John Lerew John Margrave Lerew , DFC ( 20 August 1912 – 24 February 1996 ) was a high - ranking officer and pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) during World War II , and afterwards a senior manager in the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) . As the commander of No . 24 Squadron , based in New Britain , he became famous in the annals of Air Force history for his irreverent response to orders by headquarters in Australia during the Battle of Rabaul in January 1942 . After his squadron was directed to assist in repelling the invading Japanese fleet with its one serviceable bomber , and to keep its bombed airfield open , Lerew signalled headquarters with the ancient Latin phrase supposedly used by gladiator s honouring their Emperor : " " Morituri vos salutamus " " ( " We who are about to die salute you " ) . He also defied an order to abandon his staff , and organised their escape from Rabaul . In February 1942 , Lerew led a low - level bombing raid on enemy shipping in New Guinea that set two vessels on fire . He was shot down but managed to evade capture , and returned to safety nine days after being reported missing . Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross , he later commanded the RAAF ' s first flying safety directorate . After leaving the Air Force in 1946 as a group captain , Lerew took up a position with the newly formed ICAO in Canada . He was responsible for a number of its administrative and technical reforms , and rose to Chief of Flight Branch in 1969 . Retiring from ICAO in 1972 , he travelled extensively before settling in Vancouver , where he died in 1996 at the age of eighty - three . Early life . Born in Hamilton , Victoria , Lerew was the son of William Margrave Lerew , a chemist and veterinary surgeon who had emigrated from England with his two brothers . The family was of French " Huguenot " extraction , the original name being " Le Roux " . John Lerew was educated at Scotch College , Melbourne , where he was a member of the cadets . He studied part - time for a Bachelor ' s degree in civil engineering at the University of Melbourne , concurrently serving approximately two years in the militia with various units including the 39th Battalion , 3rd Division Artillery Survey Unit , and Melbourne University Regiment . He also developed a love of fast cars , joining a racing team and placing third in the 1930 Australian Grand Prix . On 19 November 1932 , Lerew enlisted as an air cadet in the RAAF active reserve , known as the Citizen Air Force ( CAF ) . He had marched into Victoria Barracks on a whim and asked to see the person in charge of Air Force recruiting . He was shown to the office of Squadron Leader Raymond Brownell , also a former Scotch College boy , who admitted him . Lerew undertook flying instruction on the 1933 ' B ' course conducted by No . 1 Squadron at RAAF Station Laverton , and was commissioned a pilot officer on 1 April . He transferred from the CAF to the Permanent Air Force on 20 May 1935 , following graduation from university , and was promoted flying officer on 1 July . Posted to No . 1 Aircraft Depot , he was raised to probationary flight lieutenant in 1936 . The rank became substantive the following year , when he was appointed Staff Officer Directorate of Works and Buildings at RAAF Headquarters , Melbourne , responsible for selection and improvement of airfield sites . World War II . Still based in Melbourne when World War II broke out in September 1939 , Lerew was promoted squadron leader in June 1940 . He took charge of No . 1 Aircraft Park in Geelong the same month , one of his initial tasks being to test fly the first Fairey Battle single - engined light bomber assembled in Australia . He was posted to No . 2 Aircraft Depot at RAAF Station Richmond , New South Wales , in September , and shortly afterwards undertook a survey of the Solomon Islands and the island of New Britain , including its capital Rabaul . Lerew was given command of No . 24 Squadron in May 1941 , and raised to temporary wing commander in October . No . 24 Squadron ' s complement in November 1941 consisted of one Fairey Battle , three De Havilland Moth Minor biplane trainers , five Lockheed Hudson twin - engined light bombers , and eleven CAC Wirraway monoplane trainers . The two - seat Wirraways were to be employed in operations as fighters , but were suitable for such a role " only in the minds of the Air Board " , in the words of RAAF historian Alan Stephens . On 1 December , RAAF Headquarters in Melbourne put Lerew ' s squadron on notice for deployment to Rabaul as an advance garrison in the defence of northern Australia . Preparations at Rabaul . No . 24 Squadron ' s Hudsons began moving to Vunakanau airfield , Rabaul , from RAAF Station Townsville in far - north Queensland on 5 December 1941 . By the middle of the month they had been joined by the unit ' s Wirraways . Vunakanau afforded little shelter for staff or aircraft , and Japanese reconnaissance planes were already active in the vicinity , suggesting an attack was imminent . No . 24 Squadron began carrying out reconnaissance missions with its Hudsons , and on one occasion attempted to bomb an enemy ship without success . RAAF Headquarters threatened to relieve Lerew for his apparent lack of results and delays in communications , and demanded to know his excuses . Possessed of what the official history of the RAAF in World War II described as an " impish irreverence " , Lerew listed among his reasons " disappointment in the lack of assistance rendered by the Almighty " . He later reported that he was being caused " more worry " by his own headquarters in " the south than from the enemy situated in the north " . No . 24 Squadron ' s strength at the beginning of 1942 was four Hudsons , six Wirraways , and 130 staff . On New Year ' s Day , Lerew led the Hudsons on a raid against Kapingamarangi Island , igniting a fuel dump that was still burning when the squadron returned to follow up the attack two days later . During 4 – 7 January , Vunakanau airfield suffered four raids by unescorted Japanese bombers , destroying all but one of the Hudsons . Although the Wirraways were scrambled to intercept attackers on a number of occasions , their rate of climb was so poor that only once did one of them manage to engage an enemy seaplane , without result ; this action , on 6 January , was the first air - to - air combat between RAAF and Japanese forces . At this point , Lerew signalled headquarters for six " modern fighters " with which to defend his airfield ; none were forthcoming . Squadron Leader Arch Tindal , Northern Area Command Armaments Officer , added his weight to Lerew ' s pleas for modern aircraft . Tindal had arrived to inspect No . 24 Squadron in the middle of an enemy attack on 3 January , and immediately leapt into the nearest Wirraway to attempt an interception . He later submitted a report to headquarters at Townsville , echoing Lerew ' s concerns regarding the Wirraway ' s capabilities and warning that " Rabaul is now wide open to bombing attack " . Despite this , morale remained high in the unit ; Lerew remarked on the devil - may - care attitude of his personnel , who frequently waited until the last moment to take cover during air raids . On 17 January , Lerew was able to gain sufficient height in his Wirraway to confront a Japanese seaplane in a head - on attack , but his . 303 machine - gun ammunition was not sufficient to bring it down . In 1956 , while at a conference in Tokyo , he coincidentally met the Japanese plane ' s pilot , who informed him that his lone assault had damaged an engine and killed two crewmen , adding that Lerew was " the bravest enemy I ever faced " . Invasion of Rabaul . On 20 January , a force of over 100 Japanese aircraft , comprising bombers , dive bomber s and fighter escort , converged on Rabaul . It was led by Commander Mitsuo Fuchida , who had controlled the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 . Two patrolling Wirraways of No . 24 Squadron attacked the first wave of Japanese raiders . Lerew ' s six remaining Wirraways then scrambled , one crashing on take - off . Of the seven that were airborne , three were shot down into the sea by Mitsubishi Zero fighters , two others crash landed with severe damage , one escaped with minor damage , and one remained unscathed . The ten - minute action killed six RAAF aircrew and wounded five . An Australian soldier on the ground later recalled , " We sat at our guns , shocked by the massacre we had just observed " . The Japanese fighters compounded the humiliation by executing aerobatics over the bombed airfield . Lerew signalled headquarters , " Two Wirraways useless defence . Will you now please send some fighters ? " , receiving the reply , " Regret inability to supply fighters . If we had them you would get them . " The next day he was ordered to attack the approaching Japanese fleet with " all available aircraft " . As his two serviceable Wirraways had no bomb racks , this left only the one remaining Hudson with which to execute the order ; it duly took off to search for the enemy ships but was unable to locate them by nightfall , and returned to base . It was following a further directive from headquarters on 21 January 1942 to keep his airfield " open " , that Lerew , after discussion with his intelligence staff , sent the signal that made him famous : " " Morituri vos salutamus " " . The message flummoxed headquarters , until an officer familiar with Latin decoded it as the legendary phrase used by ancient gladiator s to honour their Emperor : " We who are about to die salute you ! " Lerew also chose to ignore two other orders received from headquarters , firstly to turn his remaining ground staff and aircrew into infantrymen to assist with the army ' s defence and secondly to leave Rabaul in his remaining Hudson to take command of a new squadron in Port Moresby , New Guinea . To the first order he replied that trained RAAF crews would be more valuable in future actions than in a last - ditch effort to repel the invader at Rabaul ; to the second he simply turned a " blind eye " , refusing to escape alone in the only aircraft left that could evacuate his personnel . On 22 January , he sent off ninety - six staff in the Hudson and in flying boat s called in from Port Moresby . Others escaped overland or in boats ; Lerew ' s careful planning helped ensure that only three of his men were captured by the Japanese . Later war service . Following the evacuation of Rabaul , Lerew took command of a composite squadron in Port Moresby which later became No . 32 ( General Reconnaissance ) Squadron . On 11 February 1942 , he led a flight of three Hudsons in a raid on Gasmata harbour , making what the official history of the RAAF in World War II described as " the first mast - height attack on enemy shipping in the New Guinea campaign " . Having set two ships on fire , the Hudsons were attacked by enemy fighters and two were shot down , including Lerew ' s . With his aircraft in flames , he ordered his crew to bail out of the rear hatch while he parachuted from the front window . Lerew landed in the jungle and narrowly avoided capture before making his way to a Coastwatcher post and returning to Port Moresby in a schooner , nine days after having been posted missing ; his crew members had died . On 7 April , Lerew was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for " outstanding courage , determination , skill and tenacity in the course of bombing raids on enemy positions in New Britain " . The success of the Gasmata operation prompted the Chief of the Air Staff to commend Lerew ' s squadron for the " effort required by both crews and ground personnel owing to our small numbers and general condition " . Returning to Australia , Lerew held various base commands including RAAF Station Townsville , RAAF Station Nowra in New South Wales , and Batchelor Airfield near Darwin , Northern Territory . He led No . 7 Squadron , operating Bristol Beaufort s out of first Nowra and then Townsville , from August to December 1942 . He then returned to RAAF Station Laverton to take charge of No . 1 Aircraft Depot ( No . 1 AD ) . Lerew ' s biographer , Lex McAulay , speculated of this quick succession of postings across the country : " . . . it is easy to assume that this Wing Commander whose critical reports were seen by the War Cabinet , and who had twice escaped the enemy at close quarters , was not to be allowed personal contact with the media of the day until his experiences were no longer topical and were overtaken by more recent momentous events " . Though degree - qualified in civil engineering , Lerew believed he was underused in the technical environment of No . 1 AD , and sought another overseas posting . Nevertheless , his tenure at Laverton helped prepare him for his later flying safety work . In September 1943 , he investigated the crash of a Vultee Vengeance flown by an experienced aviator , and found that when rolling the aircraft to the right it was possible for the pilot ' s movements to release his safety harness , making it impossible for him to remain in his seat and control the aircraft . Lerew designed and developed a clip to prevent a recurrence of this mishap , which was later adopted worldwide for all such harnesses . Lerew was posted to RAAF Overseas Headquarters , London , in December 1943 . He travelled via the United States , meeting film stars Bing Crosby , Bob Hope , and Dorothy Lamour on the set of " Road to Utopia " at Los Angeles in February 1944 . In London , he undertook study of RAF and USAAF methods of operations , as well as diplomatic duties . Of the invasion of France on 6 June 1944 , he wrote : " There has been no rejoicing . A hushed quietness has descended over London and all of England . Most people have relatives in it , and there is only one wish : that is , that it will end quickly . It is depressing to be playing no part in it . " Later in the year , Lerew was invested with his Distinguished Flying Cross by King George VI at Buckingham Palace . He returned to Australia in early 1945 , and married Laurie Steele , the Australian - born widow of a Royal Air Force night - fighter pilot , having met her when he was stationed in England . The couple had two daughters , but eventually divorced . In March , Lerew took part in the investigation into the crash of a Hudson carrying Major General George Vasey ; he determined that the pilot ' s lack of experience in instrument flying had been a factor , and recommended further such training for RAAF flight crew . Promoted group captain , he formed the Directorate of Flying Safety in June 1945 and served as its inaugural Director . Believing that the promotion of flying safety in the RAAF cut across both administrative and operational spheres , and aware of the notorious feud between the service ' s two senior officers , Air Vice Marshals George Jones and Bill Bostock , Lerew had proposed that the new directorate be placed squarely under the auspices of Jones as Chief of the Air Staff , with authority to demand free access to information from all other directorates . Post - war career and later life . Dubious about the prospects for advancement in the post - war military , Lerew applied for a role in the recently established Provisional International Civil Aviation Organisation ( PICAO ) in March 1946 , while still Director of Flying Safety in the RAAF . He had just been appointed Air Officer Commanding North - Western Area in Darwin on 7 October 1946 when PICAO offered him the position of Technical Officer , which he accepted . He left the RAAF on 8 November 1946 , emigrating to Montreal , Canada , to take up his new employment with PICAO , which became ICAO in 1947 . Appointed Chief of Aerodromes , Air Routes and Ground Aids Section in January 1951 , he conducted assessments of airfields throughout the world , and led the team that recommended Hellinikon be developed as Athens ' international airport . Lerew received credit for a number of ICAO ' s accomplishments over the next decade , including various administrative reforms within the organisation and finalising a standard runway approach lighting system in 1953 following five years of disagreement among members . A colleague remembered him as having " that very fortunate duality of personality , being serious , efficient and knowledgeable in his official capacity , with an equally inherent twin ability to really liven things up off - duty " . In Mexico on 20 August 1966 , Lerew married Josephine Henriette Oude Reimerink , a Dutch national he had met three years earlier . He was promoted ICAO ' s Chief of Flight Branch in April 1969 , in which capacity he served until retiring from the organisation in 1972 . In retirement , Lerew and his wife restored houses and travelled extensively . Their expeditions resulted in two narrow escapes , in December 1974 when they tired of the oppressively humid weather in Darwin and left just before Cyclone Tracy struck on Christmas Day , and in February 1976 when they decided to camp well away from Lake Atitlan , Guatemala , which was devastated soon after by an earthquake that left over 22 , 000 people dead . The couple eventually settled in Vancouver , where John Lerew died of cancer on 24 February 1996 , aged eighty - three . He was survived by Josephine and the children of his first marriage .