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About: dbkwik:resource/E9o_NGr6E927bd9lGaG0JQ==

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  • Brian Eaton
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  • Air Vice Marshal Brian Alexander Eaton (15 December 1916 – 17 October 1992) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in Tasmania and raised in Victoria, he joined the RAAF in 1936 and was promoted to flight lieutenant on the outbreak of World War II. He held training positions before being posted to No. 3 Squadron at the beginning of 1943, flying P-40 Kittyhawk fighter-bombers in North Africa. Despite being shot down three times within ten days soon after arriving, Eaton quickly rose to become the unit's commanding officer, and by year's end had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. To this he added the Distinguished Service Order and Bar in 1944–45, gaining promotion to group captain and command of No. 239 Wing RAF in Italy. His war service also earned
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Unit
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serviceyears
  • 1936
Birth Date
  • 1916-12-15
Commands
death place
  • Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Nickname
  • "The Boss"
Name
  • Brian Alexander Eaton
Caption
  • Group Captain Brian Eaton, Malta, c. 1953–54
Birth Place
  • Launceston, Tasmania
Title
Awards
death date
  • 1992-10-17
Rank
Battles
  • World War II * North African Campaign * Battle of Tunisia * Italian Campaign * Allied invasion of Sicily * Allied invasion of Italy * Battle of Monte Cassino
Years
  • 1967
Alt
  • Outdoor head-and-shoulders portrait of a caucasian man in dark tie, light shirt, and light jacket with pilot's wings and medal ribbons on left-breast pocket
laterwork
  • Regional Executive, Rolls-Royce
abstract
  • Air Vice Marshal Brian Alexander Eaton (15 December 1916 – 17 October 1992) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in Tasmania and raised in Victoria, he joined the RAAF in 1936 and was promoted to flight lieutenant on the outbreak of World War II. He held training positions before being posted to No. 3 Squadron at the beginning of 1943, flying P-40 Kittyhawk fighter-bombers in North Africa. Despite being shot down three times within ten days soon after arriving, Eaton quickly rose to become the unit's commanding officer, and by year's end had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. To this he added the Distinguished Service Order and Bar in 1944–45, gaining promotion to group captain and command of No. 239 Wing RAF in Italy. His war service also earned him the US Silver Star in 1946. In the decade following World War II, Eaton led No. 81 Wing in Japan, and No. 78 Wing in Malta. He commanded RAAF Base Williamtown from 1957 to 1959, after which he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. As Director-General of Operational Requirements in 1965, Eaton argued for increased RAAF co-operation with the Australian Army in light of growing involvement in the Vietnam War. He was promoted to air vice marshal the next year, and became Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. Posted to Singapore as Air Officer Commanding (AOC) No. 224 Group RAF in 1967, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath for his work as chief of staff at Headquarters RAF Far East Air Force in 1969. He then served as Air Member for Personnel, before being selected as AOC Operational Command in 1973. Eaton retired from the RAAF in December that year, and became an executive for Rolls-Royce in Canberra. He died in 1992 at the age of 75.
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