Harry Cobby Air Commodore Arthur Henry ( Harry ) Cobby CBE , DSO , DFC & Two Bars , GM ( 26 August 1894 – 11 November 1955 ) was an Australian military aviator . He was the leading fighter ace of the Australian Flying Corps during World War I , with 29 victories , in spite of the fact that he saw active service for less than a year . Born and educated in Melbourne , Cobby was a bank clerk when war broke out , and was prevented by his employer from enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force until 1916 . After completing flight training in England , he served on the Western Front with No . 4 Squadron AFC , operating Sopwith Camel s . His achievements as a fighter pilot were recognised with the Distinguished Service Order , the Distinguished Flying Cross and two bars , and a mention in despatches . Acclaimed a national hero , Cobby transferred to the newly formed Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) in 1921 and rose to the rank of wing commander . He left the Permanent Air Force ( PAF ) in 1936 to join the Civil Aviation Board , but remained in the RAAF reserve . Re - joining the PAF at the outbreak of World War II in 1939 , Cobby held senior posts including Director of Recruiting and Air Officer Commanding North - Eastern Area . In 1943 , he was awarded the George Medal for rescuing fellow survivors of an aircraft crash . He was appointed Air Officer Commanding No . 10 Operational Group ( later Australian First Tactical Air Force ) the following year , but was relieved of his post in the wake of the " Morotai Mutiny " of April 1945 . Retiring from the Air Force in 1946 , Cobby served with the Department of Civil Aviation until his death on Armistice Day in 1955 . Early career . Arthur Henry Cobby was born in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran to Arthur Edward Stanley Cobby , a tram conductor , and his wife Alice . Known as Harry , the young Cobby completed his senior - level education at University College , Armadale , before being commissioned into the 46th Infantry ( Brighton Rifles ) , a militia unit , in 1912 . He later transferred to the 47th Infantry . When World War I broke out , Cobby attempted to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force but his employer , the Commonwealth Bank , refused to release him as his position of clerk was considered an essential occupation . He eventually managed to join the Australian Flying Corps ( AFC ) on 23 December 1916 , despite a professed lack of interest in flying . He became a founding member of No . 4 Squadron AFC , and embarked for England aboard RMS " Omrah " on 17 January 1917 . World War I combat service . No . 4 Squadron arrived in England in March 1917 to undergo training in preparation for service on the Western Front . Equipped with Sopwith Camel s , the unit was sent to France in December . Cobby later admitted to being so nervous about the prospect of going into battle that " if anything could have been done by me to delay that hour , I would have left nothing undone to bring it about " . When he did see combat against the German " Luftstreitkräfte " for the first time , he had only twelve hours solo flying experience . Cobby claimed an early victory , over a DFW reconnaissance plane , in February 1918 , however this was credited only as " driven down " and not confirmed . Based in the Pas - de - Calais area , No . 4 Squadron supported Allied forces during the German Spring Offensive that commenced the following month . Cobby ' s aerial opponents included members of Baron von Richthofen ' s " Flying Circus " . On 21 March he shot down two of the formation ' s Albatros D . V s , which were confirmed as his first official victories . Having proved himself a talented and aggressive pilot , Cobby ' s leadership abilities were recognised with his appointment as a flight commander on 14 May 1918 , and promotion to captain on 25 May . Described as " an imp of mischief " , he personalised his Sopwith Camel by fitting it with aluminium cutouts of comic actor Charlie Chaplin . Cobby again scored two kills in one day on 30 May near Estaires , when he destroyed an Albatros and an observation balloon , and repeated this feat the next day in the same area . He had been responsible for downing No . 4 Squadron ' s first balloon at Merville earlier in May ; although vulnerable to attack with incendiary bullets , these large observation platforms , nicknamed " Drachen " ( Dragons ) , were generally well protected by enemy fighters and anti - aircraft defences , and were thus considered a dangerous but valuable target . Cobby was recommended for the Military Cross on 3 June 1918 in recognition of his combat success and for being a " bold and skilful Patrol Leader , who is setting a fine example to his Squadron " . The award was changed to a Distinguished Flying Cross ( DFC ) , appearing in the " London Gazette " on 2 July . Cobby shot down three German aircraft on 28 June and was recommended for a bar to his DFC , highlighting his then - current tally of 15 victories . On 15 July 1918 , he and another pilot dived on five Pfalz scouts near Armentières , Cobby accounting for two of the enemy aircraft and his companion for one . The Australians were then pursued by four Fokker Triplanes but managed to evade their attackers . This action earned Cobby a recommendation for a second bar to his DFC , the citation noting that he had scored 21 kills to date and had " succeeded in destroying so many machines by hard work and by using his brains , as well as by courage and brilliant flying " . The two bars to his DFC were gazetted on the same day , 21 September . On 16 August , Cobby led a bombing raid against the German airfield at Haubourdin , near Lille , the largest aerial assault by Allied forces up until then , resulting in 37 enemy aircraft being destroyed . The following day he led a similar attack on Lomme airfield and was recommended for the Distinguished Service Order as a result . Gazetted on 2 November , the citation for the award declared that " The success of these two raids was largely due to the determined and skilful leadership of this officer " . By the end of his active service , Cobby was in charge of Allied formations numbering up to 80 aircraft . Fellow No . 4 Squadron ace , George Jones ( later Chief of the Air Staff ) , described him as the unit ' s " natural leader in the air and in all off - duty activities " ; his exploits made him a national hero . No . 4 Squadron was recognised as the most successful fighter squadron in France , accounting for as many as 220 victories . In September 1918 , Cobby was transferred to a training unit in England , where he found the strain of instructing pupils " much worse than flying in France " . He continued applying for a return to the front until the war ended in November , and was mentioned in despatches by Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig the same month ( gazetted 27 December ) . Though Cobby ' s final tally for the war is often given as 29 aircraft and 13 observation balloons destroyed , claim - by - claim analyses of his victories credit him with 24 aircraft and five balloons , for a grand total of 29 , making him the highest - scoring member of the AFC , as well as the service ' s only " balloon - busting " ace . His proudest boast , however , was that as a flight commander he never lost a pilot over enemy territory . Between the wars . Still instructing in England following the end of the war , Cobby was chosen to lead the AFC ' s Anzac Day flypast over London before the Prince of Wales on 25 April 1919 , in concert with a parade by Australian soldiers . By 2 : 30 in the afternoon , he was taking his 50 - strong aerial formation through a series of wild stunts over the alarmed Prince ' s head , and later told the story that he flew so close to the marching soldiers that their bayonets almost pierced his undercarriage . It was , said Cobby , " probably the most foolish thing I have ever done " . He returned to Australia in May 1919 , and married Hilda Maude Urban in Caulfield , Victoria , on 24 April 1920 ; the couple had a son and a daughter . Following the disbandment of the AFC , Cobby transferred to the short - lived Australian Air Corps before joining the newly formed Royal Australian Air Force in 1921 . Ranked flying officer ( honorary flight lieutenant ) , he was one of the original 21 officers on the air force ' s strength at its formation that March . His first posting , along with most of his colleagues , was to a mixed squadron equipped primarily with S . E . 5s and DH . 9s at No . 1 Flying Training School , based at RAAF Point Cook . Flight Lieutenant Cobby became Commanding Officer ( CO ) of No . 1 Squadron when it was reformed at Point Cook on 1 July 1925 , serving in the position until August 1926 . By 1927 , Cobby had been promoted to squadron leader , and the following year went to England to attend RAF Staff College , Andover . Returning to Australia , he took over as CO of No . 3 Squadron at RAAF Station Richmond , New South Wales , from Squadron Leader Frank Lukis on 13 January 1930 . At this time , the position of No . 3 Squadron commander doubled as CO of the base . Though popular with his staff , Cobby was not known for his attention to detail . In December 1930 , the Chief of the Air Staff , Air Commodore Richard Williams , arrived for an inspection and found the base to be in such a state of untidiness that he ordered every man on parade and gave them what was described as " an almighty dressing down " , threatening that Christmas leave would be cancelled unless the place was cleaned up . Having handed over to Squadron Leader Bill Bostock on 22 November 1931 , Cobby was promoted to wing commander on 1 May 1933 and subsequently served as RAAF Director of Intelligence . In this position he headed an interdepartmental committee that was formed in August 1933 to examine the possibilities of air survey and aerial photography to further national development . The committee ' s findings , presented in April 1934 , favoured employing government agencies for such work and ultimately led to the formation of the North Australian Survey Flight from staff and aircraft of No . 1 Squadron in April 1935 . The resulting surveys of Queensland and the Northern Territory provided valuable input for the establishment of military airfields and other installations following the outbreak of World War II . Restless in the inter - war years , however , Cobby retired from the Air Force to join the Civil Aviation Board as Controller of Operations in 1936 ; he also contributed to aviation magazines such as " Australian Airmen " and " Popular Flying " . His civil aviation duties included aircraft inspection , the issuing of licences and airworthiness certificates , maintenance of radio and meteorological services , and RAAF liaison . World War II . Cobby was a member of the Citizen Air Force ( RAAF reserve ) during his time with the Civil Aviation Board , and rejoined the Permanent Air Force following the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 . Promoted to group captain , he officially returned to active service on 25 July 1940 as Director of Recruiting , a role that traded on his public image . On 25 August 1942 , he took over from Air Commodore Frank Lukis as Air Officer Commanding ( AOC ) North - Eastern Area in Townsville , Queensland . 1942 also saw the publication of " High Adventure " , Cobby ' s account of his experiences in World War I ; the foreword was written by Air Vice Marshal George Jones , newly appointed Chief of the Air Staff and fellow No . 4 Squadron veteran . Cobby was promoted to temporary air commodore in July 1943 . On 7 September , he was travelling as a passenger on a Catalina flying boat when it crashed at Townsville . Although himself injured , Cobby helped rescue two other survivors , and was recommended for the George Medal for his " outstanding bravery " . The award was gazetted on 10 March 1944 . Cobby handed over command of North - Eastern Area in November 1943 , and the following month was posted to Mount Martha , Victoria , as the Commandant of the RAAF Staff School ( later RAAF Staff College ) , remaining in the post until he was fully recovered from his injuries . On 16 June 1944 , he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire ( CBE ) for his conduct of air operations over New Guinea as AOC North - Eastern Area , the citation noting his " good leadership , personal example , keen understanding and continued encouragement " . In August 1944 , Cobby became AOC of No . 10 Operational Group ( No . 10 OG ) , soon to be renamed the Australian First Tactical Air Force ( 1st TAF ) . In this role he commanded 20 , 000 personnel in the RAAF ' s major mobile strike force in the South West Pacific , consisting of fighter , close support , and airfield construction units . Cobby expressed misgivings concerning the command arrangements that saw RAAF Headquarters in Melbourne responsible for No . 10 OG ' s administration , while its operational tasking was to be passed down through RAAF Command , the United States Thirteenth Air Force and Headquarters South West Pacific Area . He believed this required him to " try and serve two masters " , a situation he found " unworkable " . In the period 22 – 25 December 1944 , 1st TAF flew 513 Kittyhawk and Beaufighter sorties against targets in Halmahera . The following month , it undertook a further 661 sorties against targets in Halmahera , Celebes , Morotai and the Vogelkop . By early 1945 , Japanese air power in the South West Pacific had been virtually destroyed , and 1st TAF was increasingly assigned to garrison duties and harassing enemy bases on islands bypassed by US forces in their advance on the Philippines . During March and April , 1st TAF prepared for the invasion of Tarakan , an operation based around a mistaken judgement made by officers at Cobby ' s headquarters that the island ' s airstrip could be rapidly repaired and used to support the Borneo Campaign . The relegation of fighter units to what appeared to be strategically unimportant ground attack missions led to a crisis in morale that precipitated the so - called " Morotai Mutiny " in April 1945 , when eight of Cobby ' s senior pilots , including Australia ' s leading ace in the war , Group Captain Clive Caldwell , tendered their resignations in protest . Although one of the " mutineers " , Group Captain Wilf Arthur , had earlier voiced his concerns to Cobby and his headquarters staff regarding the efficacy of 1st TAF ' s tasking , the AOC was taken aback by the resignations . He spoke to the officers individually and as a group , asking them , " Is this something against me , or having a go against me in this , because if so , if you feel that I have fallen down in my job , I will straight away ask to be recalled , " to which they replied , " It has nothing to do with you . " Cobby reported the incident to his immediate superior , Air Vice Marshal Bill Bostock , who informed the Chief of the Air Staff , Air Vice Marshal Jones , and the Allied Air Forces Commander , Lieutenant General George Kenney . All made their way to Morotai and interviewed the pilots involved , and all concluded that Cobby should be relieved of his command . Bostock held Cobby responsible for the " dangerously low level " of morale in 1st TAF , but also noted " it is clear that he has been badly served by his senior staff " . In the event , Jones transferred not only Cobby but also his staff officers , Group Captains Gibson and Simms , and Air Commodore Frederick Scherger took over command on 10 May . Cobby ' s departure was greeted with relief by Australian Army commanders , who were frustrated by the poor working relationship between 1st TAF and the Army units at Tarakan . Cobby defended his leadership of 1st TAF at the subsequent inquiry before Judge John Vincent Barry . During his testimony he declared that while his officers " wished to do more in the war than they were doing . . . it was not within the power of 1st T . A . F . to give them that more important or more interesting work " . He believed that his forces had played a significant part in making safe General MacArthur ' s flank during the Philippines Campaign . However , Barry found that Cobby had " failed to maintain proper control over his command " , and that his removal as 1st TAF commander was justified . Air Force historian Alan Stephens later described it as " a personal and institutional tragedy that a genuinely great figure in RAAF history had to end his career in such circumstances " . Similarly , " The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History " contends that Cobby ' s " gallant service flying career . . . became another victim of the weaknesses and feuding within the RAAF ' s senior leadership during the Pacific War " . Stephens summed up Cobby ' s military career by saying " No Australian airman ' s experience better illustrates the tensions between ' command ' , ' leadership ' and ' heroism ' " , concluding that " the qualities that make a hero do not easily translate into those needed by a commander , although they are likely to engender leadership " . Post - war career and legacy . Cobby was officially discharged from the Air Force on 19 August 1946 . He was awarded the American Medal of Freedom on 15 April 1948 , in recognition of his war service . The citation noted that from September 1944 to January 1945 , he displayed " exceptionally sound judgement and far sighted planning . . . and materially assisted in support of the operations in the Philippine Liberation Campaign " . Cobby had rejoined the Civil Aviation Board ( by then the Department of Civil Aviation ) after leaving the RAAF and served as Regional Director , New South Wales , from 1947 to 1954 . He was appointed Director of Flying Operations early the following year . On Armistice Day , 11 November 1955 , Cobby collapsed in his Melbourne office and died later that day of hypertensive cerebrovascular disease at Heidelberg Repatriation General Hospital . His wife and children survived him . On 15 November , he was given a military funeral at St Mary ' s Church of England , Caulfield , and cremated at Springvale Crematorium . Harry Cobby ' s tally of victories in World War I was the highest by a member of the Australian Flying Corps ( the top - scoring Australian aces of the war , Robert A . Little and Roderic ( Stan ) Dallas , flew with the British Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force ) . His record as an ace wearing the Australian uniform has remained unbeaten . Air Marshal Sir Richard Williams , Director General of Civil Aviation from 1946 to 1955 and widely regarded as the " Father of the RAAF " , described Cobby as " a man whose personal story is threaded through the entire history of Australian service and civil aviation " . One of the aluminium cutouts of Charlie Chaplin that Cobby attached to his Sopwith Camel in World War I later went on show at RAAF Museum , Point Cook , and the tail skid of one of his victims was displayed at the Australian War Memorial , Canberra . Cobby Street , in the Canberra suburb of Campbell , is named in his honour .