Rededication of AFC and RAAF Memorial – Point Cook WING COMMANDER (DR) MARY ANNE WHITING HISTORY AND HERITAGE BRANCH – AIR FORCE
A First World War Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 conducts a flypast during the opening of the refurbished Memorial to the Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force at RAAF Base Point Cook, Victoria.
On October 28th, 2018, then Deputy Chief of Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal Gavin Turnbull, AM and Air Commodore John Meier, Director-General History and Heritage Branch, joined distinguished guests at a rededication ceremony at the Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Memorial at Point Cook, Victoria.
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Guests included descendants of Lieutenant George Merz, Lieutenant Frank McNamara, VC and Wing Commander, later Air Vice-Marshal Goble, CBE, DSC, DSO, and former Chef of the Air Staff, Air Marshal David Evans, AC, DSO, AFC, who was a member of the Australian contingent operating C-47 Dakota transports in the Berlin Airlift from 1948 to 1949. The Memorial was originally unveiled 80 years ago on October 30th, 1939, by His Excellency Brigadier General the Right Honourable Lord Gowrie, VC, GCMG, CB, DSO and Bar, the tenth Governor-General of Australia. The Memorial and adjacent gardens form the centrepiece of the Point Cook Historical Precinct. The gardens are planted with trees, each with an accompanying plaque one of which commemorates the visit of Her Majesty the Queen to Point Cook in 1954; others are named in honour of former Chiefs of Air Staff and Chiefs of Air Force. The new construction now includes a Memorial Wall with bronze plaques; one side commemorates the Australian Flying Corps. Included with these plaques is one dedicated to the RAAF’s first Victoria Cross recipient Air Vice-Marshal Frank McNamara, VC, CB, CBE – the Victoria Cross being the highest award for acts of bravery in wartime. Another plaque honours Lieutenant George Pinnock Merz, MD, MiD; another honours the 3,000 civilian nurses, mostly women, who volunteered to serve in the First World War. The other side of the Memorial commemorates the Royal Australian Air Force. Here are honoured three more recipients of the Victoria Cross - Pilot Officer Rawdon Hume Middleton, VC; Air Commodore Sir Hughie Idwal Edwards, VC, KCMG, CB, DSO, OBE, DFC; and Flight Lieutenant William (Bill) Ellis, VC. Plaques are also dedicated to all those who served in the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force, the Women’s Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service.
