PARER, Raymond John Paul
| Service Numbers: | Officer, 6369 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 November 1916, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Flying Officer |
| Last Unit: | Australian Flying Corps (AFC) |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia , 28 February 1894 |
| Home Town: | West Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Xavier College, Kew, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Motor mechanic |
| Died: | Natural causes, Greenslopes, Queensland, Australia, 5 July 1967, aged 73 years |
| Cemetery: |
Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery & Crematorium, Brisbane |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Nov 1916: | Enlisted Second Lieutenant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Jun 1917: | Involvement Second Lieutenant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Jun 1917: | Embarked Second Lieutenant, Officer, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), HMAT Suevic, Melbourne | |
| 27 Nov 1920: | Discharged Lieutenant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC) |
World War 2 Service
| 13 Jul 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, 6369 |
|---|
Help us honour Raymond John Paul Parer's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Marcel Hasenrader
Born in South Melbourne, Victoria, he was educated at St Stanislaus College, Bathurst, New South Wales, and Xavier College, Melbourne. He developed an interest in aviation and mechanics at an early age.
He enlisted in the Australian Flying Corps on 2 November 1916, initially as a mechanic, then trained as a pilot, as an acting sergeant. From February to May 1917, he trained on box kites at the Central Flying School at Point Cook. He was commissioned a second lieutenant on 1 June 1917 and was sent to England to complete his training, qualifying as a pilot and being promoted lieutenant on 15 February 1918. He served as a test and ferry pilot with the Royal Air Force Central Despatch Pool, being twice recommended for the Air Force Cross.
After that war, the Australian government offered a prize of £10,000 for the first flight from England to Australia. Ray Parer paired with John Mackintosh and although leaving well after the event had been won, they arrived in Darwin on 2 August 1920.
Flying an Airco DH-9 the were the only other entrant to successfully complete the race. Ray Parer and Mackintosh were acclaimed as heroes. Ray was later awarded the Air Force Cross for this feat.
He was a pioneer of aviation in New Guinea. The outbreak of World War II and the impending Japanese invasion of New Guinea in 1942 found him once again in military service, this time in the Royal Australian Air Force. Due to his health he was made a reservist, and since he could not fly he turned to the sea. He was an engineer aboard the Melanesia, which delivered supplies and undertook reconnaissance along New Guinea's northern coastline.
Sources:Wikipedia-Ray Parer (en.wikipedia.org); Pioneering Family: MARY MENNIS MBE (www.pngattitude.com)
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