Keith Hennock, a
pre-war entrant to the permanent RAAF, died 9.8.1999 after spending
39 years service. A full RAAF ceremonial Remembrance Service at St
James’ Anglican church, King Street, Sydney marked the occasion on
13 August 1999. He had been 459 RAAF’s first Commanding Officer and
his own first command. He rose to the rank of Air Vice Marshal
before retirement in 1975.
In the 454 and
459 Combined Squadrons’ Association publication celebrating the 50th
anniversary of the formation of the 454 and 459 Squadrons in the ME
in 1942 a condensed summary of his RAAF career from 1936 to 1975 was
published. It reads:
-
June 1936
enlisted for WT operator training
-
1938 Pilot
training (22 Course)
-
1938-40 6
Squadron RAAF to Flight Cmdr
-
1940-42
Exchange Duties with RAF
-
1941 Flight
Cmdr 206 Squadron RAF Coastal Command
-
19.4.42 –
4.9.42 First CO No. 459 Sqn RAAF ME – G R Hudsons – during its
most successful phase (with some significant losses)
-
1942 Chief
Instructor No. 1 OTU East Sale
-
CO No. 2
Hudson Sqdn Darwin NT – DFC awarded
-
Mar 194 –
Director Ops Requirements
-
SAO Point
Cook
-
SASO HQ
Easter Area
-
CO 391 Base
Sqdn Iwakuni Japan
-
CO RAAF
Station Fairbairn Canberra
-
Air Attache
Wash DC USA
-
OC 82 (B)
Wing Amberley
-
1963
Imperial Defence College London
-
1964-67 Dept
Air Director of General Plans and Policy
-
Chief of
Staff Far East Air Force Singapore (During Vietnam War)
-
1970-72 AOC
Support Command
-
1972-75 Air
Member for Personnel
-
1975 Retired
as AVM CBE DFC
Six members of
the Association attended the Remembrance Service on a very somber
day. Jo McDermott (Mark II daughter as she put it) delivered a very
moving Tribute to Keith “as a father, an air force officer, and a
man”! She mentioned his early RAAF service, his exchange duty with
the RAF’s Coastal Command flying Hudsons in wartime operations over
the North Sea, the English Channel, the Dutch Coast and the Bay of
Biscay; then his hectic command period as the first Commanding
Officer of No. 459 RAAF Squadron until the end of his 2 year
exchange duty wit the RAF.
After his
experience as Chief Flying Instructor at East Sale at 25 years of
age he became CO of No. 2 Squadron based at Darwin NT flying Hudsons,
and was awarded the DFC for action against the Japanese navy.
He was 27 years
of age at the end of World War II, and now married to Verna.
Serving with the Occupation forces in Japan he was involved in the
Korean war. As Jo mentions the family, moving with Keith to his
many subsequent postings, began “a journey that took them to every
corner of the Earth, to adventure, spanning half a century it
seemed; to Washington DC, USA; converting to jet flying (Canberra
Bomber); in 1963 converting to Hercules C130 aircraft; still in
command, fit and flying at 50 years of age.”
Promoted to Air
Vice Marshal, he moved to Lapstone as AOC Operational Command and
was awarded CBE. A stint 1969-70 as Chief of Staff Far East Air
Force Singapore saw him involved in the Vietnam War.
A staunch family
man through his whole post war career, moving up the promotional
ladder, Keith Hennock acknowledged how much his wife (the co-pilot)
and family (the crew) helped him in “a career filled with
excitement, opportunity, the horror of war, the enjoyment of peace
with his family, the decorations and honours, the rewards and
successes”.
On behalf of the
Assocation the Toast is to “Keith Hennock our Patron, the
inspiration of 459 RAAF in its early Alamein days”.
NB. All the
quotations above are from Jo McDermott’s tribute, and are gratefully
acknowledged.
(This article
has been taken from the “454 – 459 Squadrons Association – Royal
Australian Air Force – 2000 Bulletin”)
