15th Parliament · 2nd Session
Mr. Speaker (Hon. 6. J. Bell) took tlie chair at 3 p-ni., and read prayers.
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DEATH of Commonwealth Ministers and Official, Military Officers AND Are Force Personnel .
– Wo meet this afternoon in the shadow of a great calamity. Yesterday morning, only a few miles from Canberra, an aeroplane of the Royal Australian Air Force crashed and ten mcn - each in his own way performing his public duty - lost their lives. Among them were three members of this House, who were also members of the Cabinet - Brigadier the Honorable Geoffrey Austin Street, M.O. ; the Honorable Sir Henry Somer Gullett, K.C.M.G. ; and the Honorable James Valentine Fairbairn. In addition to these distinguished mcn, the Government has, by this disaster, lost General Sir Cyril Brudenell Bingham White, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., D.S.O., the Chief of the General Staff; Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Thomthwaite, D.S.O., M.C., of the General Staff; Mr. Richard Edwin Elford, private secretary to the Minister for Air; and Flight-Lieutenant Richard Edward Hitchcock, Pilot-Officer Richard Frederick Wieseuer, Corporal John Frederick Palmer, and Aircraftsman Charles Joseph Crosdale, of the Royal Australian Air Force.
It is my sad duty at this stage to speak particularly of our late colleagues, who were not only great servants of our country. lint also the daily friends of nil of us. I shall endeavour, through the poor medi urn of words, to say something of , ne h of them. No words of mine can n.lil to. or adequately express, the profound emotions experienced by every member of this House; but what is said here this afternoon may serve to convey to the families of the late Ministers sonic ray of comfort in a clark hour. When the first cruel shock has passed, those who mourn will have consolation in the knowledge that their loved ones, who also were loved by ns, served their country greatly and earned an honoured place in its history.
Geoffrey Street, Henry Gullett and lames Fairbairn had their greates attributes in common : they were men of courage and untouched honour, fired by a burning loyalty, and enlightened by ability and experience. Each in his own way had a genius for friendship. They were rare mcn. But I think that the House would desire me to say something of each of them as an individual, for each had his own character and his own place, not only in the House, but also in our hearts.
Geoffrey Street was a man with a supreme sense of duty. A gallant soldier in the last war, ho came into Parliament only a few years ago - in 1934 - to render further service to his country. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister for Defence in July, 103S, and became Minister for Defence in Novem- ber of that year. He had never ceased to bo an active member of our Defence Forces, and when he became Minister for Defence, and later, un the vast expansions of war, .Minister for the Army, he brought to those heavy tasks a mind informed by study and experience and sustained by a modest but courageous heart, lie bad a great simplicity which made him the friend oT nil of us; each of us can say, as I now do, “ Hu was my friend, faithful and just to me”. In a period of immense personal strain and trial, his steady loyalty meant more to mo than X van hope to say. To him the business of government, and, in particular, the business of conducting the administration of war, was u grave personal responsibility. He abhorred flamboyancy and display. But those of us who knew Lim ?o well will for long remember those things about him which many may not have realized - his scholarship, his gentleness of spirit, his quiet gaiety and wit, his memories and his love of the great gnm.0 of cricket, whose standards were his, his honesty of mind. He has left to his family an untarnished name and a great example. There can be no nobler inheritance.
Henry Gullett had grown grey in the service of Australia and the British race. His life was an epic of honorable achievement. He had a wide experience in the last war, and was at the Versailles conference after the war ; he was the historian of Australia’s Palestine campaigns. He had hosts of friends in many parts of the world. When he entered Parliament in 1925 lie brought with him the combined fruits of hard study and practical knowledge, and a mind which was not only studious and reflective, but also penetrating and inquiring. Much of his great work as Minister for Trade and Customs and, later, as Minister directing negotiations for trade treaties, lay in the realm of Empire preferential trade and international trade relations generally. His work is still to some degree in the arena of controversy, but none will deny that it was constructive and stimulating, or that he pursued it with the disinterested zeal of a crusader* Henry Gullett could give and take hard knocks in what seemed to him a good cause. But when the fight was over, even his opponent saw only the grey-haired, studious-looking man with the quick smile, the tender human charm, the capacity for giving a friendship so understanding and so moving that 1 can hardly bear to speak of it.
James Fairbairn entered this House only in 1 033, after a year in the Legislative Assembly of Victoria. He was n realty great authority on flying, and was of immense, though undemonstrative, personal courage. He bore on hia body the marks of flying service in the lust war; and at the time of his death he was performing, with unmatched energy and ability, the stupendous task of Minister for Air in the present war. The name of Fairbairn is a greatly honoured one in the history of Australia. For a hundred years the Fairbairns have given leadership to the pastoral industry, and on several occasions during that century have sent their representatives to Parliament. Jim Fairbairn, as we knew him, added lustre to his family name. His mind and character were strong, and he displayed an unusual combination of cheerful fellowship with, perhaps, a hint of Scottish dourness. He was slow to speech, but, once engaged, he was gifted in exposition and resolute in advocacy of what he believed to be true. If this war is to bc won in the air, as many believe, the spirit of James Fairbairn, infused into the Royal Australian Air Force and written into the history of flying in Australia, will be one of the contributors to victory. For the spirit does not die. I pray that James Fairbairn’s family may find strength and inspiration in that faith.
To Airs. Street and her children ; to Mrs. Fairbairn and her children ; to Lady Gullett, with her gallant, son serving abroad and her daughter at home, outhearts go out in no common or formal sympathy. We share their sorrow ; we can understand their overwhelming sense of loss; but our memories, like theirs, have pride in them. A nation is created by those who serve it host. We thank God for the service of these men. I move -
That this House expresses its profound regret at the death of Brigadier t 1 1 e Honorable Geoffrey Austin Street, M.C., Minister of State for tha Army, Minister of State for Repatriation, and Member for the Division of Corungamite, places on record its appreciation of his distinguished public service, and tenders its deep sympathy to his widow and family in their bereavement.
That this House expresses its profound regret at the death of the Honorable Sir Henry Somer Gullett, K.C.M.G., VicePresident of the Executive Council, and Member for the Division of Henty, places on record its appreciation of his distinguished public service, and tenders its deep sympathy to his widow and family in their bereavement.
That this House expresses its profound regret at the death of the Honorable James Valentine Fairbairn, Minister of State for Air, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, and Member for the Division of Flinders, places on record its appreciation of his distinguished public service, and tenders its deep sympathy to his widow and family in their bereavement.
– I second the motion. It is appropriate that only one motion should be submitted to the House concerning the services of these three men, who sat in this place as members of the Parliament and Ministers of the Crown, and who yesterday together met their death quite close to this building in which they had so often shared the responsibility of guiding the destinies of their country. This calamity brings to each of us a deep personal sense of how little men can do to decide what the next day’s events shall be for them. Life is very short. Yet, though two of these Ministers had short political careers, as we measure the term, and the third was a member of the Parliament for a much longer period, it can be said that there was not a day of their association with the Parliament which they did not use to the maximum of their capacity. Each of them was animated by the highest conceptions of public duty. It happened that all three belonged to the same political party. No doubt they felt that through that party they could best serve Australia. But they discovered, as we have discovered, that our political parties are made up of the men and women of Australia, and as Australians we mourn to-day the loss of these very distinguished servants of the nation. I find it difficult to speak of these men as other than three who are lost, and whom we shall not see again. It is indeed poignant that they should have been within such a short distance of Canberra, to which they were coming in the prosecution of their important public duties. They met their deaths while actually engaged in the task of defending Australia, and of endeavouring to devise ways and means whereby their fellow citizens could more safely contemplate the future of this great land. That fact was indicative of the full measure of their devotion. It can be said that, in a way, their death consummated the whole of their life’s endeavours. Here, we mourn them as our associates; but, their families must feel so saddened to-day at the blow that has fallen upon them that no words that I can find to use can in any way diminish their sense of loss. I am sure, like the Prime Minister, that when they are able to contemplate their tragedy in a more normal way they will havea strong sense of pride in the men who belonged to them, and who so intimately linked them with the public service of this country.
– I associate the members of the Australian Country party with the motion. The three honorable gentlemen who met their deaths yesterday were so well known to all of us, that I need not dwell upon their attributes. Sir Henry Gullett was a man who had served this country long and ably, and in many capacities. He was a keen and outspoken protagonist of the causes that he espoused. The other two men were much younger in years and in parliamentary experience, and from them this country was entitled to expect, in ordinary circumstances, a long record of useful and honorable public service. “We all regret their tragic deaths. On behalf of the Australian Country party I extend to their relatives our deepest sympathy in their bereavement.
– This is an occasion when words are totally inadequate to express our feelings. Never in the history of this Parliament have we experienced so sad an occasion as this; I hope and pray that we shall never experience another such. When we pause to think that the familiar voices of these men, to whom we had so frequently listened in this chamber, even in the last week, are now silent for ever, we must realize very clearly that we do not know the day or the hour when the call will be made to any one of us. These men lost their lives in a great race against time in the cause of our country. We all are aware of the urgent demands that these perilous days make upon members of Governments. The days are not long enough for them to see all who wish to see them, and to consider and determine all the problems that have to be considered and determined, in the interests of this country in the present great crisis. To conserve their time, and no doubt to enable them to give some attention to their wives and children, these men chose, as they had so often done previously, the speedy means of transport by air. They, therefore, gave their lives in the service of government - a service which-, in these days, demands every ounce of energy that can be given to it in order that our country may be saved from the terrors and destructive forces that are now overpowering Europe. All men do not possess the same qualities of approachability and friendliness; all do not make the same claim upon the personal regard of others. We are’ well aware that men. vary in these respects, and sometimes we judge them according to our own personal reactions to them. I therefore pay tribute to the courtesy which I and my party have at all times received from the deceased Ministers. ‘They were always most obliging and ever ready to give personal attention to the many and varied representations made to them from time to time. They worked hard and long, and undoubtedly they faced the problems presented to their departments by this strange new world with the courage of their convictions and acted in accordance with the dictates of their honest judgment. To all who are left to mourn their loss my party extends its profound sympathy. “May these tributes to the many acts of kindness of. our departed friends and to the high esteem in which they were held, be a source of consolation to their families in this darkest hour. May I join with them in the thought that those whom we have lost in such tragic circumstances have passed on to a brighter and happier sphere, where the sufferings, the turmoil, and the anxieties of this disturbed and troubled world are no more.
– That little bit of the Godhead emplaced in every human being, impels me to. say a few words on this sorrowful occasion. Never before in my long life have I lost three friends at one moment, as I have lost them now. If because of the circumstances of this tragedy the Government should be considering a common memorial to them, I recall to the House the monument erected to Leonidas and his brave Spartan band who, at the pass of Thermopylae prevented the Persians from entering Greece. -Leonidas and his little band threw themselves on the swarming myriads of the invaders and found a heroic death. The monument erected to commemorate their valiant deed will continue to stand even when the great pyramids of Egypt have crumbled into dust. Their bravery will be for over remembered, for the words inscribed on the monument “ Go tell the Spartans, thou tha.t passest by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie “, are indelibly written in the history of the world. I suggest that, instead of some cold monument of stone, a fitting memorial to the deceased Ministers would be the establishment of a fund out of which every little child suffering from malnutrition could be given sufficient milk to restore it to health. Behind every politician, as behind every soldier, stands a woman and others dear to them. This distressing accident has left sorrowing women and children, and all the solace I can offer to them is the thought that those who depart from this life will stand on the threshold of eternity to welcome their loved ones as they in turn pass through the shadows. That that will be so is my earnest hope and prayer. L trust that, when ray time comes to go through the shadows, our three dear colleagues of yesterday will be there to welcome me.
– I feel impelled to say a. few words at this very sad moment, when we are gathered here to extend our sympathy to the relatives of those who died in the greatest air accident in the history of Australia. The three members of the Government who perished undoubtedly gave of their best in the service of their country. Each was a doughty fighter for the retention of the democratic system which we hold so dear. They honoured us with their friendship and although we may have disagreed with them politically, we were always ready to acknowledge their outstanding personal qualities. I rise to speak particularly because, associated in the tragedy with our three former colleagues, was my friend and constituent, the late Aircraftsman Crosdale. On one occasion, in dealing with the claims of applicants for entry into the Royal Australian Air Force, I felt impelled because of the considerable unemployment in my constituency, to say I believed that no one had a chance of being called up who could not bring some political influence to boar. Some time later, I approached the late Mr. Street, who was then Minister for Defence, regarding Crosdale’s application. “When the late Mr. Fairbairn become Minister for Air, the matter was referred to him by Mr. Street and, ultimately, Crosdale, who had almost waited daily on my doorstep for two and a half years in the expectation of getting news, was called up for training in the Air Force. During the last period of this session I had a letter from him thanking me for the assistance I had rendered in connexion with his application, and saying that, in securing appointment to the Royal Australian Air Force, he had achieved his life’s ambition. Our sympathy goes out to the wives and families of, not only our deceased colleagues in this House, but also the members of the crew.
– As one who had the privilege of a long and intimate acquaintance with several of the victims of this unparalleled tragedy, I associate myself with the expressions of deep sorrow, and of sympathy with the relatives of the gallant men who died on active service - for if ever men died on active service these men did. One would find it very difficult to add anything to the tributes paid by the leaders of the House to the memories, not only of the Ministers who lost their lives, but also of the members of the Air Force, and of Mr. Fairbairn’s private secretary, Mr. Elford, and Colonel Thomthwaite, who,
[HI
I understand, was the first graduate of Duntroon Military College, and thus met his untimely death within a few miles of the very spot where he received his professional education. However, I knew the other victims better, having served with them for many years, and it is therefore fitting that I should pay a tribute to their memory.
Sir Brudenell “White was the ablest of the staff officers of all the armies which fought in the Great War. Every body realizes that. After his return from the war, Sir Brudenell White, at the invitation of Mr. Bruce and myself, undertook the task of reorganizing the Commonwealth Public Service, and laid the nation under another obligation to him by the conspicuous success which he achieved. Then war came again and, with the death of General Squires, we found General Sir Brudenell White ready once more to put his extraordinary ability and faculty of leadership at the service of the Australian people. It is possible that we may find another as able to take his place, but we cannot find another with his experience.
Sir Henry Gullett, who made his first attempt to enter Parliament in close association with myself, was marked by his passionate love of Australia and the Empire. He had a distinguished war service. Among other things, his share in the writing of the history of the Great War, namely, the record of the Australian Imperial Force in Palestine, will perpetuate his memory. His patriotism burnt like a lambent flame because of the extraordinary intensity of his nature. He had a constructive mind, and brought indefatigable industry, inexhaustible energy, and a wide knowledge to his work of fostering the development of Australia, and of increasing Empire trade. In pursuit of these objectives, he represented Australia at the drawing up of the Empire Trade Agreement at Ottawa, and he also took a prominent part in negotiating trade treaties with other countries. He continued his work without respite, despite the frailty of his body, and the fact that he suffered from an organic disease which would have driven many persons to seek rest and leisure.
I recall many personal kindnesses of Mr. Street, and especially the help which he gave to my own boys when they joined the forces. This willingness to help others was characteristic of him; he never missed an opportunity to do a kindness. He was the gentlest and kindest of men. He lived for his job, which was to promote the defence of Australia. Twentyfive years ago, he gave up his studies to fight for Australia and the Empire. After that war he maintained his military contacts, and it was fitting that he should be in charge of the Army when the present war broke out. He has seen the defence organization expand enormously. He saw it come safely through the initial difficulties, but he was not fated to reap the harvest of his labours.
Every one in Australia hoped for great things from the Air Force under the control of Mr. Fairbairn. He was an intrepid and daring air pilot. Perhaps, as the result of his flying, of seeing huge expanses of the world pass rapidly beneath him, he took a wide and comprehensive view of life, and of national and international affairs. He used his wealth and leisure to acquire knowledge that would be of use to his country, and he died as we feel he would wish to die - as indeed, all these men would gladly die - on active service. As the old Latin saying has it, “ It is an end full of fragrance and honour to die for one’s Fatherland.” The fact that Australia and the Empire fully recognize the truth of that may he some consolation, in their grief, to the relatives of these men who have really given their lives for their country.
– May I be pardoned on this very sad occasion for touching upon my association many years ago with “ Geoff.” Street. I knew the late member for Corangamite before he entered this Parliament. I met him first in the cricket field, where to play the game is the first requirement. He always played the game. He never appealed for l.h.w. when fielding at square leg. He never questioned the umpire’s decision. Friendship gained on the field of sport is more deep and lasting than any other. Our friendship was cemented in 1934 when Mr. Street entered this House. Here again, as on the cricket field where I knew him so well, he always played the game. Now he has gone to the great beyond to face the Arbiter of all things, Who, I am confident, will say to him, “ Well done, thou good and faithful servant. You have always played the game, and now eternal rest shall be your reward.” To his wife and children I give this consolation: They can be fortified and solaced with the thought that their dear husband and father was indeed a man who always played a straight bat. To Lady Gullett and Mrs. Fairbairn and their children, as well as to all others who have been bereaved by this terrible tragedy, I extend my deepest sympathy.
Question resolved in the affirmative, honorable members standing in their places.
Mr. MENZIES (Kooyong- Prime Minister). - It would, I feel sure, be the wish of honorable members that I should place on record our deep regret at the loss of so many other valuable lives in the disaster to which previous reference has been made. In addition to the Commonwealth Ministers, were seven other victims whose names I have already read to the House. It is appropriate that special reference should be made to General Sir Brudenell White who was coming to Canberra on official duties. Nothing can be usefully added by me to what has fallen from the lips of the right honorable member for Cowper (Sir Earle Page) in regard to Sir Brudenell White’s military gifts and wide experience, or to the great civil work which he performed in the reorganization of the Commonwealth Public Service. More recently, when it became necessary to appoint a successor to the late General Squires, Sir Brudenell White cheerfully accepted the heavy responsibility inseparable from the highest military office in the Commonwealth, in order that he might again serve his country and the Empire during the war. His abilities were outstanding. He had a lofty character and a gracious personality which nobody who knew him could ever forget.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thomthwaite held an appointment as General Staff Officer in the Department of the Army, and was Army Liaison Officer attached to the Department of Defence Co-ordination. He was a gifted and popular officer. He also had retired from active military work after a distinguished career in the last war, but he was recalled for service in September of last year. A sad feature of this melancholy event is that Hrs. Street and Mrs. Thomthwaite are sisters, and are therefore called upon to hear an unusually heavy burden of sorrow.
Mr. Elford, who was private secretary to Mr. Fairbairn, was a young man greatly admired by all honorable members who had como into contact with him. He stood on the threshold of what, no doubt, would have been a distinguished, as it was certainly, an honorable, career. In addition to him, the victims included two pilot officers, and two members of the crew of the aircraft. All of them were serving members of the Royal Australian Air Force, all of them were men of skill, and all of them stood on the threshold of life. It is proper, I think, that we should record our regret at the loss of so many fine men. I therefore move -
That this House places ou record its great sorrow at the loss of so many valuable lives iu the tragic disaster to the Royal Australian Air Force aircraft in the Australian Capital Territory, near Canberra, on the 13th August, 1040, and extends to the relatives of those who perished its heartfelt sympathy.
Mr. CURTIN (Fremantle- Leader of the Opposition). - In seconding the motion, I pay tribute to the very distinguished services of Sir Brudenell White. It may be some consolation to Lady White to know that the readiness of her husband to devote his wide experience and undoubted abilities to the direction of the Australian Army in the great war in which we are at present engaged was received with the greatest measure of satisfaction and confidence throughout the Commonwealth. Having read a good deal of the history of the last war Australians had gained knowledge which enabled them to appreciate the fact that Sir Brudenell White was a most able Chief of Staff, whose control of our military forces would be exercised with exceptional ability, probably beyond the capacity of any other Australian soldier. His death represents the second loss suffered in the office of Chief of the General Staff since the commencement of the war, and is a serious blow to the military forces of this nation. I have no doubt that the example which he set will he followed by many of his fellow officers. I say that because I realize that example is a tremendous force.
The honorable member for Hunter (Mr. James). has referred to the members of tho air crew who were lost in the disaster. I refer particularly to FlightLieutenant Hitchcock, whom I knew well. His father perished while engaged in a work of rescue in tho beginnings of aviation in Australia. Not very long after that bereavement Bob Hitchcock Jnr., urged me to do my best to secure his entry into the Royal Australian Air Force. The effort that I made was successful. His promotion was rapid. He married, and his family were very proud of him. He, too, was proud of his father. Flying was in the blood of the Hitchcocks. To-day, in Western Australia, there is a lady who lost first her husband and now her son in Australian aviation. These happenings wo cannot pass by without deep reflection. The whole of the crew of the aircraft, as well as the passengers, were engaged in the discharge of their duly to this nation. May every other citizen of Australia follow the example that they have set.
Mr. ARCHIE CAMERON (Barker- Minister for Commerce). - In the death of Sir Brudenell White, this country has lost one of the greatest military men it has ever had. Not only could he conceive operations, but he also possessed the gift of organization - which some men who can conceive lack - to carry his conception to a successful issue. With him perished Lieutenant-Colonel Thomthwaite, whom I knew fairly well as a man with a fine record of good service to this country. The crew of the aircraft, too, were practically on active service. I associate the Australian Country party with the motion of the Prime Minister, extending the sympathy of this House to the families of those who perished.
Mr. BEASLEY (West Sydney- Leader of the Australian Labour party - nonCommunist). - It is with feelings of deep sorrow that my colleagues and I join with the other parties in the House in extending sympathy to the relatives and friend-, of the distinguished military gentlemen whom the Prime Minister has named, the members of the crew of the aircraft, and the private secretary to the late Mr. Fairbairn. In the serious times through which Australia is passing it is not easy to obtain men with the necessary competence and experience to organize, direct and control the military forces of our country, and therefore Australia’s loss by the death of Sir Brudenell White as considerable. I understand that experience is an important factor in the work that was entrusted to him. On this account, his death not only is a personal sorrow, but is also prejudicial to the welfare of the nation. Doubtless the same considerations apply in connexion with the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Thornthwaite. I appreciate the degree of disorganization which must necessarily be caused in our defence activities by the loss of two such highly qualified soldiers. I endorse fully the sentiments expressed by the Prime Minister (Mr. Menzies) in respect of the late Mr. Elford, who was always most obliging in his association with honorable members. No task was regarded by him as too great, and no time as too long, if thereby he could be of assistance to honorable members in relation to any matters connected with the Air Force. As the honorable member for Hunter (Mr. James) has remarked, honorable members receive from many of their constituents andothers who wish to serve in this great arm of our national defence requests to intercede on their behalf. In the death of Mr. Elford the Government service has suffered a serious loss. Similar sentiments must be expressed with respect to the members ofthe crew of the ill-fated machine. Particularly at this time we can ill afford to lose highly-trained airmen. They served the nation equally with Ministers, in assisting them to perform their tasks with the greatest despatch. It is most unfortunate that these men, too, should have lost their lives. I endorse the expressions of sympathy with the sorrowing widows and children of the deceased. None of us can fully appreciate the depth of their distress. In assuring them that they have our utmost sympathy, we are conveying to them all that we have it in our power to express.
Question resolved in the affirmative, honorable members standing in their places.
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– A memorial service will be held at Melbourne to-morrow. 1 therefore move -
That the House,at its rising, adjourn until
Tuesday next, at 3 p.m.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
page 380
– As a mark of respect for the memory of the deceased, I move -
That the House do now adjourn.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
House adjourned at 3.50 p.m.
Cite as: Australia, House of Representatives, Debates, 14 August 1940, viewed 22 October 2017, <http://historichansard.net/hofreps/1940/19400814_reps_15_164/>.