Sir Norman Brearley CBE, DSO, MC, AFC, FRAeS (22 December 1890 – 9 June 1989) was a commercial and military pilot and one of the pioneers of the airline industry within Australia.

Sir Norman Brearley
Norman Brearley in the 1920s
Born(1890-12-22)22 December 1890
Died9 June 1989(1989-06-09) (aged 98)
NationalityAustralian
OccupationPilot
TitleSir
Bust of Brearley at Perth Airport by sculptor Gerard Darwin

Early life

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Born in Geelong, Victoria on 22 December 1890, Brearley moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1906.[1][2]

Aviation career

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First World War

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In April 1915, after undertaking a 5-year apprenticeship as a mechanic, Brearley worked his way to the United Kingdom and subsequently enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps and trained as a pilot.[3] On the Western Front, he was posted initially to No. 6 Squadron, but transferred to No. 29 Squadron, where he flew Airco DH.2 scouts (including patrols flown alongside Sergeant James McCudden).[2] However, in November 1916 he was shot down and badly wounded, with bullets perforating both lungs: he landed in no man's land, but managed to crawl back to Allied lines.[2][4] He returned to Western Australia to recover.[3] He subsequently returned to Britain where he became a flying instructor, initially at Gosport and then as commander of the school of special flying at Lilbourne.[2][4]

Post-war

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Following the end of hostilities, Brearley bought two Avro 504 aircraft (plus a spare engine), which he had shipped to Australia.[2] In 1921, he founded Western Australian Airways Ltd., based at Geraldton.[1] In the same year, he was issued with Australia's first civil pilot's licence, under the 1921 Air Navigation Regulations.[1] His licence was numbered as licence No. 2, but there was no licence No. 1 at the time: a licence of that number was not issued until 1930, when it was presented to Amy Johnson in honour of her record flight from London to Australia.[1]

In 1927, Brearley opened the Perth Flying School at Maylands. He retired from commercial aviation in 1936 when he merged his airline with Australian National Airways.[3]

Later life

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Brearley later served with the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II, commanding No. 4 Service Flying Training School at Geraldton from October 1942 to March 1944.[1][4]

Brearley was knighted in 1971. He died on 9 June 1989.[1][4]

Personal life

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Brearley married Violet Claremont Stubbs at Christ Church, Claremont on 5 July 1917, when he was recovering from his injuries. She died in 1982, aged 85. The couple had a son and a daughter.[2][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Brearley Pilot's Licences, Treasures of the Battye Library". State Library of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Tucker 1990.
  3. ^ a b c "Australia's First Airline Service". Spirits of Ansett. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e Bunbury 2007.

Further reading

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