David Evans (RAAF officer)
| David Evans | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Selwyn David Evans |
| Born |
3 June 1925 Paddington, New South Wales |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1943–85 |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Unit |
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| Commands held |
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| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
| Other work | Author; consultant |
Air Marshal David Evans, AC, DSO, AFC (born Selwyn David Evans on 3 June 1925) is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and a writer and consultant on defence matters. He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1982 until 1985. Since leaving the RAAF he has published two military treatises, A Fatal Rivalry: Australia's Defence at Risk and War: A Matter of Principles, as well as an autobiography.
Enlisting in the Air Force in 1943, Evans graduated from flying school as a sergeant pilot, and was converting to Beaufort bombers when World War II ended. He gained his commission as a pilot officer in 1947. From 1948 to 1949, he was a member of the Australian contingent operating C-47 Dakota transports in the Berlin Airlift. He was a flying instructor in the early 1950s, before becoming a VIP captain with the Governor-General's Flight in 1954. His service in the flight earned him the Air Force Cross in 1957. In the 1960s Evans was twice posted to No. 2 Squadron, flying Canberra jet bombers: first as a flight commander when the unit was based in Malaysia from 1960 to 1962 and then as its commanding officer during the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1968. The Canberras achieved a high degree of accuracy on their bombing missions under his leadership, and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order after completing his tour in Vietnam.
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