Frank Bladin
Encyclopedia
Air Vice Marshal Francis Masson (Frank) Bladin, CB, CBE (26 August 1898 – 2 February 1978) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF). Born in rural Victoria
, he graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon
, in 1920. Bladin transferred from the Army
to the Air Force in 1923, and learned to fly at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria. He held training appointments before taking command of No. 1 Squadron
in 1934. Quiet but authoritative, he was nicknamed "Dad" in tribute to the concern he displayed for the welfare of his personnel.
Ranked wing commander
at the outbreak of World War II, by September 1941 Bladin had been raised to temporary air commodore
. He became Air Officer Commanding
North-Western Area in March 1942, following the first Japanese air raids on Darwin
, Northern Territory. Personally leading sortie
s against enemy territory, he earned the United States Silver Star
for gallantry. In July 1943, Bladin was posted to No. 38 Group RAF in Europe, where he was mentioned in despatches. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire the same year.
Promoted acting air vice marshal in 1946, Bladin was among the coterie of senior officers who helped reshape the post-war RAAF. His roles in the late 1940s and early 1950s included Chief of Staff of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force
in Japan, Air Officer Commanding Eastern Area (later RAAF Air Command
), and Air Member for Personnel. Appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1950, he retired to his country property in 1953. He was active for many years in veterans' affairs before his death in 1978 at the age of seventy-nine.
Frank Bladin was born on 26 August 1898 in Korumburra
, Victoria, the youngest son of engineer Frederick Bladin and his wife Ellen. Educated to junior public level at Melbourne High School
, he sought to join the Australian Imperial Force
during World War I. However, his parents refused their permission, and he instead entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon
, in 1917. Graduating in 1920, Bladin served for the next two years in the Australian Army
, including sixteen months seconded to the Royal Field Artillery
in Britain. He transferred to the recently established Royal Australian Air Force
as a flying officer
in January 1923. Undergoing pilot training at Point Cook, Victoria, he was one of five former Army lieutenant
s on the inaugural RAAF flying course—all of whom had left their original service at least partly because of poor career prospects in the post-war military. One of Bladin's other classmates on the course was a 1919 graduate of the Royal Australian Naval College
, Sub-Lieutenant Joe Hewitt
. During 1925–26, Bladin was in charge of running Citizens Air Force (reserve) pilots' courses at No. 1 Flying Training School
, Point Cook. Having been promoted to flight lieutenant
, he married Patricia Magennis at Yass
, New South Wales, on 20 December 1927; the couple had a son and two daughters.
Bladin was posted to Britain in 1929 to attend RAF Staff College, Andover
, and wrote an article on Empire air defence in 1931 for Royal Air Force Quarterly, one of the few published pieces of work on air power produced by RAAF officers in the pre-war years. Promoted to squadron leader
, he took over as Commanding Officer
of No. 1 Squadron
from Squadron Leader Frank Lukis
in April 1934. Bladin found that the unit, flying Westland Wapiti
s and Hawker Demons
out of RAAF Station Laverton in Victoria, "had not operated under field conditions away from its brick hangars and concrete tarmac since its inception some eight years previous". He proceeded to change this, deploying the squadron 300 miles away to Cootamundra
in rural New South Wales
, where he "borrowed a portion of a sheep station from a friend so that the pilots could carry out their bombing practice" over a two-week period commencing in late November 1935. After completing his tenure with No. 1 Squadron in December, Bladin was appointed Officer Commanding
Cadet Squadron at No. 1 Flying Training School. He modelled the training course on that of Duntroon, foreshadowing instruction at the Air Force's own cadet institute, RAAF College, which would be established in 1947. On 12 March 1937, he was promoted to wing commander
.
Bladin's first posting following the outbreak of World War II was as Director of Operations and Intelligence at RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne, in March 1940. Promoted to group captain
in June, he became Air Officer Commanding
Southern Area in August 1941 and was raised to acting air commodore
the following month. By 1 January 1942, Bladin was serving as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations), charged with readying air bases and putting into effect plans for the Empire Air Training Scheme
. He took over as Air Officer Commanding North-Western Area (AOC NWA) on 25 March that year. Based in Darwin
, his role was to conduct the air defence of Torres Strait
, the Northern Territory
, and north Western Australia
. He also had to restore morale following the bombing of Darwin on 19 February and deal with the threat of imminent invasion, tasks complicated by the poor state of local communications, transport and early warning systems. Initiating combat training for all RAAF ground crew, Bladin proceeded to construct secondary airfields so that he could disperse his forces. He became, in the words of Air Force historian Dr Alan Stephens, "the RAAF's outstanding area commander of the war", and earned distinction as the first Australian decorated by the United States in the Pacific theatre of operations
when he was awarded the Silver Star
for gallantry. The cited action took place in June when Bladin personally led a raid by USAAF
B-17 Flying Fortresses on Celebes
in the Dutch East Indies
. As well as destroying enemy machines on the ground and damaging infrastructure, the Allied bombers managed to evade an attack by nine Japanese fighters during their return to base. Bladin's award was recommended in September, and promulgated in the Australian Gazette on 23 November 1944.
By December 1942, Bladin's strength in NWA consisted of seven RAAF squadrons operating mainly Bristol Beaufighter
and P-40 Kittyhawk fighters, Lockheed Hudson
light bombers, and A-31 Vengeance
dive bombers. These were soon augmented by one squadron each of Dutch East Indies B-25 Mitchell medium bombers and USAAF B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. As Japanese air raids continued into 1943, Bladin placed his bombers inland, and his fighters close to the coast where they could intercept the raiders. Appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 1 January 1943, he stepped up offensive strikes against island bases and shipping in the Timor
and Arafura Sea
s as the Allies took the fight to the Japanese. He often employed his own judgement in the selection of targets, as detailed directives from superior headquarters were not always forthcoming. On 27 February, acting on intercepted radio transmissions, he launched a pre-emptive raid on Penfui airfield near Koepang
, which destroyed or damaged twenty-two enemy bombers that had been destined to make a major raid on Darwin. To help protect northern Australia from ongoing air attack, three squadrons of Spitfire
fighters were transferred from the United Kingdom in late 1942, becoming operational in March 1943 as No. 1 Fighter Wing
. A major engagement over Darwin
on 2 May resulted in eight Spitfires crashing and several others making forced landings, for the destruction of one Japanese bomber and five fighters. An adverse communiqué concerning the action was issued from General Douglas MacArthur
's headquarters and was picked up by Australian newspapers, which reported the Spitfires' "heavy losses" and caused resentment in NWA. Bladin complained to his superior, Air Vice Marshal Bill Bostock
, that the "alarmist tendency of the press and radio references was having a bad effect on the combat pilots". He also ordered an immediate Beaufighter strike led by Wing Commander Charles Read
against Penfui airfield, on the assumption that this was where the Japanese raiders were based; four enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground.
On 17 June, under the command of Group Captain Clive Caldwell
, No. 1 Fighter Wing recorded NWA's most successful interception to date, claiming fourteen Japanese raiders destroyed and ten damaged, for the loss of two Spitfires. The 380th Bombardment Group USAAF
, consisting of four squadrons of Liberators, came under Bladin's control the same month, enhancing NWA's strategic strike capability. When Bladin handed over North-Western Area to Air Vice Marshal Adrian Cole
in July 1943, the latter reported that his new command was "well organised, keen and in good shape". Posted to England as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of No. 38 Group RAF
, Bladin was closely involved in training aircrew and planning airborne operations for Operation Overlord
, the Allied invasion of France. He flew a mission on D-Day, 6 June 1944, to deliver glider-borne troops to Normandy
, and was mentioned in despatches two days later. Completing his RAF service on the staff of the Second Tactical Air Force
in France, Bladin returned to Australia to become Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
in October 1944. On two occasions in June 1945, he was considered for the position of AOC RAAF Command
, the Air Force's main operational formation in the South West Pacific. Bladin would have replaced Air Vice Marshal Bostock, who was facing disciplinary action for refusing to comply with directives from the Air Board, the RAAF's controlling body, but in the end the Australian government made no change to command arrangements.
The RAF had planned to deploy an airborne formation, No. 238 (Airborne Assault) Group, to the Pacific theatre and requested Bladin be released from his duties as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff to assume its command, but this was cancelled with the end of hostilities in August 1945. His next posting was to Kure
, Japan, in January 1946, as Chief of Staff to Lieutenant General John Northcott
, commander of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force
(BCOF). Northcott reportedly chose Bladin not only for his operational command and staff experience in the RAAF and the RAF during World War II, but for his pedigree as a Duntroon graduate rather than having a background that was confined to the Air Force alone. Promoted acting air vice marshal on 1 March 1946, he handed over to another Duntroon graduate, Air Vice Marshal John McCauley
, in June 1947. After returning to Australia, Bladin was to figure prominently, along with such figures as McCauley, Air Vice Marshal Joe Hewitt and Air Commodore (later Air Chief Marshal Sir) Frederick Scherger
, in reshaping the post-war Air Force. In June 1947, he was appointed Air Officer Commanding Eastern Area, which would evolve over the years into Home Command, Operational Command and, finally, Air Command
. His acting rank of air vice marshal was made substantive on 1 October 1948. As AOC Eastern Area, Bladin was instrumental in organising acquisition of a new site for his then-headquarters at Bradfield Park
on Sydney's North Shore
, namely the former Lapstone Hotel at Glenbrook
in the Blue Mountains. Subsequently known as Headquarters Operational Command, later Headquarters Air Command
, the site was purchased in mid-1949, and became operational at the end of the year. In addition to its commanding view of the surrounding countryside, the property was within five kilometres of the City of Penrith
and thirty kilometres of RAAF Base Richmond
, and incorporated a disused railway tunnel that offered "complete protection from Atom Bomb
attack".
Bladin became Air Member for Personnel (AMP) on 24 November 1948; this position gave him a seat on the Air Board, which consisted of the RAAF's most senior officers and was chaired by the Chief of the Air Staff. He succeeded Joe Hewitt, and worked to consolidate the innovations in Air Force education and training that the latter had initiated. RAAF Staff College was opened in June 1949 at Point Cook, providing an advanced defence course aimed at squadron leaders and wing commanders; various international facilities were also utilised to further officers' education. In October, Bladin became involved in the push for a Junior Equipment and Administrative Training Scheme to offer apprenticeships to clerical and supply staff, which was established two years later. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the King's Birthday Honours
announced in June 1950. In 1951, inspired by a similar initiative in state education, he sponsored a move to have RAAF education officers augment their degree qualifications
with formal teaching credentials
. Over the following year, in response to increased demands for aircrew to meet Australia's commitments to the Malayan Emergency
and the Korean War
, pilot training was broken out from a single all-encompassing course at No. 1 Flying Training School (No. 1 FTS) in Point Cook, Victoria, into separate courses at the newly formed No. 1 Initial Flying Training School
at Archerfield
, Queensland, No. 1 Basic Flying Training School
at Uranquinty, New South Wales, and No. 1 Applied Flying Training School (re-formed from No. 1 FTS) at Point Cook.
. Shortly after leaving the Air Force, Bladin donated an eponymous trophy for the service's best-performing Avro Lincoln
unit in bombing and aerial gunnery competition. He ran a grazing property
, which he named Adastra
, at Yass, just north of the Australian Capital Territory
. Between 1951 and 1954, and again from 1956 to 1969, he also served as treasurer of the Returned Sailors', Soldiers' and Airmen's Imperial League of Australia, which became the Returned Services League
in 1965. In the early 1960s he helped raise funds for building the Anzac Memorial Chapel of St Paul at his old college, Duntroon. Bladin died in Melbourne on 2 February 1978, survived by his three children. His wife, who was involved in the support of veterans' families and other community work, had died earlier. Accorded an Air Force funeral at the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Deepdene
, Frank Bladin was buried at Springvale
, Victoria.
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF). Born in rural Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, he graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
, in 1920. Bladin transferred from the Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
to the Air Force in 1923, and learned to fly at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria. He held training appointments before taking command of No. 1 Squadron
No. 1 Squadron RAAF
No. 1 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron based at RAAF Amberley. The squadron is currently being re-equipped with F/A-18F Super Hornet multi-role fighters.-World War I:...
in 1934. Quiet but authoritative, he was nicknamed "Dad" in tribute to the concern he displayed for the welfare of his personnel.
Ranked wing commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
at the outbreak of World War II, by September 1941 Bladin had been raised to temporary air commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
. He became Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
North-Western Area in March 1942, following the first Japanese air raids on Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Northern Territory. Personally leading sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
s against enemy territory, he earned the United States Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
for gallantry. In July 1943, Bladin was posted to No. 38 Group RAF in Europe, where he was mentioned in despatches. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire the same year.
Promoted acting air vice marshal in 1946, Bladin was among the coterie of senior officers who helped reshape the post-war RAAF. His roles in the late 1940s and early 1950s included Chief of Staff of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force , was the name of the joint Australian, Canadian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 21 February 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952...
in Japan, Air Officer Commanding Eastern Area (later RAAF Air Command
RAAF Air Command
Air Command is the operational arm of the Royal Australian Air Force . It is headed by the Air Commander Australia, whose role is to manage and command the RAAF's Force Element Groups , which contain the operational capability of the Air Force...
), and Air Member for Personnel. Appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1950, he retired to his country property in 1953. He was active for many years in veterans' affairs before his death in 1978 at the age of seventy-nine.
Early career
Korumburra, Victoria
Korumburra is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located on the South Gippsland Highway, kilometres south-east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland Shire local government area....
, Victoria, the youngest son of engineer Frederick Bladin and his wife Ellen. Educated to junior public level at Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a selective entry state school for boys in years 9 to 12 located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. Being a selective school, it is known mainly for its strong academic reputation...
, he sought to join the Australian Imperial Force
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
during World War I. However, his parents refused their permission, and he instead entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
, in 1917. Graduating in 1920, Bladin served for the next two years in the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
, including sixteen months seconded to the Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
in Britain. He transferred to the recently established Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
as a flying officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
in January 1923. Undergoing pilot training at Point Cook, Victoria, he was one of five former Army lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
s on the inaugural RAAF flying course—all of whom had left their original service at least partly because of poor career prospects in the post-war military. One of Bladin's other classmates on the course was a 1919 graduate of the Royal Australian Naval College
HMAS Creswell
HMAS Creswell is a shore establishment of the Royal Australian Navy, a part of the Australian Defence Force, and consists of the Royal Australian Naval College , The RAN School of Survivability and Ship's Safety, Kalkara Flight, the Beecroft Weapons Range and an administrative support...
, Sub-Lieutenant Joe Hewitt
Joe Hewitt (RAAF officer)
Air Vice Marshal Joseph Eric Hewitt, CBE was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force...
. During 1925–26, Bladin was in charge of running Citizens Air Force (reserve) pilots' courses at No. 1 Flying Training School
No. 1 Flying Training School RAAF
No. 1 Flying Training School was a flying training school of the Royal Australian Air Force . It was one of the Air Force's original units, dating back to the service's formation in 1921, when it was based at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria. The school underwent a number of reorganisations during its...
, Point Cook. Having been promoted to flight lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
, he married Patricia Magennis at Yass
Yass, New South Wales
Yass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" , said to mean 'running water'....
, New South Wales, on 20 December 1927; the couple had a son and two daughters.
Bladin was posted to Britain in 1929 to attend RAF Staff College, Andover
RAF Staff College, Andover
The RAF Staff College at RAF Andover was the first Royal Air Force staff college to be established. Its role was the training of officers in the administrative, staff and policy apects of air force matters.-Foundation:...
, and wrote an article on Empire air defence in 1931 for Royal Air Force Quarterly, one of the few published pieces of work on air power produced by RAAF officers in the pre-war years. Promoted to squadron leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
, he took over as Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of No. 1 Squadron
No. 1 Squadron RAAF
No. 1 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron based at RAAF Amberley. The squadron is currently being re-equipped with F/A-18F Super Hornet multi-role fighters.-World War I:...
from Squadron Leader Frank Lukis
Frank Lukis
Air Commodore Francis William Fellowes Lukis, CBE was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . A veteran of World War I, he first saw combat as a soldier in the Australian Imperial Force at Gallipoli...
in April 1934. Bladin found that the unit, flying Westland Wapiti
Westland Wapiti
The Westland Wapiti was a British two-seat general purpose military single-engined biplane of the 1920s. It was designed and built by Westland Aircraft Works to replace the Airco DH.9A in Royal Air Force service....
s and Hawker Demons
Hawker Hart
The Hawker Hart was a British two-seater biplane light bomber of the Royal Air Force , which had a prominent role during the RAF's inter-war period. The Hart was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and built by Hawker Aircraft...
out of RAAF Station Laverton in Victoria, "had not operated under field conditions away from its brick hangars and concrete tarmac since its inception some eight years previous". He proceeded to change this, deploying the squadron 300 miles away to Cootamundra
Cootamundra, New South Wales
Cootamundra is a town and Local Government Area in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. At the 2006 census, Cootamundra had a population of 5,566. It is located on the Olympic Highway at the point where it crosses the Muttama Creek, between Junee and...
in rural New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, where he "borrowed a portion of a sheep station from a friend so that the pilots could carry out their bombing practice" over a two-week period commencing in late November 1935. After completing his tenure with No. 1 Squadron in December, Bladin was appointed Officer Commanding
Officer Commanding
The Officer Commanding is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit , principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, the term Commanding Officer is applied to commanders of minor as well as major units.Normally an Officer Commanding is a company, squadron or battery...
Cadet Squadron at No. 1 Flying Training School. He modelled the training course on that of Duntroon, foreshadowing instruction at the Air Force's own cadet institute, RAAF College, which would be established in 1947. On 12 March 1937, he was promoted to wing commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
.
World War II
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
in June, he became Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
Southern Area in August 1941 and was raised to acting air commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
the following month. By 1 January 1942, Bladin was serving as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations), charged with readying air bases and putting into effect plans for the Empire Air Training Scheme
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
. He took over as Air Officer Commanding North-Western Area (AOC NWA) on 25 March that year. Based in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, his role was to conduct the air defence of Torres Strait
Torres Strait
The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
, the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, and north Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. He also had to restore morale following the bombing of Darwin on 19 February and deal with the threat of imminent invasion, tasks complicated by the poor state of local communications, transport and early warning systems. Initiating combat training for all RAAF ground crew, Bladin proceeded to construct secondary airfields so that he could disperse his forces. He became, in the words of Air Force historian Dr Alan Stephens, "the RAAF's outstanding area commander of the war", and earned distinction as the first Australian decorated by the United States in the Pacific theatre of operations
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
when he was awarded the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
for gallantry. The cited action took place in June when Bladin personally led a raid by USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
B-17 Flying Fortresses on Celebes
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. As well as destroying enemy machines on the ground and damaging infrastructure, the Allied bombers managed to evade an attack by nine Japanese fighters during their return to base. Bladin's award was recommended in September, and promulgated in the Australian Gazette on 23 November 1944.
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
and P-40 Kittyhawk fighters, Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
light bombers, and A-31 Vengeance
Vultee A-31 Vengeance
The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was an American dive bomber of World War II, built by Vultee Aircraft. The Vengeance was not used in combat by US units, however it served with the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, and Indian Air Force in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific.The...
dive bombers. These were soon augmented by one squadron each of Dutch East Indies B-25 Mitchell medium bombers and USAAF B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. As Japanese air raids continued into 1943, Bladin placed his bombers inland, and his fighters close to the coast where they could intercept the raiders. Appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 1 January 1943, he stepped up offensive strikes against island bases and shipping in the Timor
Timor Sea
The Timor Sea is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, to the south by Australia and to the west by the Indian Ocean....
and Arafura Sea
Arafura Sea
The Arafura Sea lies west of the Pacific Ocean overlying the continental shelf between Australia and New Guinea.-Geography:The Arafura Sea is bordered by Torres Strait and through that the Coral Sea to the east, the Gulf of Carpentaria to the south, the Timor Sea to the west and the Banda and Ceram...
s as the Allies took the fight to the Japanese. He often employed his own judgement in the selection of targets, as detailed directives from superior headquarters were not always forthcoming. On 27 February, acting on intercepted radio transmissions, he launched a pre-emptive raid on Penfui airfield near Koepang
Kupang
Not to be confused with Tanjung Kupang in JohoreKupang is the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara province in southeast Indonesia....
, which destroyed or damaged twenty-two enemy bombers that had been destined to make a major raid on Darwin. To help protect northern Australia from ongoing air attack, three squadrons of Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
fighters were transferred from the United Kingdom in late 1942, becoming operational in March 1943 as No. 1 Fighter Wing
No. 1 Wing RAAF
No. 1 Wing was an Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force wing active during World War I and World War II. The wing was established on 1 September 1917 as the 1st Training Wing and commanded the AFC's pilot training squadrons in England until April 1919, when it was...
. A major engagement over Darwin
Raid on Darwin (2 May 1943)
The Japanese raid on Darwin of 2 May 1943 was a significant battle in the North Western Area Campaign of World War II. During the raid a force of over 20 Japanese bombers and fighters attacked the Australian town of Darwin, Northern Territory, inflicting little damage. The Royal Australian Air...
on 2 May resulted in eight Spitfires crashing and several others making forced landings, for the destruction of one Japanese bomber and five fighters. An adverse communiqué concerning the action was issued from General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's headquarters and was picked up by Australian newspapers, which reported the Spitfires' "heavy losses" and caused resentment in NWA. Bladin complained to his superior, Air Vice Marshal Bill Bostock
William Bostock
Air Vice Marshal William Dowling Bostock CB, DSO, OBE was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force. During World War II he led RAAF Command, the Air Force's main operational formation, with responsibility for the defence of Australia and air offensives against Japanese targets in the...
, that the "alarmist tendency of the press and radio references was having a bad effect on the combat pilots". He also ordered an immediate Beaufighter strike led by Wing Commander Charles Read
Charles Read (RAAF officer)
Air Marshal Sir Charles Frederick Read KBE, CB, DFC, AFC is a retired senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1972 to 1975. Born in Sydney, Read joined the RAAF in 1937, and began his career flying biplane fighters. As a Beaufighter pilot, he...
against Penfui airfield, on the assumption that this was where the Japanese raiders were based; four enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground.
On 17 June, under the command of Group Captain Clive Caldwell
Clive Caldwell
Group Captain Clive Robertson Caldwell DSO, DFC & Bar was the leading Australian air ace of World War II. He is officially credited with shooting down 28.5 enemy aircraft in over 300 operational sorties. In addition to his official score, he has been ascribed six probables and 15 damaged...
, No. 1 Fighter Wing recorded NWA's most successful interception to date, claiming fourteen Japanese raiders destroyed and ten damaged, for the loss of two Spitfires. The 380th Bombardment Group USAAF
380th Air Expeditionary Wing
The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is attached to the United States Air Forces Central component of ACC and is stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates....
, consisting of four squadrons of Liberators, came under Bladin's control the same month, enhancing NWA's strategic strike capability. When Bladin handed over North-Western Area to Air Vice Marshal Adrian Cole
Adrian Cole (RAAF officer)
Air Vice Marshal Adrian Lindley Trevor Cole, CBE, DSO, MC, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . Joining the army at the outbreak of World War I, he transferred to the Australian Flying Corps in 1916 and flew with No. 1 Squadron in the Middle East and No. 2...
in July 1943, the latter reported that his new command was "well organised, keen and in good shape". Posted to England as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of No. 38 Group RAF
No. 38 Group RAF
No 38 Group RAF was formed on 6 November 1943 from nine squadrons as part of Fighter Command. It was finally disbanded on 1 April 2000.-History:...
, Bladin was closely involved in training aircrew and planning airborne operations for Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
, the Allied invasion of France. He flew a mission on D-Day, 6 June 1944, to deliver glider-borne troops to Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, and was mentioned in despatches two days later. Completing his RAF service on the staff of the Second Tactical Air Force
RAF Second Tactical Air Force
The former RAF Second Tactical Air Force was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force during and after the Second World War...
in France, Bladin returned to Australia to become Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
Deputy Chief of Air Force (Australia)
Deputy Chief of Air Force is the second most senior appointment in the Royal Australian Air Force, responsible to the Chief of Air Force . The rank associated with the position is Air Vice Marshal . DCAF acts as the manager of the Air Force Headquarters , which provides oversight of activities in...
in October 1944. On two occasions in June 1945, he was considered for the position of AOC RAAF Command
RAAF Command
RAAF Command was the main operational arm of the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. The command was established in September 1942 and by April 1943 comprised 27 squadrons, including units from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as Australia...
, the Air Force's main operational formation in the South West Pacific. Bladin would have replaced Air Vice Marshal Bostock, who was facing disciplinary action for refusing to comply with directives from the Air Board, the RAAF's controlling body, but in the end the Australian government made no change to command arrangements.
Post-war career
Kure, Hiroshima
is a city in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 240,820 and a population density of 681 persons per km². The total area is 353.74 km².- History :...
, Japan, in January 1946, as Chief of Staff to Lieutenant General John Northcott
John Northcott
Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott KCMG, KCVO, CB was an Australian Army general who served as Chief of the General Staff during World War II, and commanded the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in the Occupation of Japan...
, commander of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force , was the name of the joint Australian, Canadian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 21 February 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952...
(BCOF). Northcott reportedly chose Bladin not only for his operational command and staff experience in the RAAF and the RAF during World War II, but for his pedigree as a Duntroon graduate rather than having a background that was confined to the Air Force alone. Promoted acting air vice marshal on 1 March 1946, he handed over to another Duntroon graduate, Air Vice Marshal John McCauley
John McCauley (RAAF officer)
Air Marshal Sir John Patrick Joseph McCauley, KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1954 to 1957. A Duntroon graduate, McCauley spent four years in the Australian Military Forces before transferring to the RAAF in 1924...
, in June 1947. After returning to Australia, Bladin was to figure prominently, along with such figures as McCauley, Air Vice Marshal Joe Hewitt and Air Commodore (later Air Chief Marshal Sir) Frederick Scherger
Frederick Scherger
Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rudolph William Scherger KBE, CB, DSO, AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force...
, in reshaping the post-war Air Force. In June 1947, he was appointed Air Officer Commanding Eastern Area, which would evolve over the years into Home Command, Operational Command and, finally, Air Command
RAAF Air Command
Air Command is the operational arm of the Royal Australian Air Force . It is headed by the Air Commander Australia, whose role is to manage and command the RAAF's Force Element Groups , which contain the operational capability of the Air Force...
. His acting rank of air vice marshal was made substantive on 1 October 1948. As AOC Eastern Area, Bladin was instrumental in organising acquisition of a new site for his then-headquarters at Bradfield Park
RAAF Bradfield Park
RAAF Bradfield Park was a Royal Australian Air Force station located at Lindfield, New South Wales during World War II.-History:The station was built on the grounds of Bradfield Park in 1940 and housed a number of RAAF and WAAAF units...
on Sydney's North Shore
North Shore (Sydney)
The North Shore is an informal term used to describe the primarily residential area of northern metropolitan Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The term usually refers to the suburbs located on the north shore of Sydney Harbour between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River, up to...
, namely the former Lapstone Hotel at Glenbrook
Glenbrook, New South Wales
Glenbrook is a suburb of the Lower Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 70 kilometres west of Sydney in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains. At the 2006 census, Glenbrook had a population of 5,138 people....
in the Blue Mountains. Subsequently known as Headquarters Operational Command, later Headquarters Air Command
RAAF Base Glenbrook
RAAF Base Glenbrook is home to Headquarters Air Command of the Royal Australian Air Force. There is no airfield at Glenbrook, although it is an HLS . It is a small base in the Lower Blue Mountains outside Sydney, New South Wales, with most administrative services located on the nearby RAAF Base...
, the site was purchased in mid-1949, and became operational at the end of the year. In addition to its commanding view of the surrounding countryside, the property was within five kilometres of the City of Penrith
City of Penrith
The City of Penrith is a Local Government Area in Sydney, located about west of Sydney's central business district.- History :The Municipality of Penrith was incorporated on 12 May 1871 under the Municipalities Act 1858. On 3 March 1890, St Marys was separately incorporated, and on 26 July 1893...
and thirty kilometres of RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond is one of Australia's oldest and largest air force bases. It is located within the City of Hawkesbury in the north-western fringe of Sydney, New South Wales, between the towns of Windsor and Richmond. The base is home to the Royal Australian Air Force's transport headquarters,...
, and incorporated a disused railway tunnel that offered "complete protection from Atom Bomb
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
attack".
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
announced in June 1950. In 1951, inspired by a similar initiative in state education, he sponsored a move to have RAAF education officers augment their degree qualifications
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
with formal teaching credentials
Diploma of Education
The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom...
. Over the following year, in response to increased demands for aircrew to meet Australia's commitments to the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, pilot training was broken out from a single all-encompassing course at No. 1 Flying Training School (No. 1 FTS) in Point Cook, Victoria, into separate courses at the newly formed No. 1 Initial Flying Training School
No. 1 Initial Flying Training School RAAF
No. 1 Initial Flying Training School was a flying training school of the Royal Australian Air Force . It was formed in 1951 in response to increased demand for aircrew during the Korean War and Malayan Emergency...
at Archerfield
Archerfield, Queensland
Archerfield is an outer suburb of Brisbane, Australia. Archerfield is a sparsely populated suburb, with most of the land being occupied by Archerfield Airport.-Airport:...
, Queensland, No. 1 Basic Flying Training School
No. 1 Basic Flying Training School RAAF
No. 1 Basic Flying Training School was a flying training school of the Royal Australian Air Force . It was formed in 1951 in response to increased demand for aircrew during the Korean War and Malayan Emergency...
at Uranquinty, New South Wales, and No. 1 Applied Flying Training School (re-formed from No. 1 FTS) at Point Cook.
Later life
Bladin retired from the Air Force on 15 October 1953, and was succeeded as AMP by Air Vice Marshal Val HancockValston Hancock
Air Marshal Sir Valston Eldridge Hancock, KBE, CB, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1961 to 1965. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Hancock transferred to the RAAF in 1929 and qualified as a pilot...
. Shortly after leaving the Air Force, Bladin donated an eponymous trophy for the service's best-performing Avro Lincoln
Avro Lincoln
The Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II...
unit in bombing and aerial gunnery competition. He ran a grazing property
Station (Australian agriculture)
Station is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. It corresponds to the North American term ranch or South American estancia...
, which he named Adastra
Ad astra (phrase)
Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "to the stars". The phrase has origins with Virgil, who wrote sic itur ad astra and opta ardua pennis astra sequi, Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "to the stars". The phrase has origins with Virgil, who wrote sic itur ad astra ("thus you shall go to the...
, at Yass, just north of the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
. Between 1951 and 1954, and again from 1956 to 1969, he also served as treasurer of the Returned Sailors', Soldiers' and Airmen's Imperial League of Australia, which became the Returned Services League
Returned and Services League of Australia
The Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....
in 1965. In the early 1960s he helped raise funds for building the Anzac Memorial Chapel of St Paul at his old college, Duntroon. Bladin died in Melbourne on 2 February 1978, survived by his three children. His wife, who was involved in the support of veterans' families and other community work, had died earlier. Accorded an Air Force funeral at the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Deepdene
Balwyn, Victoria
Balwyn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
, Frank Bladin was buried at Springvale
Springvale, Victoria
Springvale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, approximately 20 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Greater Dandenong...
, Victoria.