Sir Norman Brearley (22 December 1890 – 9 June 1989) was a commercial and military pilot and one of the pioneers of the airline industry within

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Early life

Born in

Geelong, Victoria Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

on 22 December 1890, Brearley moved to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

in 1906.Tucker 1990.

Aviation career

First World War

In April 1915, after undertaking a 5-year apprenticeship as a mechanic, Brearley worked his way to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and subsequently enlisted in the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

and trained as a pilot. On the Western Front, he was posted initially to No. 6 Squadron, but transferred to No. 29 Squadron, where he flew

Airco DH.2 The Airco DH.2 was a single-seat pusher biplane fighter aircraft which operated during the First World War. It was the second pusher design by aeronautical engineer Geoffrey de Havilland for Airco, based on his earlier DH.1 two-seater. The ...

scouts (including patrols flown alongside Sergeant

James McCudden James Thomas Byford McCudden, (28 March 1895 – 9 July 1918) was an English flying ace of the First World War and among the most highly decorated airmen in Military history of the United Kingdom, British military history. Born in 1895 to a midd ...

). 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.Bunbury 2007. He returned to Western Australia to recover. He subsequently returned to Britain where he became a flying instructor, initially at

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...

and then as commander of the school of special flying at Lilbourne.

Post-war

Following the end of hostilities, Brearley bought two

Avro 504 The Avro 504 is a single-engine biplane bomber made by the Avro, Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during World War I totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind ...

aircraft (plus a spare engine), which he had shipped to Australia. In 1921, he founded

Western Australian Airways West Australian Airways was an Australian airline based in Geraldton, Western Australia. Established by World War I pilot Norman Brearley on 5 December 1921 as ''Western Australian Airways'', it was the first airline in Australia to establish a ...

Ltd., based at

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...

. In the same year, he was issued with Australia's first civil pilot's licence, under the 1921 Air Navigation Regulations. 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 Amy Johnson (born 1 July 1903 – disappeared 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, she set many long-distance records dur ...

in honour of her record flight from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to Australia. 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 Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. The Holyman's Airways period On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...

Later life

Brearley later served with the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, commanding No. 4 Service Flying Training School at Geraldton from October 1942 to March 1944. Brearley was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1971. He died on 9 June 1989.

Personal life

Brearley married Violet Claremont Stubbs, the daughter of Sydney 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.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brearley, Norman 1890 births 1989 deaths Australian aviators People from Geelong Recipients of the Military Cross Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian Knights Bachelor Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society