Lawrence Wackett
| Sir Lawrence Wackett | |
|---|---|
| Born |
2 January 1896 Townsville, Queensland |
| Died | 18 March 1982 (aged 86) St Leonards, New South Wales |
| Allegiance |
 Australia
|
| Service/branch |
Australian Flying Corps (1915–21) Royal Australian Air Force (1921–30) |
| Years of service | 1913–1930 |
| Rank | Wing Commander |
| Commands held | RAAF Experimental Section (1924–30) No. 7 Squadron (1919) |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross Air Force Cross Mentioned in Despatches |
| Relations | Air Vice Marshal Ellis Wackett (brother) |
Sir Lawrence James Wackett KBE, DFC, AFC (2 January 1896 – 18 March 1982) is widely regarded as "father of the Australian aircraft industry". He has been described as "one of the towering figures in the history of Australian aviation covering, as he did, virtually all aspects of activities: pilot, designer of airframes and engines, entrepreneur and manager". He was knighted for his services to aviation and was a winner of the Oswald Watt Gold Medal. He was also a keen angler and wrote two books on the subject.
Wackett was born in Townsville, Queensland, on 2 January 1896. He joined the Australian Army and graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, then with the rank of lieutenant joined No. 1 Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) which had formed at Point Cook the day before his 20th birthday. He was one of twelve pilots that went to Egypt with the Squadron to operate in support of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, embarking on 16 March 1916 and arriving at Suez four weeks later.
In Egypt he designed a mounting to attach a Lewis Gun to the upper wing of his BE2c; considerably improving the fighting ability of a type that was described by Hudson Fysh (who served with Wackett in No. 1 Squadron.) as the "poorest of all offensive, or defensive aircraft". The BE2c was normally armed with a machine gun at the observer's position, but the observer sat in front of the pilot and behind the engine, and between the upper and lower wings. This meant that the machine gun could only be fired in fairly narrow arcs if the Observer was to avoid hitting his own aircraft. Wackett's modification meant that all he had to do was point the whole aircraft at his adversary and that he had a measure of protection when on a bombing mission (because the BE2c could carry bombs or an Observer, but not both).
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