McNamara was born in Rushworth, Victoria. He enlisted in the Australian Flying Corps in 1915 and became one of the members of the third training course at Point Cook. Once McNamara graduated he was quickly sent off of join the newly formed No.1 Australian Flying Corps squadron in Palestine. It was while flying over the deserts of the Middle East that Frank McNamara was to earn a Victoria Cross. The only Australian flier in World War I to do so.
McNamara joined No.3 Training Course at the Australian Flying Corps Training School at Point Cook, Victoria in 1915. Other luminaries in this course included Richard Williams and Lawrence Wackett. Both of whom were highly influential in Australian aviation after World War I.
McNamara learnt how to fly on Depperduissan monoplanes and BE2 aircraft. While he was at the school he saw the Mesopotamian Half Flight leave for the Middle East. Soon after No.3 Training Course joined a group of twenty eight officers and one hundred and ninety-five NCOs and aircraftsmen as No.1 Squadron Australian Flying Corps. They embarked on the troopship
Orsorva
and set sail for Egypt.
No.1 AFC took over the BE aircraft of No.17 Squadron RFC who had left for Salonika. McNamara along with the other squadron pilots and observers flew their lumbering BE2 aircraft against the speedy and manoeuvrable German Rumpler CI aircraft. The theatre was pretty lopsided until the arrival of Nieuport and Bristol Fighter aircraft in late 1917. In an attempt to minimise the aerial superiority of FA300, No.1 Squadron received Martinsyde G.100 aircraft to complement their BE2 aircraft. It was not uncommon for five BE2 aircraft to be escorted by a lone Martinsyde.
One of the challenges the aircrew faced was when they were shot down, or their aircraft generated an issue forcing them to land in the desert. The landscape was not heavily populated. Allied and Turkish forces were sparse as well. The other issue faced was that first contact was often with Arabs or Bedouin's and it was difficult to tell which side they were on, if they were on any side.
The Australians knew of fate of Merz and Burns in Mesopotamia when they had landed and then been killed in a shoot out with Arabs. Lieutenant Percy Snell had picked up Lieutenant John Tunbridge who had been shot down and had Bedouins closing in on him. Major Richard Williams also picked up Lieutenant Adrian "King" Cole and was awarded a DSO for it. This practice was not always successful, and there were instances were the aircraft and crew trying to rescue the downed plane were captured.
On March 20th 1917, McNamara was on an escort mission for several BE2 bombers to Tel El Hasi. He was flying the Martinsyde G.100 serial No.7486. Captain David Rutherford in BE2 No.4479 developed engine trouble just after his bombing run and was forced to land deep behind enemy lines. McNamara had been badly wounded when a bomb from his aircraft had exploded prematurely, but despite the wound, he landed next to Rutherford who clambered on board.
The severity of the wound was sufficient that McNamara couldn't control the aircraft on take off and he wrecked the Martinsyde. By now the pair had Turkish Cavalry coming toward them. To keep the cavalry away the other Australian aircraft started strafing the cavalry. The pair jumped into the BE2 of Rutherford's and managed to restart it. This time getting airborne. McNamara flew seventy miles with the wound and several times came close to fainting from loss of blood. This courage earned McNamara the Victoria Cross.
The citation for Frank McNamara's Victoria Cross, taken from the London Gazette dated the 8th of June 1917;
For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during an aerial bomb attack upon a hostile construction train, when one of our pilots was forced to land behind the enemy's lines. Lieut. McNamara, observing the pilot's predicament and the fact that hostile cavalry were approaching, descended to his rescue. He did this under heavy rifle fire, and in spite of the fact that he himself had been severely wounded in the thigh. He landed about 200 yards from the damaged machine, the pilot of which climbed into Lieut. McNamara machine, and an attempt was made to rise. Owing, however, to his disabled leg, Lieut. McNamara was unable to keep his machine straight, and it turned over. The two officers, having extricated themselves, immediately set fire to the machine and made their way across to the damaged machine, which they succeeded in starting. Finally, Lieut. McNamara, although weak from the loss of blood, flew the machine back to the aerodrome, a distance of 70 miles, and thus completed his comrade's rescue.Source: Graeme Neale. McNamara's own log book contained;
21.3.1917 0900 Martinsyde-7486, Passengers-Nil, Time-2hrs. Two BE2e's (Rutherford and Drummond), two Martinsydes (Les Ellis and self). We each took six 4.5 Howitzer shells (35lbs) to bomb a section of railway just across WADI HESSE. Shells had delay action of 40 seconds. Ellis started bombing railway and when a Hun appeared turned his attention to it. I followed him dropping 3 on train and 2 on railway. No.5 exploded prematurely wounding me in the right buttock. Planes ripped about but engine unhurt. Dropped two smoke bombs for other machines and started off home. Looked again at railway curve and saw Rutherford (2c) on ground with the smoke bomb out. Lots of smoke about. Turkish cavalry approaching 2c near railway. Switched off, landed and taxied up to Rutherford. Latter trying to burn his machine at fuselage. Yelled him to hurry. He ran up and climbed on to engine cowl in between centre bay. Opened up, turned around and started to take off. Right leg pretty dud. Machine doing about 35 mph on ground when started swinging to left. Could not counter with right foot. Swung around crashing prop, lower left plane and undercarriage. Got out fired bullet into petrol tank followed with Very Light. Rifle fire from the Turks. Started to Rutherford's BE which was not on fire yet. In landing he had ripped off a tyre, broken centre section wires, cracked a longeron, dropped a lewis drum under rudder bar. Just now the remaining 35lb shell exploded! Blowing Martinsyde to pieces. Leg pretty dud and bullets whizzing about. Reached Rutherford's machine. Sat in pilots seat, enticed stuff from under rudder bar. Rutherford gave prop a swing 'Contact' and she started. He jumped into observers seat. Turned machine around to take off. Opened up throttle. She stuck 3 times on soft ground, then lifted off ground. Just in time to escape rush. Nearly fainted on way back. Put wind up Rutherford. Took about 1hr 20min to reach 143. Landed alright - 3 bombs still on rack. Evacuated on Hospital train 7.15 pm.Source: Cross and Cockade Volume 2 No.3 1971. Rutherford's log book was pretty undescriptive. Under remarks it contained simply, "Bomb raid, forced landing - McNamara." McNamara was further wounded with a massive burn hole in his foot when a hot bottle was pressed to closely to his skin. Many of the pictures of McNamara in the hospital shows this wound which was not related to the raid itself or the action that earned him the Victoria Cross. McNamara was repatriated to Australia where he served as an instructor at Point Cook. When the German raider SMS Wolf threatened Australia, McNamara led the establishment of a forward airfield in East Gippsland and flew an FE2b in search of the raider. When the Australian Flying Corps disbanded, McNamara transferred to the newly formed Royal Australian Air Force. During World War II he served as an Air Commodore and later as Air Vice Marshal commanding forces in North Africa before becoming a part of the RAAF's group at the British Ministry of Defence. McNamara retired in England and passed away on the 2nd of November, 1961. cam
