Frank McNamara (RAAF officer)

Frank McNamara
Air Vice Marshal Frank McNamara VC, England, 1942
Born	(1894-04-04)4 April 1894 Rushworth, Victoria, Australia
Died	2 November 1961(1961-11-02) (aged 67) Buckinghamshire, England
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Years of service	1913–46
Rank	Air Vice Marshal
Unit	No. 1 Squadron AFC (1916–17)
Commands held	No. 1 FTS (1930–33) RAAF Station Laverton (1933–36) RAAF Overseas Headquarters (1942) British Forces Aden (1943–45)
Battles/wars	World War I Middle Eastern Theatre Sinai and Palestine Campaign World War II European Theatre Mediterranean and Middle East
Awards	Victoria Cross Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Other work	National Coal Board, UK (1947–57)

Air Vice Marshal Francis Hubert (Frank) McNamara, VC, CB, CBE (4 April 1894 – 2 November 1961) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for valour in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to a member of the British and Commonwealth forces. Serving with the Australian Flying Corps, he was honoured for his actions on 20 March 1917, when he rescued a fellow pilot who had been forced down behind enemy lines. McNamara was the first Australian aviator—and the only one in World War I—to receive the Victoria Cross. He later became a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

Born and educated in Victoria, McNamara was a teacher when he joined the militia prior to World War I. In 1915, he was selected for pilot training at Central Flying School, Point Cook, and transferred to the Australian Flying Corps the following year. He was based in the Middle Eastern Theatre with No. 1 Squadron when he earned the Victoria Cross. In 1921, McNamara enlisted as a flying officer in the newly formed RAAF, rising to the rank of air vice marshal by 1942. He held senior posts in England and Aden during World War II. Retiring from the Air Force in 1946, McNamara continued to live in Britain until his death from heart failure in 1961.