DEATH OF AIR COMMODORE D. E. L. WILSON - The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954) - 1 Sep 1950 (original) (raw)
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Fri 1 Sep 1950 - The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954)
Page 8 - DEATH OF AIR COMMODORE D. E. L. WILSON
^ after -a short illness of
L AiF ^pnoytac^twce O. E.
Military College arid joined
the R.A.A.F. wnen it was first
established in 1923. After
qualifying in England, he re
turned to Australia, where he
held several important posi
He was comman ding officer
at ■ Richmond for several
years, and when war was de
clared he was appointed C.O.
of Eastern Area, m charge ot
the whole of the Air torce In
Northern Area with headquar
ters at Darwin. After that he
established No. 5 Maintenance
From there he went to Eng
land in 1943, in charge of a
station- in Bomber Command
and during an expedition over
Europe was shot down over
He spent six weeks hi the
trying to escape back to Eng
iand, but was arrested by thej
Gestapo in Paris, and put into
Fremes civilian gaol, where
he spent six weeks in a cell
3ft. by 9ft. which he shared
with .three political prisoners.
He was later transferred to a
P.O.W. camp, Staiag Luft 111,
iVhere he was senior British
officer and organised the
mass escape in August,. 1943,
when 50 prisoners were cap
He v-as awarded the Czecho
slavakian Military Cross for <
his work in the P.O.W. camp; ■
it was considered he was in
strumental in saving the lives
After returning to Australia
when war. ended, he wished
to r enter • civilian life and. ful
fil a wish he bad for a long
time . of establishing himself [
on the land. However, Air
Board again asked him to take
over North-Western area with
He took that post for six i
months, then resigned " and j
bought a property at Ebor,!
where he had lived for three
hon. aide-de-camp to the Gov
ernor-General Lord Gowrie,
from 1936 to 1939 and when
he returned to England from
the P.O.W. camp Lord Gowrie
was among the first to greet
He is "survived by his widow,
ficult job to be done—estab
lishing an important group or
taking charge of a difficult
station. Air Commodore Wil-:
son was usually selected by
His gentle retiring manner
covered a tower of strength
and ability. He was noted
throughout. his career for his
kindness and help to his junior
officers, and to anyone with
whom he came in contact who
needed his help, it was always
given unselfishly and whole-;
Mrs. Wilson, now at "Glen
Alvie." intends to go to Eng
land shortly with "her son, who
is an anthropology research