Frank Lukis

Francis William Fellowes Lukis
Francis William Fellowes Lukis
	Group Captain Frank Lukis during World War II
Nickname(s)	"Luke"
Born	27 July 1896; Balingup, Western Australia
Died	18 February 1966 (aged 69); Melbourne
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Years of service	1914–46
Rank	Air Commodore
Unit	No. 1 Squadron AFC (1917–18)
Commands held	No. 3 Squadron (1925–30); No. 1 Squadron (1930, 1932–34); No. 1 Aircraft Depot (1936–38); RAAF Station Laverton (1939–41); Northern Area Command (1941–42); North-Eastern Area Command (1942); No. 9 Operational Group (1943–44); Northern Command (1944–45); No. 2 Training Group (1945); Eastern Area Command (1945–46)
Battles/wars	World War I Middle Eastern theatre; Sinai and Palestine Campaign; World War II South West Pacific theatre; New Britain campaign;
Awards	Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Mentioned in Despatches (2)
Other work	Manager, ANA (1946–57)

Air Commodore Francis William Fellowes (Frank) Lukis, CBE (27 July 1896 – 18 February 1966) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). A veteran of World War I, he first saw combat as a soldier in the Australian Imperial Force at Gallipoli. In 1917, Lukis transferred to the Australian Flying Corps and flew with No. 1 Squadron in the Middle East, where he was twice mentioned in despatches. A member of the Australian Air Corps following the war, he transferred to the fledgling RAAF in 1921, and became the first commanding officer of the newly re-formed No. 3 Squadron at RAAF Station Richmond, New South Wales, in 1925.

Lukis went on to lead No. 1 Squadron in the early 1930s, and was promoted to group captain in 1938. Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire the same year, he was in charge of RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria, during the early years of World War II. He later held forward commands in the South West Pacific theatre, including Northern Area (later North-Eastern Area), for which he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and No. 9 Operational Group (later Northern Command). Lukis also served on the Air Board, the RAAF's controlling body, as Air Member for Personnel. After retirement from the Air Force in 1946, he became a manager with Australian National Airways, and was active in veterans' associations. He died in 1966 at the age of sixty-nine.