Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Flight Lieutenant Michael Dormer Delaney (Service No:15450) enlisted in the RAAF on 2 June 1940 at No 2 Recruit Centre Sydney as an Aircraftman I - mustered as Trainee Technical, re mustered as Fitter II. Promoted to Leading Aircraftman, LAC Delaney was attached to the RAF from 13 June 1941 to 4 June 1943, serving with 23 Squadron (Ford) and 460 Squadron (Molesworth). Appointed to a Commission on 5 April 1943 as Pilot Officer, then in October as Flying Officer, he was one of the first all Australian crew to work as 'Pathfinders' - with 156 Squadron Warboys operating a Lancaster on 44 'ops' - fifteen 'Pathfinder' ops with three ops over Berlin (AWM). On his return to Australia, Flight Lieutenant Delaney was posted to RAAF HQ Melbourne, 1 Aircraft Depot Laverton and 3 Aircraft Depot Amberley before serving with the Governor General's Flight Canberra/UK from 8 August 1945 to 25 May 1946. On 25 April 1946 Flight Lieutenant Delaney applied and was accepted for the Interim RAAF for two years, and was attached to Eastern Area HQ at Termination of his Commission on 31 August 1948.

On 1 January 1946 Flight Lieutenant Delaney was awarded a King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air: 'At the completion of his overseas service, he returned to Australia as Flight Engineer in the Lancaster Aircraft 'Q' for Queenie and has been solely responsible for the maintenance of this aircraft for 610 flying hours. During this time the aircraft successfully completed five War Loan tours in Australia and New Zealand under conditions of extreme difficulty. In October 1943 the aircraft was extensively damaged due to crash landing in swamp country. Despite the inadequate equipment and heart breaking conditions, Flight Lieutenant Delaney worked for approximately six months, when he succeeded in making the aircraft again worthy. Flight Lieutenant Delaney is possessed of unbounded energy and enthusiam for his work, and is outstanding for his determination and devotion to duty' (NAA; Citation 1946)

Don was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1909, youngest of seven children of  Michael Walter Delaney (b1856 in Bendigo, Victoria) and Ophelia Theresa Potoky (b1851 in Opotiki, New Zealand). Michael arrived in Auckland in 1860 on board the Claud Hamilton, and was Veteran (Bugler) of the Maori Wars. He and Ophelia married in 1890 in Opotiki, New Zealand and lived in Opotiki, Devonport and Wellington where they raised their family and Michael was a Horse Trainer and Racer, Carter and Labourer.

In the 1920s Don was living in Sydney with his mother, and in 1934 was working as a Motor Mechanic  when he married Alice Veronica Leonard (b1912 in Sydney, New South Wales). Don and Alice settled in Sydney, where they raised their family and Don worked as a Motor Mechanic before enlisting in the RAAF. Following the Termination of his Appointment in 1948, Don worked for various air lines and in 1965 joined a crew flying Avro Lancaster NX611 from Mascot on Anzac Day to Biggin Hill in the UK - the only Flight Engineer to  circumnavigate the world in a Lancaster. Don and Alice lived in Sydney, where Don was a Manager and Proprietor. Don died in 1993 and Alice in 2004.