The Home Defence Flight History

The Victorian Flight

As a result of the German Raider SMS Wolf laying sea mines off the South East Australian Coast, Captain F.H. McNamara, VC and Lieutenant R.F. Galloway of the Aviation Instructional Staff were given instructions on April 19th, 1918 to prepare to conduct patrols. On April 20th, McNamara left Point Cook at 3pm in FE2 CFS 14 fitted with a Lewis Gun manned by Warrant Officer Hendy, with instructions to establish a station in the Toora-Alberton area of East Gippsland. About 20 others of the party, consisting of Navy, Army and AIS personnel travelled by 6.30 am train.

McNamara found no suitable landing ground at Toora, so continued to Alberton, where he landed at 6.37 pm. This ground also proved unsuitable, so next day he shifted to Yarram to take advantage of better ground, and where petrol was obtainable from a motor garage. The strip he selected was good for easterly or westerly winds, but not so good for north or south, due to fence and drain.

Flights From Yarram

On the 23rd of April on returning from a recce, he smashed the undercart on the raised bank of this drain, which was obscured by weeds. Steel tubing was railed from Melbourne, and a replacement undercarriage was manufactured in Yarram. Patrols were resumed on April 30th.

Patrols had been arranged to commence about 2pm each day, but on one occasion McNamara proposed to leave before sun up in order to be out at sea at daybreak. Alas, a crack on the crankcase that had been there for some months became worse, and No.6 cylinder needed to be resecured. Staff worked all night but the new day dawned with low cloud precluding operations. No.6 cylinder caused more problems on the 5th of May when a bolt broke. The motor had to be practically dismantled to effect repairs and the machine was not ready until the 10th when a 15 minute air test showed the radiator to be leaking.

The radiator was replaced and McNamara left Yarram for Laverton at 9 am of May 11th. He got as far as French Island when the new radiator was found to be leaking too. He landed at Powlett River where repairs were effected by midnight. Owing to storms he could not leave until 2.15 pm of the 12th, the course being from Wonthaggi to Laverton, a direct flight over Port Phillip Bay. It took 3 hours 35 minutes to cover the 72 miles and it was dark before he was half way.

During the period 21st of April, 1918 and 10th May 1918 eight extensive recce flights and three movement flights were made and a supply of 20lb Hale bombs was kept in case of a possible target.

Other plans fell by the wayside due to faults and delays. These had included training AIS and air cadets in bombsight setting, recce and observation, photographic mapping exercises, and air to air gunnery practice using large flocks of seabirds as targets. Testing of the Service camera on the return flight was the only achievement reported.

The New South Wales Flight

Lieutenant R.F. Galloway was instructed on the 19th of April to load MF17 onto HMAS Protector at Williamstown Naval Depot in time to sail the next day and to establish an aerodrome near Twofold Bay, NSW. The machine was dismantled and transported in four parts, along with a tent hangar, stores and five mechanics all was ready to sail at 3 pm.

The ship arrived at about 4 pm on April 22nd. In a borrowed motorboat Galloway and his spare pilot Tunbridge inspected two prospective landing grounds but they proved unsuitable. Next day they inspected territory around Pambula and Bega, finally settling for the Bega racecourse where they had the use of the Jockey Club rooms and their telephone. They then drove to Tathra to inspect the road and wharf with a view to unloading there.

Unloading from the Tathra Docks

The ship arrived at Tathra at noon on April 24th where the aircraft and stores were unloaded onto a 2 ton Albion lorry which set off for Bega with the first load taking 3 hours to cover the 11 miles. By the 26th of April transportation was completed and the machine assembled and tested on the 29th. From that date to May 8th inclusive it was ready for flying duty. Two flights of about 45 minutes were conducted each day.

On May 9th instructions were issued to re-embark the machine, stores and party by Saturday 11th but delays saw the last load reaching Tathra on Monday 13th. The ship sailed at 5pm, arrived at Williamstown on May 15th where it was unloaded, and stores and materials were returned to Laverton by the 17th.

Considerable assistance was given to both parties by the local residents and businesses, gratis. The last recorded destruction of one of SMS Wolf's mines was at Noosa, Queensland on the 21st of February 1921.