27 Facts About Allan Walters

Air Vice Marshal Allan Leslie Walters, CB, CBE, AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Allan Walters was one of the service's leading flying instructors and aerobatic pilots between the wars, and was appointed to his first squadron command in 1937.

Allan Walters was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1946 for his service with Northern Command.

Allan Walters was promoted acting air vice marshal in 1952, and appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1956.

Allan Walters retired from the RAAF in 1962 and made his home in Melbourne, where he died in 1968 at the age of sixty-two.

The family soon moved to Perth, Western Australia, and Allan Walters completed his education at Perth Modern School, where he joined the cadets.

Allan Walters' preferred career path in the military was engineering, and it was only when he failed to gain selection for this field after his graduation that he applied to transfer to the Air Force, which, having no cadet college of its own, had arranged with Duntroon to take one of its artillery specialists each year for secondment as a pilot.

Allan Walters commenced his course at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria, in mid-1928, and graduated as a flying officer in March 1929.

Allan Walters showed an aptitude for instruction, and after further training was graded an 'A1' flight instructor, a rare distinction.

Allan Walters put this particular talent to use in pursuit of his wife-to-be, Jean Manning, stunt flying above All Saints Church, North Parramatta, where her father was rector.

Allan Walters was granted a permanent commission in the Air Force in 1930.

Allan Walters was posted to Britain in 1936 to attend the Royal Air Force Staff College, Andover, and was promoted to squadron leader in March 1937, while still overseas.

Allan Walters undertook a naval reconnaissance course at RAF Manston.

Allan Walters had earlier travelled incognito to Singapore on a Qantas Empire flying boat, which had been specifically requested to deviate from its normal flight path so that he could reconnoiter airfields in the Dutch East Indies.

Allan Walters was awarded the Air Force Cross for his "very active part in all operations" and for training his unit to "a particularly high standard"; the honour was gazetted in the 1941 King's Birthday Honours.

Proudly declaring himself Australia's oldest fighter pilot, Allan Walters was reported as taking every opportunity to join his men in the air.

Allan Walters narrowly avoiding being shot down when he warned Caldwell of an attacking enemy fighter, to the detriment of his own safety.

Allan Walters posted out of Darwin a few days later, having earned the admiration of Caldwell and the rest of the wing's personnel.

In February 1945, Allan Walters was promoted to acting air commodore and took over from Air Commodore Lukis as Air Officer Commanding Northern Command, directing its operations in New Guinea, New Britain and Bougainville until the end of the war.

Allan Walters attended the Imperial Defence College, London, in 1947.

Allan Walters was among a small coterie of highly regarded operational commanders, including Air Commodores John McCauley, Fred Scherger and Val Hancock, earmarked by the Australian Air Board for senior leadership roles in the post-war RAAF.

Allan Walters was selected as AOC Southern Area Command, hub of the RAAF's training organisation, in March 1948.

In January 1951, Allan Walters was appointed AOC RAAF Overseas Headquarters in London.

Allan Walters' rank was made permanent in January 1954, when he succeeded Air Vice Marshal McCauley to become AOC Home Command.

Allan Walters held this post, responsible for directing the RAAF's combat units, for three years.

Allan Walters was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1956 New Year Honours.

Allan Walters was accorded an Air Force funeral at The Scots Church, Melbourne, and cremated.