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Henry Petre

Henry Aloysius Petre
Half-portrait of man in flying helmet and goggles seated in the open cockpit of a biplane
Henry Petre at Central Flying School, 1914
Nickname(s) "Peter the Monk"
Born (1884-06-12)12 June 1884
Ingatestone, Essex, England
Died 24 April 1962(1962-04-24) (aged 77)
London, England
Allegiance Australia
United Kingdom
Service/branch Australian Military Forces
Royal Air Force
Years of service 1912–19
Rank Major
Unit No. 15 Squadron RFC (1917)
Commands held Central Flying School (1913–15)
Mesopotamian Half Flight (1915)
No. 30 Squadron RFC (1915–16)
No. 5 Squadron AFC (1917–18)
No. 75 Squadron RAF (1918–19)
Battles/wars

World War I

Awards Distinguished Service Order
Military Cross
Mentioned in Despatches (4)
Relations Kay Petre (wife)
Other work Solicitor

World War I

Henry Aloysius Petre, DSO, MC (12 June 1884 – 24 April 1962) was an English solicitor who became Australia's first military aviator and a founding member of the Australian Flying Corps, predecessor of the Royal Australian Air Force. Born in Essex, he forsook his early legal career to pursue an interest in aviation, building his own aeroplane and gaining employment as a designer and pilot. In 1912, he answered the Australian Defence Department's call for pilots to form an aviation school, and was commissioned a lieutenant in the Australian Military Forces. The following year, he chose the site of the country's first air base at Point Cook, Victoria, and established its inaugural training institution, the Central Flying School, with Eric Harrison.

Shortly after the outbreak of World War I, Petre was appointed commander of the Mesopotamian Half Flight, the first unit of the newly formed Australian Flying Corps to see active service. He led the Half Flight through the Battles of Es Sinn and Ctesiphon, and the Siege of Kut. His actions in the Middle East earned him the Distinguished Service Order, the Military Cross, and four mentions in despatches. Transferring to the Royal Air Force as a major in 1918, he commanded No. 75 Squadron before retiring from the military the following year. Petre resumed his legal practice in England, and continued to fly recreationally before his death in 1962, aged seventy-seven. He was married to racing driver Kay Petre.


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