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John Duigan's Military Service
Image: Photograph - Captain John Duigan, MC, 1918-19
Source: Museum Victoria
John Duigan joined the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) in March 1916 as a lieutenant, becoming one of the original members of No. 2 Squadron formed at Point Cook. After completing initial flying training on Bristol 'Boxkite' and BE2a biplanes at Point Cook, he embarked for Britain along with most other personnel of the unit on the HMAT Ulysses, arriving in December 1916. Shortly afterwards his wife Kathleen followed him to Britain to work as a nurse.
Over the following nine months he completed further flight training on BE2e and Avro 504 aircraft and various specialist training courses in wireless and camera operation, gunnery, bombing and artillery observation duties. In August 1917, Duigan was promoted to captain and detached from the squadron (by then known as No.69 [Australian] Squadron Royal Flying Corps) to become an instructor with No.30 Training Squadron AFC. He completed an advanced flying instruction course at Gosport and in a three month period made over 300 flights and 860 landings supervising trainee pilots. In December 1917, Duigan rejoined No.69 Squadron which was then operating RE8 two-seat corps reconnaissance aircraft at Bailleul in France. He became the leader of B Flight following the death of the previous flight commander in an accident. Captain John Duigan flew RE8 B2271 mostly on artillery flash patrols to locate German gun positions but also performed photographic reconnaissance patrols and bombing attacks. The unit was re-designated as No.3 Squadron AFC in January 1918.
On 21 April 1918, Duigan's flight was attacked by several Fokker Dr.1 triplanes led by Rittmeister Manfred von Richthofen (alias 'The Red Baron'), Germany's leading fighter pilot, who had shot down 80 allied aircraft. The triplanes were chased away by Sopwith Camels of No.209 Squadron RAF and von Richthofen pursued one Camel over the Australian front lines, flying at low level along the Somme River Valley. He was hit by a bullet fired from the ground and crashed near the Bray-Corbie Road. Richthofen's body was taken to No.3 Squadron's airfield at Poulainville and buried on 22 April 1918 with full military honours. Duigan was one of the pallbearers. Earlier in the day Duigan had flown a reconnaissance patrol during which he and his observer Lieutenant Alec Paterson spotted a very large muzzle flash from an 11-inch railway-mounted naval gun, which was later captured and brought to Australia as the 'Amiens Gun'. The barrel still exists at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
On 9 May 1918, Duigan and Paterson were attacked by four Dr.1 triplanes from Jasta 6 near Villers-Bretonneux. Paterson was knocked out and the RE8 was soon riddled with bullets which wounded Duigan in four places as fuel spilled over him and fire broke out. He put the aircraft into a spin to shake off the enemy machines and force landed near the front line. He insisted the exposed photographic plates were dispatched to headquarters and his unconscious observer rescued before he himself was taken to hospital. Both Duigan and Paterson subsequently recovered from their wounds after being evacuated to London. For his actions on this occasion Duigan was awarded the Military Cross. Credit for shooting him down was given to Vizefeldwebel Franz Hemmer. In five months at the front Duigan had made 99 separate flights accumulating over 141½ hours flying time, almost all behind enemy lines.
As a result of his wounds and the trauma associated with his final engagement Duigan was not able to resume combat duties and finished the war as the acting Commanding Officer of No.7 Training Squadron AFC in Britain.
References:
Crotty, David, A flying life: John Duigan and the first Australian aeroplane, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, 2010.
Kendall, F.J., 'John Robertsoon Duigan, a pioneer aviator in Australia', The Victorian Historical Magazine, No.45, 1974.
London Gazette, 18 Sept 1918.
Duigan, John Robertson (1882 - 1951), Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition, http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A080384b.htm.
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 31 - 40) 54 items
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Negative - Take Off of Duigan Biplane at Spring Plains, Mia Mia, Victoria, 1910-1911
Annotation possibly in John Duigan's hand on obverse states : "Take off on one of the 80 or so flights on flat at Spring Plains 1910-11"
From: Mia Mia, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - John Duigan Flying his Biplane in Cross Wind, Spring Plains, Mia Mia, Victoria, ...
Annotation in John Duigan's hand on obverse states : "January 25th 1911 at Mia Mia Wind has blown wheels round. Machine just rising (not previously published)" also " Mr Duigan Note the ...
From: Mia Mia, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - John Duigan Seated at the Controls of his Completed Biplane, Spring Plains, Mia ...
John Robertson Duigan at the controls of his biplane, Spring Plains station, Mia Mia, 1910-11.
From: Mia Mia, Australia Images: 2 -
Negative - Duigan Biplane Flying Above Spectators at Bendigo Racecourse, Victoria, 3 May 1 ...
John Duigan flying his biplane for the public at the Bendigo racecourse 3 May 1911. This was the only occasion he completed a circling flight in the machine.
From: Bendigo, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Duigan Biplane Taking Off in Front of a Crowd at Bendigo Racecourse, Victoria, ...
Annotation on obverse in John Duigan's hand states: "May 3rd 1911 Bendigo Racecourse. Pancaking after doing about a mile. Had to steer between two trees, hence proximity to the one seen ...
From: Bendigo, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Duigan Biplane Taking Off in Front of a Crowd at Bendigo Racecourse, Victoria, ...
Annotation on obverse in John Duigan's hand states: "May 3rd 1911 Bendigo Racecourse. Pancaking after doing about a mile. Had to steer between two trees, hence proximity to the one seen ...
From: Bendigo, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - John Duigan Flying his Biplane Before a Crowd at Bendigo Racecourse, Victoria, ...
Annotation on obverse in John Duigan's hand states: "Bendigo Race Course May 3rd 1911" "Starting off - Started from near the fence" "Please Return to J R Duigan" "Published in "Bendigo ...
From: Bendigo, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - John Duigan at the Controls of his Biplane, Bendigo Racecourse, Victoria, 3 May ...
Photograph of John Robertson Duigan seated at the controls of his biplane, taken during a public demonstration of the aircraft attended by 1,000 people at the Bendigo Racecourse, 3rd Ma ...
From: Bendigo, Australia Images: 1 -
Photograph - John Duigan at the Controls of his Biplane, Bendigo Racecourse, Victoria, 3 M ...
Photograph of John Robertson Duigan seated at the controls of his biplane, taken during a public demonstration of the aircraft attended by 1,000 people at the Bendigo Racecourse, 3rd Ma ...
From: Bendigo, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - John Duigan Seated in his Avro-Type Biplane, Ivanhoe, Victoria, 1913
John Duigan at the controls of the second aircraft he built with his brother at their parent's house in Marshall Street, Ivanhoe in 1912-13. The engine and other airframe parts were bro ...
From: Ivanhoe, Australia Images: 1
