Air Marshal Sir John Patrick Joseph McCauley, KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force.
18 Facts About John McCauley
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John McCauley served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1954 to 1957.
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John McCauley earned praise for his efforts in attacking invading Japanese forces before the fall of Singapore, and for his dedication in evacuating his men.
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John McCauley graduated as a lieutenant in 1919, and spent the next four years in staff positions with the Permanent Military Forces, including a posting to Britain.
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John McCauley returned to Australia in 1928, and was assigned to the staff of RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne.
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John McCauley gained his Bachelor of Commerce degree at Melbourne University the same year, having studied part-time since 1929.
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John McCauley warned Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, the FEAF's Commander-in-Chief, of the weaknesses of the Allied air defences.
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John McCauley led the last party to depart Palembang, and was praised for organising the safe passage back to Australia of many Commonwealth air force personnel.
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John McCauley left 2nd TAF in July 1945 and returned to Australia later that year.
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John McCauley was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1951 Birthday Honours.
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John McCauley was the first of four former Duntroon cadets to successively head up the Air Force between 1954 and 1969, followed by Air Marshals Frederick Scherger, Valston Hancock, and Alister Murdoch.
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John McCauley was raised to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1955 New Year Honours.
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John McCauley recommended that a supersonic light bomber replace the straight-winged and obsolescent English Electric Canberra, primarily for interdiction in Southeast Asia.
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Some of his senior commanders had urged replacing the Canberra with Avro Vulcan heavy bombers, but John McCauley did not pursue this option, preferring to concentrate in the short term on new fighter technology.
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John McCauley made a point of supporting the Australian aircraft industry wherever feasible.
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John McCauley instigated the redevelopment of RAAF Base Darwin in the Northern Territory as the first stage of a forward defence strategy.
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John McCauley aimed to make Darwin the "main Australian base for war" and a launching point for deployments to Southeast Asia, rather than simply a transit station.
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John McCauley was President of the Good Neighbour Council of New South Wales from 1966 to 1975.