Air Marshal Sir George Jones, (18 October 1896 – 24 August 1992) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He rose from private soldier in World War I to air marshal in 1948, and served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1942 to 1952, the longest continuous tenure of any RAAF chief. Jones was a surprise appointee to the Air Force's top role, and his achievements in the position were coloured by a divisive relationship during World War II with his nominal subordinate, the head of RAAF Command, Air Vice-Marshal William Bostock.

During World War I, Jones saw action as an infantryman in the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915, transferring to the Australian Flying Corps a year later. Originally a mechanic, he undertook flying training in 1917 and was posted to a fighter squadron in France. He achieved seven victories to become an ace, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After a short spell in civilian life following World War I, he joined the newly formed RAAF in 1921, and rose steadily through training and personnel commands prior to World War II.

Jones did not actively seek the position of Chief of the Air Staff before being appointed in 1942, and his conflict with Bostock—with whom he had been friends for 20 years—was partly the result of a divided command structure, which neither man had any direct role in shaping. After World War II, Jones had overall responsibility for transforming what was then the world's fourth largest air force into a peacetime service that was also able to meet overseas commitments in Malaya and Korea. Following his retirement from the RAAF, he continued to serve in the aircraft industry and later ran unsuccessfully for political office. He was knighted in 1953.

Early life

George Jones was born on 18 October 1896 near Rushworth, a rural community in Victoria. The date appearing on his birth certificate was the day of registration, 22 November. His father, a miner, had died in an accident three months before the birth, leaving his family in poverty. The youngest of ten children, Jones was brought up in a strict Methodist household and for his entire life rarely touched alcohol. He attended Rushworth State School, and completed his education at the age of 14 with a Certificate of Merit.Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 1–3

Following his schooling, Jones took an apprenticeship as a carpenter before moving to Melbourne, where he became a motor mechanic. He worked in several garages before commencing a part-time course in fitting and turning at the Working Men's College of Melbourne. His college studies were curtailed by the outbreak of World War I, by which time he had accumulated three years part-time military service, firstly in cadets and later in a militia unit, the 29th Light Horse Regiment.

World War I

In May 1915 Jones joined the Australian Imperial Force, embarking for Egypt in August with the 9th Light Horse Regiment. He landed at Gallipoli the following month and served there until the end of the campaign in December. His experiences at Gallipoli, especially witnessing the death by enemy fire of one of his friends, affected him deeply and he suffered from headaches and nightmares for years afterwards. After briefly transferring to the Imperial Camel Corps, Jones applied to join the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) in October 1916, taking a drop in rank from corporal to private to do so.Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 4–8

Jones became an air mechanic in No. 1 Squadron AFC (known as No. 67 Squadron Royal Flying Corps by the British), before being accepted for flying training in England. He gained his wings on 22 November 1917 and was posted to No. 4 Squadron AFC (also known as No. 71 Squadron RFC) as a second lieutenant in January the following year. Flying Sopwith Camels and Snipes on the Western Front, Jones finished the war a captain and an ace, with seven aerial victories from 150 patrols. He was badly injured by a bullet wound and petrol burns in combat with a German fighter in March 1918, and did not return to his unit for three months.Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, p. 239 On 29 October 1918 he achieved two kills in one engagement, at Tournai, in what is frequently described as "one of the greatest air battles of the war".Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 21Odgers, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 42–43Cutlack, The Australian Flying Corps, pp. 377–378 Amid a confrontation involving over 75 Allied and German fighters, Jones led his patrol of three Snipes in a dive on ten Fokkers, destroying a brace of enemy aircraft in the attack. He was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross for displaying "the greatest daring and ability in aerial fighting"; the award was promulgated in the London Gazette on 5 April 1919.

Inter-war years Jones remained with the Australian Flying Corps until June 1919, as part of the British occupation forces in Germany. After returning to Australia he worked as a turner in Melbourne. He married Muriel Cronan, a clerk who also played piano professionally, on 15 November 1919. They had met before the war and kept in touch throughout Jones' overseas postings. The couple's first child, Ronald, arrived on 2 October 1920. A second son, Ian, would be born on 26 June 1934. Jones was described by family members as being a somewhat distant husband and father, dedicated to his career and rarely given to obvious displays of emotion.Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 14–15, 23

Encouraged by a fellow No. 4 Squadron veteran, Harry Cobby, Jones applied to join the new Australian Air Force on 22 March 1921 (the prefix "Royal" was added that August). His rank was flying officer, one below the equivalent of his AFC rank of captain. Another Australian pilot joining the fledgling Air Force was William (Bill) Bostock, who had been a lieutenant in World War I. The pair became firm friends, Bostock acting as something of a mentor to the younger officer.Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 116–119Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 16–21 Jones was promoted to flight lieutenant on 1 July 1923. Nicknamed "Jonah",Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 151–152 he was also known as "Yellow Jones" in his early days with the RAAF, not through any perceived lack of moral fibre but as a result of the lingering effects on his skin of jaundice, contracted while a soldier at Gallipoli.

Posted to RAAF Point Cook, Victoria, Jones was put in charge of the Motor Transport Repair Section and made acting (later permanent) Officer Commanding Workshops. He was highly regarded for his technical and administrative ability but rated only "average" in command and dealing with personnel. In 1926 he took up flight instruction and within a year had been graded a 1A Flying Instructor. He was promoted to squadron leader on 31 March 1927 and given command of the Flying Squadron at No. 1 Flying Training School (No. 1 FTS). Jones spent two years in Britain from 1928, attending the Royal Air Force Staff College, Andover, and graduating top of his class at the RAF's Central Flying School. He later recalled of this posting, "The social life was new to me, as was the etiquette... I learned as fast as I could, but I have no doubt that I unwittingly committed many a social blunder."Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 90 As the RAAF's senior officer in the UK, Jones had expected to be invited to accompany the airship R101 on its maiden flight to India in October 1930. Instead another Australian officer was nominated to make the trip, and Jones avoided the disaster which killed 48 of the 54 passengers and crew.Air Power Development Centre, "The Difference One Man Makes"Report of the R101 Inquiry, p. 7

Returning to Australia in October 1930, Jones was made Chief Flying Instructor at Point Cook and Officer Commanding No. 1 FTS. He became Director of Training at RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne, in November 1931. On 2 April 1932, he was taking off from Mascot, New South Wales, in a de Havilland Moth when he struck the perimeter fence and crashed, resulting in major damage to the aircraft and injuries to himself and his passenger.Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 323 His performance in the early 1930s was highly regarded by his superiors, regularly being assessed as "above average" or "exceptional".Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 22–23 From late 1934 to early 1935, he collaborated with the Director of Equipment, George Mackinolty, on an investigation into the state of aircraft production in Australia to highlight shortfalls in local defence in the face of possible future conflict with Japan. Though the report was reviewed enthusiastically by the Air Member for Personnel, Bill Anderson, it apparently went no further in the chain of command and thus was effectively ignored.Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 445 In January 1936, Jones was promoted to wing commander and appointed Director of Personnel Services.

World War II

Rise to Chief of the Air Staff

Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, on 1 December 1939, Jones was raised to temporary group captain.Helson, Ten Years at the Top, p. 26 In March 1940, he returned to the position of Director of Training and assumed responsibility for Australia's part in the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS), establishing many schools, acquiring hundreds of aircraft, and overseeing the training of thousands of airmen. The RAAF's Central Flying School was reformed in April 1940 to meet the vital requirement for more flying instructors, whose numbers would grow from 16 in the first year of the war to 3,600 by 1945.Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 67–68 His performance in this role led to Jones being promoted to acting air commodore on 21 February 1941, and appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1942 New Year Honours for "diligence, devotion to duty and perseverance of outstanding merit".Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 42–44

On 5 May 1942, Jones was appointed Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), the RAAF's senior position. He was considered an unlikely choice, a contemporary newspaper called him "the darkest of dark horses".Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 76–77 Jones was still only a substantive wing commander and acting air commodore when he succeeded to the role, leapfrogging several more senior officers including Bostock, now an air vice-marshal and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 475–477 Bostock, described in the official history of the pre-war RAAF as "among the Air Force's best brains" at the time,Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 446 considered himself the leading candidate for the position, and so did Jones. A suggestion arose that Jones' selection was a mistake, based on the government's reading of an organisation chart that implied he was the RAAF's most senior officer after Bostock, when in fact he was ranked six places below.