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Obituary – 402945 Wing Commander William Arthur Doubleday    DSO, DFC,  MID

Date: 11/09/2001 Arthur William Doubleday Pilot 1912-2001

To Australian boys in the 1920s and '30s, Speed Gordon and Tarzan were undisputed heroes. A few short years later, comic strip artists were no longer relying on fantasy to  inspire the younger generation. War had created real-life heroes. 

One of those whose exploits were depicted in strip form was Arthur Doubleday, who died last month at the age of 89. In the space of less than four years, Doubleday, a boy from the bush who learnt to fly, rose from aircraftsman to the rank of Wing Commander.

The fourth child in a family of eight, Doubleday was raised on Anglia, a wheat and fat-lamb property near Coolamon. In 1927, after gaining his Intermediate Certificate at Yanko Agricultural High School, he was awarded a scholarship to Hawkesbury Agricultural College which, because of the economic downturn, he was unable to accept.

The Doubleday family was very community-minded. Arthur played cricket and Aussie Rules, and was heavily involved in district athletics; his grandfather and father were twice elected president of Coolamon Shire while his mother was a tireless worker for the Country Women's Association and Red Cross. 

Shortly after the outbreak of war, an AIF recruiting train arrived in nearby Wagga Wagga. Determined to do his duty, Doubleday tried to enlist, but was turned down when he disclosed he was a farmer, a "reserved" occupation. Undaunted, but now wise to the ways of the military, he travelled to Sydney. As he had references (in triplicate) from his schoolmaster, employer and local clergyman attesting to his suitability to take on the enemy, was fit, intelligent and, most importantly, keen to fly, the RAAF welcomed the "tractor driver" with open arms. It was November 11, 1940. 

Doubleday gained his wings under the Empire Air Training Scheme in Calgary, Canada. Of his fellow colleagues he observed: "Few are pure and none are simple."

As Pilot-Officer Doubleday, he was sent to RAF Bomber Command in England, flying Wellingtons and then Lancasters. In November 1941, when the RAAF's 460 Squadron was formed, he was captain of the first crew posted to it. He flew 30 missions over Germany and occupied Europe with 460, Australia's most decorated squadron. At the end of his tour of duty he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. 

After spending a short period as a flying instructor, Doubleday, now a Squadron Leader, resumed operations in December 1943 with the RAAF's 467 Squadron. The following April he was promoted to Wing Commander and given command of Britain's 61 Squadron, the first and only Australian to hold such a post. Such was his rapport with his men that his entire crew went with him. 

Morale in the new squadron was at rock bottom. Aircraft losses had been high and two airmen, suffering from the Air Force equivalent of "shell-shock" after a pasting over Germany, had been publicly humiliated, stripped of their rank and given the boot. The atmosphere on the base was funereal. When the Australians arrived at the mess to find the piano standing idle and no-one chatting up the WAAFs, they threw a party, thereby putting the squadron back on track.

The next man accused of "lacking moral fibre" while on a mission was not dismissed. A great believer in the Australian adage that the best way to overcome fear after a fall is to get back on the horse, Doubleday took the airman back to the airfield and immediately sent him on another mission. His faith was justified. The airman overcame his fear, and under Doubleday's leadership, the squadron's morale rose to such an extent that it outperformed all others.

Refusing to become a desk pilot, Doubleday continued to fly operationally, often with new crews. When not flying he was out at the airfield, wishing his men good luck, talking to ground staff and welcoming crews when they returned. He led by example and, according to Doubleday's navigator and life-long friend Bob Murphy, his flying skill was exceptional. To avoid searchlights he could throw the Lancaster into a corkscrew as if it were an aerobatic stunt plane, not a four-engined heavy bomber.

By September 1944, when he was appointed Chief Flying Instructor, Doubleday had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He had taken part in raids on Hamburg, Essen and Berlin, among others, and had survived the hazards of searchlights, anti-aircraft fire, enemy fighters and appalling weather at a time when British losses were very high.

Ninety-eight aircraft had failed to return from the Nuremberg raid, while Leipzig had resulted in the loss of 79, many from collisions when flying blind. Doubleday completed 53 missions - an amazing tally given that the chance of surviving two tours of duty was 2 per cent. 

After Germany surrendered, he returned to the land. But not for long. Flying was in his blood. In 1946, after rejecting an invitation to stand for Federal Parliament, he accepted an appointment as Queensland's Regional Director for Civil Aviation and by 1956 held the equivalent post in NSW. In 1974, when the Departments of Civil Aviation, Transport and Shipping were amalgamated, he was appointed Director of Transport, NSW Region, a post he held until his retirement in 1977.

Throughout his postwar career he was a staunch supporter of regional airports and airlines. He oversaw the extensive development of Kingsford Smith Airport and the Australian Airways network and was responsible for introducing a system which enabled pilots to activate runway lights by radio at small airfields. The number of plaques dotted about NSW country airports bearing his name are a testament to his energy and commitment. He was also a Federal vice-president of Air League Australia for many years.

Doubleday was always willing to give anything a go. When his first wife, Phyllis, whom he had married during the war, took up painting, he took up picture framing. After her death in 1982, possibly to fill the void created by her absence, he learnt to ski and play the piano, the latter with only limited success because his hands were huge and some of his fingers were too wide for the keys.

Later, a chance remark by his friend Ruth, who became his second wife in 1989, as to whether he could cook (he couldn't) saw him enrolling in a basic cooking course, which he topped and then a Cordon Bleu course, which he also topped. His regular dinner parties were legendary.  

Despite his many and varied interests, which included cricket (a lifelong passion), golf, lawn bowls and public speaking (on virtually any subject), Doubleday maintained an active role in the community. He was a great supporter of Legacy and delivered Meals on Wheels until well into his eighties. Whatever he did, he did well. While Doubleday was painting St Martin's Church Hall at Killara, on Sydney's North Shore, a passer-by who stopped to admire his handiwork promptly offered him a job.

He lived every day to the full. He was loved by many and admired by all. He is survived by Ruth, son Tim and daughter Prunella.

His philosophy throughout his life is perhaps best summed up in the words which form the motto of his old school, Yanco Agricultural High. "As Ye Sow, So Also Shall Ye Reap."

Lynette Silver  -  Lynette Silver is a Sydney-based writer and historian.

[Transcribed from an Ancestry obituary – written by Lynette Silver]