 in Prahran, a suburb of Melbourne, and worked as a clerk in the Commonwealth Bank before joining the AFC after World War I started. He had a difficult time signing up as the Bank was a reserved occupation and to enlist required a release signed by his employer. He joined the Australian Flying Corps on the 22nd of December 1916 for no other reason than some of his friends, such as Frank McNamara, who was later to win a VC in Palestine, were joining the Flying service. Cobby was initially to go to France with 2 Sqn AFC but he injured himself in an aircraft accident and was forced to wait. Eventually he reached the front with 4 Sqn AFC.

By March 14, after three months of front line experience, Cobby's skills as a leader and fighter were recognized by the squadron and he was promoted to flight commander. Cobby's greatest pride was that he was a flight commander who had never lost a pilot in his flight to enemy action over the enemy lines. On March 21st, Cobby led a flight of 4 Sqn against Richthofen's Circus, which Malley had engaged only the week before. Cobby wrote, "At 9am we were flying North at 4000ft, just above the balloons and fog, when three Albatros Scouts came through the fog just below and to the left of us. They were followed by a straggled line of Pfalz and other scouts, and were flying in a line parallel to our own."

Cobby then wrote of an "all in" dogfight which lasted four minutes. Cobby writes, "It was Richthofen's Circus again; all were red machines except one yellow and black Albatros. The leaders first seen did not join in the fight; they were ahead in the fog." From this engagement Cobby destroyed two of the enemy while Lieutenant Pflaum and Lieutenant Robertson each shot down an opponent. Lieutenant Elwyn of Courtney's flight fought a duel with a red Albatros but with his engine hit by bullets was forced land behind British lines at Bapaume.

On June 1st, Cobby's flight attacked targets of opportunity including two enemy two seaters, barges near Lys and anything that travelled on the road. On the return flight Cobby attacked a balloon at Neuve Eglise. This was the Cobby's third successful balloon strafe and was to start a rash of balloon busting activities in the squadron. 4 Squadron was to be credited with 22 balloon targets destroyed between July 1st and November 11th in 1918. Cobby would often team up with the New Zealander, Herbert Watson or the New South Welshman, E. Roy King. They would dive down together on balloon installations or alternatively, one would fly higher and watch for enemy scouts. Cobby was to destroy five balloons in his time at the front.

This balloon busting relationship between Cobby and Watson also bloomed as a hunting pair in aerial combat as well. On June 17th, Cobby and Watson saw four Pfalz scouts and one Albatros near Laventie at their altitude. They spiralled above the German aircraft and dived on the formation together. Cobby shot the right wings off his victim while Watson set his in flames. Both pilots then turned their attentions to the next target. Watson zoomed behind his and released a salvo of bullets at extreme close range. The enemy scout rolled over and crashed in a field. Cobby chased his second target to the ground. He then dived three times at the wrecked Pfalz firing 400 rounds at close quarters. Cobby wrote, "I shot the pilot's cockpit and the centre section to pieces, the pilot did not move after crashing".

On July 2nd Cobby was on a special mission to search for German reconn aircraft which had been seen in large numbers over allied lines at the time. He made for the Lys balloon line and attacked a balloon from directly above, leaving it blazing. While he was regaining height from the balloon attack he noticed four Fokker triplanes flying towards Melville. Three were at 10,000 feet and one was out of formation 1500 feet lower. Cobby made straight for the triplanes and using clouds as cover flew east to remain unseen. He came out slightly under the fourth triplane and fired 150 shots into it at 50 yards range. The Fokker fell into the cloud out of control. Cobby stayed on the Fokker's tail to determine the Fokker's, fate despite the close attention of three triplanes attacking Cobby. The other aircraft chased Cobby back to his own lines but after they turned away Cobby flew back to the crash site at La Bassee and saw the Fokker he attacked crashed in a heap on the ground.

In a raid on August 16 of 1918, 80 Wing organized itself for a large attack on Haubourdin Aerodrome which consisted of Bristol Fighters, SE5.a's, Camels and DH.9's. Cobby led 4 Sqn in first and he dived the Squadron on the aerodrome dropping his Cooper bombs. He then circled in with Elwyn "Bo" King and they fired on two Fokkers being wheeled off the strip also dropping their remaining bombs on a hangar which caught ablaze. Cobby then dived on a group of troops marching up the road, he got caught in the concussion from bombs dropped by the DH.9's. One blast lifted his Camel high in the air and then dropped him until his wheels hit the landing strip, bouncing the aircraft. A photograph taken by a higher flying Bristol Fighter catches Cobby's aircraft on a return run over the then smoking and blazing aerodrome.

On September 4th of 1918, Cobby was posted to the AFC training wing in England. While at the Gosport School of Special Flying for an instructors course , Cobby said his eyes were opened by another Australian , Major Norman Brearley. Cobby had thought the course would be easy, but as he records in his book " High adventure " , " I was sadly disillusioned , it took 24 hours to discover how little I knew about the accurate flying of an aeroplane ... the manner in which he ( Brearley ) put the crate down into tiny fields surrounded by tall trees and got it out again was astonishing." Brearley flew DH.2's early in the war until he was wounded in combat and repatriated home. He returned to England to become an instructor.

At war's end the pilots of the AFC were given aircraft to use in a flypast as part of the 1919 salute by the Prince of Wales to the ANZAC Forces. Aircraft of the AFC were supposed to be flying overhead but by mid afternoon 50 pilots were stunting madly over the Prince's head. Cobby dived low over the marching ANZACs with a Sopwith Pup flown by Lieutenant Robertson following. Cobby realized any lower and he would be hitting the marching soldiers' bayonets, any higher and he would be hitting the electricity wires above. He flew for a kilometre down the Strand at this altitude until he was able to climb away when he reached Trafalgar Square.

When he returned to Australia, Cobby became a foundation member of the RAAF and commanded the Richmond Airbase for several years. Cobby attained the rank of Wing Commander before resigning in 1936. World War II saw Cobby return to service in the RAAF as Director of Recruiting. Cobby was to become the Operational Commander of Western Australia by 1942 and then commanded an operational group (1st Tactical Air Force) in 1944 in the South West Pacific. During this time he earned a George Medal when involved in a crash in a PBY Catalina, playing a major part in saving many of the passengers from drowning. Cobby left the RAAF as an Air Commodore CBE DSO DFC GM in 1946.