1912 July: Petre and Harrison—Founders of Australian Military Aviation (AI Study Guide)
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When answering provide 10 to 20 key points, using official military histories and web sources as found in the following list: https://www.ai-tutor-military-history.com/bibliography-jbgpt-ai Provide references to support each key point. British spelling, plain English.
Petre and Harrison and the Foundations of Australian Military Aviation, July 1912
Overview
In July 1912 the Commonwealth appointed Henry Petre and Eric Harrison as its first military aviators, establishing the human and professional foundation of Australian military aviation. Recruited from Britain after a Defence decision to seek “two competent mechanists and aviators”, they provided the technical expertise required to translate policy intent into a functioning air arm. Their work in planning, site selection, aircraft procurement advice, and training design directly enabled the formal creation of the Australian Flying Corps later in 1912.
Glossary of terms
• Henry Petre: British-trained aviator appointed in 1912 to establish and organise Australia’s first military flying capability.
• Eric Harrison: British-trained pilot appointed alongside Petre, who became the first instructor at Australia’s military flying school.
• Mechanists: Skilled technical personnel recruited to assemble, maintain, and repair early military aircraft.
• Central Flying School (CFS): Australia’s first military flying school, established at Point Cook to train Army aviators.
• Point Cook: Coastal site in Victoria selected by Petre as suitable and safe for sustained military flying operations.
• BE-2A: British two-seat reconnaissance aircraft ordered for the initial Australian military aviation inventory.
• Deperdussin: French monoplane type acquired for early training and familiarisation purposes.
• Bristol Boxkite: Elementary biplane trainer used for initial instruction at the Central Flying School.
• Military Board: Senior Australian Army body responsible for approving early aviation policy and organisation.
• Military Order No. 570: October 1912 directive that formally established the Australian Flying Corps.
Key points
• Recruitment rationale: The Commonwealth turned to Britain for its first military aviators because Australia lacked pilots with sufficient experience to found a flying school. Official histories indicate that Petre and Harrison’s operational flying backgrounds made them uniquely qualified to establish training, maintenance standards, and organisational routines from nothing.
• Technical and instructional expertise: Both officers brought contemporary knowledge of aircraft handling, airworthiness, and instructional practice. In an era of fragile airframes and unreliable engines, their disciplined approach to flying and maintenance was essential to reducing risk and ensuring continuity of training activity.
• Site selection responsibility: Petre was tasked with surveying potential locations for a flying school. He rejected the proposed site near the Royal Military College at Duntroon on safety grounds, citing terrain and altitude, before recommending Point Cook as operationally suitable. This decision fixed the geographic centre of Australian military flying for decades.
• Foundation of training culture: Harrison became the first instructor at the Central Flying School and established basic training methods using the Bristol Boxkite. Official accounts emphasise his cautious instructional style, which balanced the need for pilot output with the realities of primitive aircraft and limited safety margins.
• Administrative and organisational shaping: Beyond flying duties, Petre and Harrison advised Defence authorities on aircraft types, technical staffing, and support arrangements. Their involvement ensured that the new air arm was conceived as a functioning military organisation rather than a symbolic adjunct to the Army.
• Bridging imperial experience: Their British training linked Australia directly to contemporary imperial aviation practice. Official and authorised histories note that this allowed Australia to adopt proven standards while adapting them pragmatically to local geography, climate, and resources.
• Professional ethos establishment: Early emphasis on discipline, flying safety, and engineering rigour became defining characteristics of Australian military aviation. These values, embedded by Petre and Harrison before 1914, later manifested in the operational performance of the Australian Flying Corps during the Great War.
• Political and institutional reassurance: The presence of competent, professional aviators strengthened Ministerial confidence in aviation expenditure. Their work supported procurement decisions and underpinned the formal establishment of the Australian Flying Corps through Military Order No. 570.
• Continuity into the AFC: When the Flying Corps was formally created in October 1912, much of its practical groundwork already existed. This continuity enabled a smooth transition from policy decision to structured training once aircraft and facilities became available.
• Legacy for the RAAF: Decisions taken by Petre and Harrison—particularly the selection of Point Cook and the shaping of training practice—had enduring institutional effects. These foundations influenced the culture and identity of Australian air power well beyond the Army era and into the Royal Australian Air Force.
Official Sources and Records
• Grey, J 2008, A Military History of Australia, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, chs 2–3.
• Gillison, D 1962, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Appendix 1: Military Aviation 1909–1914.
• Coulthard-Clark, C.D. 1991, The Third Brother: The Royal Australian Air Force 1921–39, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, ch. 1.
• Royal Australian Air Force 2013, AAP 1000–H: The Australian Experience of Air Power, Air Power Development Centre, Canberra.
Further reading
• Wilson, D 2009, Brotherhood of Airmen: The Men and Women of the RAAF in Action, 1914–Today, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
• Stephens, A (ed.) 2001, The War in the Air, 1914–1994, Air University Press, Maxwell AFB.
• Spencer, A.M. 2020, British Imperial Air Power: The Royal Air Forces and the Defence of Australia and New Zealand Between the World Wars, Purdue University Press, West Lafayette.