Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

"Orville Lamplough, nephew of Mr. C. F. Stowe, Charlton, and son of Mr. E. G. Lamplough, has joined the Flying Corps. He writes most interesting accounts of the tests to which he was submitted for nerves." - from the Donald Times 23 Oct 1917 (nla.gov.au)

From Ballarat & District in the Great War

Lt Orville Lamplough DFC, AFC 4th Squadron 

From Orville Lamplough was a fairly quiet, unassuming young man – until he was roused. This former student of the Ballarat Grammar School could then achieve remarkable results. However, his last act of the Great War really set him apart.

When the war started, Orville Lamplough was just a teenager. He was born at Donald on 13 March 1897. Known as Bud to his family, he was the second child and only son of Edwin George Gustavus Lamplough and Ann Maria Stowe. Although they were very much a Donald family, both Edwin and Ann had connections to the Ballarat district – Edwin was born at Clunes on 18 August 1860, whilst Annie came from Avoca.

As with all families, Orville was imbued with much that was relatively typical in those early years of European settlement. But he could also claim more than a little fascinating historical content. His surname alone was unusual. Lamplough is a locational surname, derived from the small village of Lamplugh in Cumbria on the edge of the Lake District National Park. The earliest known references included the Norman-French prefix “de,” meaning “of Lamplugh.” As the centuries passed, Orville’s family had moved away from Cumbria to Yorkshire – his grandfather, Jeremiah Lamplough was born in the village of Burton-Agnes in the county’s East Riding, while his great-grandfather came from nearby Langtoft (not to be confused with the slightly larger village in Lincolnshire).

Annie Stowe’s background was altogether far more complex. Her father, Orville Stowe, was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His family could trace their connections to the New World long before George Washington and the Revolutionary War, indeed one of their earliest ancestors in the colony was there in 1635.

One line of research indicates that Orville was a direct descendant of Sir Thomas Monson, the 1st Baronet of Carleton. A politician and supporter of James I, Monson had received the hereditary title in 1611. As Master of the Armoury at the Tower of London, he was implicated in the 1613 murder of Sir Thomas Overbury. He was released after being held at the Tower for a year, but he was financially ruined and his reputation was in tatters. However, given the vagaries of online genealogy, this well all be a royal red herring.

There is also the possibility that another ancestor, John Adams, was father of the second President of the United States. Whatever Orville Lamplough’s ancestral connections, one thing that cannot be disputed is his centuries-long association with America.

After the death of his young wife from consumption on 3 October 1851, Orville Stowe brought his son to Australia. They settled at Avoca, where Orville became a storekeeper and wool buyer.

The marriage of Edwin Lamplough and Annie Stowe was celebrated at St Martin’s Church in Charleton on 5 February 1894. Her father having died less than two months earlier, Annie (dressed in ‘a pretty gown of pale grey crepe’) was given away by her brother, Charles Stowe.

Following a honeymoon in Melbourne, the young couple settled into married life at Donald, where Edwin was the local butcher. They welcomed their first child, Vera, before the year was out; she was born on 10 December. The birth of their only son, Orville, was followed by baby, Mercie, who was born on 4 December 1899, but she only lived for five weeks. Their family was completed by the safe arrival of two more daughters, Marjorie and Mercy.

Orville began his education at the Donald State School. He was a good student and excelled in mathematical subjects. But it was on the sporting field that he quickly showed outstanding promise.

In August 1909, Donald was hit by major flooding, the like of which had not been seen before. The Richardson River rose at a dramatic 21-inches an hour completely inundating properties along Wood Street. With the foundations washed away, the Lamplough butchery business and the Cricket Club Hotel were ‘completely wrecked.’ Edwin Lamplough was able to re-build his premises and continued trading, but there was considerable impact on the family.

In order to further his career opportunities, Orville was then enrolled as a boarder at the newly opened Ballarat Church of England Grammar School for Boys.
During his time at Grammar, Orville opened the batting and the bowling for the First XI cricket team. In a match against Ballarat College held at the Eastern Oval on 8 April 1913, he dominated with the ball taking 6 for 21 turning the College innings into a ‘mere procession.’

He was also a good swimmer and an outstanding track and field athlete. At the first Ballarat Public Schools’ Association Combined Sports meeting held at the Ballarat City Oval on 2 May 1913, Orville dominated the open events. Competing against boys from St Patrick’s College and Ballarat College, and a second athlete from Grammar (each school entered two competitors), Orville went on to win the high jump (clearing 4-feet 10½-inches), open 880-yards, open long jump (17-feet 10-inches), open 120-yards hurdles, and 2nd in the open 440-yards. Despite his performance, and the honour of being named individual champion, St Pat’s held on to win the championship. At the conclusion of the day a protest was entered against St Pat’s, due to one of their athletes having competed in a professional foot race at Creswick the previous Easter Monday, thus forfeiting his amateur status. Not to be outdone, St Pat’s counter-protested. They charged that Orville Lamplough had ‘competed professionally at either St Arnaud or Donald.’ The protests were to be heard later by the local branch of the Victorian Amateur Athletics Association. Nothing further was mentioned…

In 1914, Orville sat for the Junior Public Examinations. The papers, set by the University of Melbourne, were designed to examine students looking to pursue a career in the commercial sector. Orville did well, gaining passes in English and arithmetic, as well as distinctions in trigonometry and algebra.

Having successfully completed his exams, Orville immediately took a position as a clerk with the State Savings Bank of Victoria branch at Donald.
When war was declared, Orville was still underage at just 17. Due to his age, he had been part of the Compulsory Training Scheme and was still training with the cadets attached to the 73rd Infantry Regiment.

In February 1915, the Donald miniature rifle range was opened in the grounds of the State School. Mrs Josephine Jessie Sproat fired the first shot and scored a bullseye. Her husband, William Sproat, was an international marksman and president of the new club, showing that Donald could boast an exceedingly high standard when it came to rifle shooting. A shooting match followed the opening and a large number of people took part. Orville Lamplough showed that, at 17, he was already a fine shot, placing second with a score of 29. He was beaten by experienced Bisley trophy shooter, Robert Reseigh, who scored 31. Reseigh was also 46 years old.

The same month, Orville took part in championship tennis matches held at Marnoo. Players came from a wide area, including St Arnaud, Warracknabeal, Minyip, Murtoa, Birchip and Rupanyup. He shared the honours with his teammate from the Donald Tennis Club, Albert S. Colby.

After waited until he turned 18, Orville began the process of enlisting in the AIF on 9 May 1915. The local doctor, James Calhoun, carried out the standard medical examination and found that the young lad easily met the stringent requirements. Orville was just under 5-feet 9, weighed 150-pounds and could expand his chest to 37-inches. Despite no apparent permission from his parents, Orville was immediately passed fit and completed his attestation on 17 May.
It was noted at the time that Orville had been vaccinated in childhood. He was also dark complexioned, with dark brown eyes and dark brown hair.

With all this paperwork in place, it seems odd that Orville was re-examined medically on 18 May. He was then re-attested at Seymour on 24 June and again physically examined. This time his height was changed to 5-feet 9½-inches, he had gained four pounds and his hair was now described as black – let’s put that down to continued growth, good food and individual perceptions!

Paperwork aside, Orville had entered camp on 17 May. After reaching the depot at Seymour, he was given an initial posting to the 8th reinforcements of the 7th Battalion. This was changed to the 2nd reinforcements for the 23rd Battalion on 6 July and he was designated the regimental number of 1796.

Orville left Melbourne on 16 July onboard HMAT Demosthenes. In peace time, the Demosthenes, a steam ocean liner and refrigerated cargo ship, was part of the Aberdeen Line and maintained a regular service between London, Melbourne and Cape Town. Her modern engines made short work of the trip through to Egypt and Orville was soon with the 23rd Battalion in camp outside Cairo.

Not all individual service records identify the company that an infantryman was assigned to. Whilst it is known that Orville Lamplough was with the 23rd Battalion, his company was not mentioned. This lack of information affects the narrative when it comes to covering details of battlefield experiences. In this instance it also means we cannot be sure of a crucial element of the next stage of Orville’s war experience. When the 23rd Battalion sailed from Alexandria on 30 August, the men were mostly onboard HT Haverford. However, B Company travelled to Lemnos onboard HT Southland. At this stage it is not known if Orville was on the Southland when she was torpedoed on 2 September. Ten men of the 23rd Battalion were killed in that incident.

The unit continued on to Gallipoli two days later and Orville reached ANZAC Cove at 11pm on 4 September. He spent his first night on the peninsula camped in Rest Valley.

Illness played a big part in casualties at Gallipoli; disease flourished in the unsanitary conditions with men infested with lice and surrounded by flies that fed on the rotting corpses. The food was inadequate and water scarce. It was a gruelling experience for anyone who served in the campaign. Dysentery was rife and was a main cause of casualty. Orville had been at ANZAC less than three weeks before he became sick.

Initially he was admitted to the 6th Field Ambulance on 22 September with a septic arm. But when he was admitted to the St Paul’s Hospital at Malta on 27 September the diagnosis (other than specifying it as hand rather than arm) included a diagnosis of “stomach troubles.” This was later confirmed as dysentery and Orville was evacuated to England on 26 October.

Spread by contaminated food or water, dysentery was characterised by bloody diarrhoea, violent stomach cramps and fever. Patients often suffered extreme weight loss and ongoing weakness. The disease was to keep Orville out of action for five months.

The Braemar Castle (acting as a hospital ship) reached port on 4 November and Orville was immediately transferred to the Beaufort War Hospital in Bristol. Like so many military hospitals, the Beaufort had been repurposed for use during the war. In peacetime it had been known as the Bristol Lunatic Asylum and was located in the suburb of Fishponds.

Finally well enough to return to duty, Orville sailed from Devonport on the transport Kingston on 5 March. He rejoined his unit in the Canal Zone, east of Cairo, on 11 March, but was soon on his way to France.
Once again, the specifics of Orville’s movements are open to interpretation – the 23rd Battalion sailed from Alexandria on 19 March spread across three transports: the City of Edinburgh, Caledonia and Lake Michigan. The larger proportion of the unit were onboard the latter, but it is not known which ship Orville travelled on.

The convoy reached Marseilles without incident on 26 March and the men were immediately entrained for the north of France, travelling in covered goods wagons emblazoned “40 hommes/8 chevaux” (40 men or 8 horses).

Orville’s early days in France were marked by the loss of his oil bottle and his pay was deducted the cost of its replacement. His first major action was to come at Pozieres.

The 23rd Battalion reached what remained of the French village late on 26 July. Unbelievably, they were to remain in the line (under the most extreme shelling of the war) for a full eleven days. This included a major action on 5 August. Unfortunately, for Orville Lamplough, the day did not end well – he was hit in the right leg and had to be evacuated. He was admitted to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station at Puchevillers for treatment before being transferred the following day to the 1st Stationary Hospital at Rouen. The wound was severe enough to warrant him being evacuated to England again. On 13 August he was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital in Wandsworth, where he spent a month receiving treatment.

Following a brief stay at the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield, Orville was discharged to the No2 Command Depot at Weymouth, Dorset, on 20 September. His fitness was still under question, however, and it was clear that he was not going to return to the Front in the foreseeable future. He did manage to fall foul of the authorities at the Montevideo Camp by overstaying his leave from 3pm on 8 October until 3pm the following day. Captain Harold Butler admonished him and then fined him two day’s pay.

A week later, Orville left for the No3 Command Depot at Bovington Camp outside the village of Wool. (For those with a literary bent, Woolbridge Manor, just outside the village, features in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles).

The months passed without any discernible progress towards Orville’s return to active duty. He was promoted to the rank of temporary corporal on 11 March 1917; then, on 7 April he was promoted to extra regimental sergeant. He was also admitted to the 2nd Auxiliary Hospital in Southall on 21 March, but the diagnosis was not recorded.

Then Orville’s military career took a significant turn. On 2 August 1917 he joined the Officers’ Training School of the Australian Flying Corps. Now Cadet Lamplough, he underwent a six-week course in military aeronautics (held at Reading and Oxford). After graduating, Orville continued onto flight training at either Minchinhampton or Leighterton in Gloucestershire.

Given the outrageously short amount of training that was provided these new pilots, it is hardly surprising that so many were lost before they left England. Each recruit received a total of three hours dual instruction and (if they were lucky) up to 20-hours solo flying. In that brief window of training, Orville was required to show that he could undertake all the operational duties of a pilot – this included formation flying, dogfighting and observation. He also had to show he had mastered aerial bombing, photography and signalling. His flying experience came in iconic Great War aircraft like the Avro 504 and Sopwith Pup.

To graduate “A” a Pupil must have:
1. Undergone instruction at a school of Aeronautics
2. Completed twenty five hours Solo and Dual
3. Attained Flying Standard “V” on an elementary machine
4. Flown a Graduation Aeroplane satisfactorily
5. Climbed to 10,000 feet, remained there for at least 15 minutes, after which he will land with his engine stopped, the aeroplane first touching the ground and coming to a halt within a marked circle 150 yards in diameter
6. Passed following tests:
(a) Formation Flying. Satisfactorily maintained his position in formation flights for a total of Four (4) hours in formation (to include a minimum of three (3) separate flights)
(b) Forced Landings. Four forced landings in fields not forming part of Aerodrome
(c) Cloud Flying. While taking full control of machine remained Three (3) minutes in clouds with instructor
(d) Aerial Gunnery. While diving at a ground target taken two successful photographs of the target from 1,500 feet or under FLYING STANDARD “V”
Can fly his machine accurately and land consistently well at slow speeds, tail down.

Can, in addition, carry out the following manoeuvres with absolute confidence and accuracy on an elementary machine:
1. Three sustained turns in each direction, with and without engine, bank to be 45 degs or over
2. Sharp figures of eight. Climbing turns to left and right
3. Stall the machine with and without engine
4. Sideslip in either direction and land off a sideslip
5. Spin, half roll and loop (Avro’s and A. W.’s only)
6. Confident and reliable in clouds, in rough weather or on a forced landing. Understands the theory of landing cross wind.

One aspect barely understood at the time was the psychology of the flyer. Orville wrote home to his family of the tests that were done to see if he had the “nerve” to be a pilot.

Leading ace and the AFC’s only Victoria Cross recipient, Harry Cobby VC, admitted the very real fears that most pilot’s experienced,
‘…the nervousness that assailed me during the months of training in England, when I gave thought to the fact that as soon as I was qualified to fly an aeroplane, or perhaps sooner, I would be sent off to the war to do battle with the enemy in the sky and on the ground. I quite freely admit that if anything could have been done by me to delay that hour, I would have left nothing undone to bring it about…’

Cobby would soon be Orville’s comrade in the air.

According to the Royal Air Force Museum,
‘In all, by 1918, it took about eleven months for an individual to qualify as a Pilot.’

It took Orville Lamplough just five months. On 18 November 1917, he received his wings and was appointed to second-lieutenant. This was followed by promotion to full lieutenant on 18 February – two days before he flew to France. After landing at Boulogne, Orville flew through to Bruay-la-Buissière to join the 4th Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps. He was one of six new arrivals, increasing the squadron effective strength to 24 machines. To his fellow pilots, Orville became known simply as Lampy.

With a larger squadron, the 4th was able to initiate offensive operations against the Germans, both on the ground and in the air. A particularly notable engagement came on 21 March, when the squadron took on Manfred von Richthofen’s “Flying Circus.” Led by Harry Cobby, the 4th shot down five enemy aircraft that day.

As the Allies were pushed back by the German Spring Offensive, the 4th Squadron kept up a steady support, strafing and bombing the advancing enemy. On the 18 March, Orville had a nasty moment out on patrol when he crashed his Sopwith Camel at Houdain northwest of Arras. Six days later he attacked German positions at Vaux, firing 200-rounds into the trenches. He also fired on a motor transport from a height of about 3,000-feet.

Later the same day he dived in formation to a height of 800-feet and fired 200-rounds into groups of Germans in the village ‘who immediately scattered.’
As the Germans continued to advance, the decision was made to move the squadron to Clarimarais near St Omer on 28 April. There they joined the 11th Wing under the control of the British 2nd Army.

Three long months of continuous operations under the most heightened conditions of the war was exhausting, so Orville was glad of a leave pass to England on 27 May. However, this was during the first wave of the deadly influenza pandemic and he was hospitalised with the disease on 9 June. After an initial admission to the Australian Hospital in Southall, Orville was transferred to the 3rd London General, where he spent the next two months. His full recovery took much longer.

Finally, on 17 October, Orville rejoined his squadron at Serny. The hamlet lay midway between Boulogne and Roubaix and was home to a small airfield. Only the previous day, Lieutenant Frank Butterworth, a 23-year-old from Hay in New South Wales, had spun his Sopwith Camel into the ground during a practice flight; he was killed instantly. Orville arrived in time for the funeral.

Shortly after, the squadron was re-equipped with new Sopwith Snipe fighters. The Snipe came into use in March 1918. Boasting a Bentley engine and the ability to fly competitively at high altitude, the Snipe was seen as the first true fighter aircraft produced for the Royal Air Force and took over from the highly successful Sopwith Camel. Its snub nose and barrel-shaped fuselage was a clear predecessor of the Hawker Hurricane. The 4th Squadron was only the second unit on the Western Front to be equipped with these advanced aircraft.

The war may have reached its dying stages, but on the 29 October, the 4th Squadron took part in one of the greatest air battles of the war. Early in the afternoon, fifteen Snipes led by flying ace, Captain Roy King DSO DFC and Lieutenant Richmond Baker MM, left their airfield for a patrol of the area east of Tournai in Belgium. Shortly before the end of its patrol, the squadron encountered a large flight of German Fokkers.

Outnumbered four to one, the Snipes proved their superiority over the German machines and the Australians shot down 10 of the enemy for the loss of just one of their own.

Each “kill” was documented, with corroboration from witnesses. Orville Lamplough recorded the following statement after the battle.

‘…In the dog-fight I dived on one Fokker Biplane firing about 50 rounds from range of 50 feet. EA side-slipped a short distance, then rolled on to his back, going down completely out of control…’

Lieutenant Jack Palliser, who had shot down three enemy that day, confirmed the “kill.”

Early November saw the 4th Squadron continuing offensive patrols. “Lampy” was in the air daily. The last great air battle for Lampy came on 4 November. An offensive patrol over Frasnes-lez-Buissenal went badly wrong when they engaged with Jasta 2 of the Prussian Flying Corps over Ath. Despite multiple kills, at the end of the day several pilots had not returned. As they waited, some of the missing men straggled in.

However, confirmation that Rich Baker, Jack Palliser and Parker Symons had been killed devastated the remainder of the squadron. These men lived with an understanding of death few could imagine – the average life expectancy of a pilot on the Western Front was tallied at just six weeks. They lived with the knowledge that those you had breakfast with in the morning may be gone before the end of the day. Equipment failure, the lack of safety equipment (parachutes were available, but not provided just in case a “scared” pilot jumped out unnecessarily – the machine was considered far more valuable than the life of the man flying it!) and the deadly nature of the dog-fight added to the high risk involved in flying. It was glamourous and chivalric, in a way that few aspects of the war could be, but death was ever present and just as final.

The 4th Squadron maintained their operation right up to and including the final day of the war. They were then assigned to the British Army of Occupation and, on 8 December the squadron landed in Germany and were billeted on the outskirts of Cologne. Their task was to take control of the surrendered German aeroplanes. However, two of their number had a rather more symbolic acquisition in mind. Lampy and Captain Elliott “Tab” Pflaum (from Birdwood in South Australia) were intent on extracting a personal apology on behalf of the Australian forces.

Throughout the war, the German newspapers had kept up a steady stream of vitriolic propaganda aimed prominently at the Australians. It was alleged that after an Australian victory, the following appeared in print.

‘…The Australians and Canadians are the very riff-raff of humanity, descendants of murderers and thieves, drunken hordes, who despise the very thought of discipline and decency. This applies particularly to the Australians, the worthy posterity of men who for their crimes were once deported from their own country to found a colony at the extreme ends of the earth.


Those are the white allies of the black culture bearers who have set notoriously civilised England against us; these constitute the unspeakable human refuse against whom our heroic sons and brothers are doomed to fight. And yet there are sentimentalists who would urge us to be dainty in the choice of our weapons when facing such bestial creatures as these…’

One newspaper that was seen as the ‘chief offender’ was the Koelnische Zeitung (translated as the Cologne Gazette in Australia, it is actually just the Cologne Newspaper), one of the leading daily papers. Being stationed near to the office of the newspaper was an opportunity to exact a little post-war revenge. “Tab” Pflaum (who had transferred from the Light Horse to the Royal Flying Corps) had good reason to take umbridge with these sort of gross generalisations – his family was predominantly German. And Lampy was anything but the descendant of convicts! They were not alone in resenting the ‘libels upon them printed in the Gazette.’

So, one evening, the pair marched into the office and, after ‘securing a foothold in the literary department,’ demanded to speak to the editor.

‘…I don't know whether they thought, we had come to take over the business, but employees were scarce at the time, and the editor particularly so when we explained wo wanted to have a word with him. We were told he had gone to tea…’

Unable to buttonhole the editor, Lampy and Tab settled for the sub-editor.

‘…We entered his den, locked the door, and got to business.

"'Vot can I do for you?' he asked in broken English. 'We have come to secure an apology
from you for your paper's libels on the Australians,' we replied.

He was anxious enough to accommodate us, but didn't know how to begin.' 'It's all right,' we said, 'the apology must be a written one.'

The sub-editor did not know how to write English, so we drew up the apology for him as follows: — 'We hereby apologise for insinuations we have cast against the Australian troops through our paper, the 'Koelnische Zeitung.'
Jos. Vibz (for Editor 'Koelniselic Zeitung.')
This Vibz person then signed the document, and proceeded to put it away.

'Hold on,' we said. 'What are you going to do with that?'’ ‘Vy, lock it up for safe keeping, of
course,' he replied. 'No good,' we told him. 'That paper is for the Australians. You can take a copy of it for yourself if you like.'

Vibz agreed to be satisfied with a duplicate, and armed with the original apology we returned to headquarters, having a consciousness of work well done…’

This was possibly one of the most unique documents of the war.

With their stint in Germany at an end, the men of 4th Squadron returned to England to begin the repatriation process to Australia. With them was the squadron mascot, a little French boy called Henri Heremene. “Digger” as he was known to the men, had been orphaned early in the war and became such an important part of the squadron that the decision was made to smuggle him back to Australia. This involved a great deal of secrecy on the part of the entire squadron and an oat sack carried by Air Mechanic Tim Tovell. (Tovell formally adopted the boy after they reached Queensland).

Almost the entire Flying Corps was designated to return to Australia onboard the Kaiser-i-Hind. They sailed from London on 6 May 1919.

As the ship made its way through Port Phillip Bay on 16 June, the men were greeted by an escort of aircraft, including Harold Treloar (q.v) who flew over the Kaiser-i-Hind in a Maurice Farman aircraft.

When the King’s Birthday honours list was released, Orville Lamplough was proud to discover that he had been decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Given the slender threads of chance that chose which of these pioneer aviators lived or died, it is relevant to acknowledge that had Orville not contracted influenza he may well not have survived the war – or with the added flying time, he may have achieved the honour of being named an ace, which required five “kills.” Nevertheless, he had the distinction of receiving one of the highest honours of the war. Formal congratulations arrived in the form of a personal letter from General William Birdwood.

‘…Dear Lamplough,
I am pleased to see that you have been awarded the DFC in recognition of your good services to us, and congratulate you most heartily on this distinction. I send you a piece of ribbon for your decoration, and with it all good wishes for the future…’

The Lamplough family left Donald soon after Orville’s return. Their new home was at 38 Eskdale Road in Caulfield. Orville resumed working at the State Savings Bank. His appointment in the Australian Flying Corps was terminated on 15 August 1919. Then, on Friday evening, 2 July 1920, at the Melbourne Town Hall, Orville was officially presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross by Governor Ronald Munro Ferguson.

On the weekends, Orville enjoyed playing football. His skills caught the attention of league scouts and in 1922 he was signed to VFL club, St Kilda. Wearing the number 20, he played as a forward and follower during the 1922 and 1923 seasons. A recurring leg injury (possibly as a result of the wound he suffered at Pozieres in 1916) severely impacted his effectiveness and he only played seven games, scoring six goals.

In 1924, Orville returned to the Elsternwick Football Club. In the following season, the team took out the premiership in the Metropolitan Amateur League.

This was a good year for Orville Lamplough. On 5 January, he married Amy Loveday Mitchell. The wedding took place at Drysdale, where Orville’s father was running the Buck’s Head Hotel, and was celebrated at the St James’ Anglican Church. Amy was a strong, intelligent, independent woman. She was nearly three years older than Orville and was working as a secretary at the Bourke Street office of manufacturer and agent, A. J. Chamberlain. When the company floated shares as a proprietary limited, Amy was named as a subscriber.

The young couple then moved into what would be their permanent home, “Quamby” at 162 South Road, Sandringham.

However, all good things appear to have a price, and when Orville and Amy’s first child (a daughter) was stillborn, their happiness must have been deeply impacted. The baby was born at the Lochiel Private Hospital at Brighton on 10 January 1926.

Whilst the heartbreak of losing a baby never truly passes, the subsequent arrival of three healthy babies helped to restore a happy balance for Orville and Amy. Margaret Ann was born 5 May 1927; then Orville William (Bill) arrived on 2 March 1929. The family was completed by the arrival of Janet Mercy on 23 Mar 1934. All were born at the Lochiel Hospital.

Orville had settled into a position at the Elsternwick branch of the State Bank. He was not overly ambitious and was happy with the duties of a senior teller. When necessary, he took on the role of relieving manager at the branch (overseeing a staff of ten), but did not seek permanent promotion. He continued playing cricket and tennis and would return to Ballarat to play with the Old Grammarians. His connection to the military continued for many years, but on 20 February 1936, he retired from active involvement.

The outbreak of the Second World War changed everything. On 14 September 1939, Orville was re-appointed to the Reserve of Officers, before making an application for commission in the Royal Australian Air Force at the end of the month. He had to wait until 7 July 1941, for his appointment as a flying officer (on probation) to be confirmed. However, he wasn’t destined to resume flying duties and found himself instead in regional recruitment centres. During 1943, he spent time at Bendigo, Albury, Seymour, Puckapunyal and Sale.

In early 1944, he was sent to Melbourne on temporary duty, but when he was sent to Mildura in May, it seems that Orville became disillusioned with his role in the war and requested that his appointment be terminated ‘on compassionate grounds.’ Wing Commander John Broadbent’s assessment of Orville’s performance showed that the senior officer was less than impressed and he concluded that, after being with the unit for ‘4 or 5 months…was not very interested in it.’

The assessment was completed on a multiple-choice form that provided four options to reach a conclusion. Broadbent noted the following:
Appearance and bearing – pays some regard to appearance, but unimpressive; temperance – consistently temperate; mental alertness – catches on easily without too much explanation; power of expression – has a tendency to ramble and become involved and is somewhat hesitant and inarticulate; self-confidence – uncertain of himself, lacks force or tries to bluff; initiative – satisfactory, displays minor constructive ability; emotional stability – fairly well-balanced, cool-headed; energy – does no more than he is required to do; dependability – somewhat slack in performance of his duties; co-operation -somewhat reserved and formal, but does co-operate; leadership – can lead in minor affairs; Duties: A&SD/Wing Adjutant; proficiency in duties – slightly below average; admin ability – somewhat inferior, does not organise things very well; service knowledge – somewhat deficient in service knowledge, but slowly improving

Orville’s request was granted on 23 July 1944; he retired permanently from the Air Force on 19 December 1944.

On 5 January 1950, Orville and Amy happily celebrated their Silver Wedding Anniversary. Marriages of Margaret and Bill followed in 1954, and the arrival of several grandchildren completed the happy family circle.

By 1963, Orville had retired. They had moved to Station Road, in Rosanna, with their youngest daughter, who was working as a nurse.

Just a year after celebrating their Ruby Wedding Anniversary, Amy was gone. She died on New Year’s Day 1966. Orville was eventually admitted to the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, where he died on 19 July 1968. They were both cremated at the Fawkner Cemetery and their ashes placed side-by-side in a wall niche in the Garden of Remembrance.

Given the quiet end to his life, it was probably difficult for anyone who did not know of his early years to imagine what a huge place in history Orville Lamplough had carved. Not only was he a decorated pilot, he flew against the finest German pilots of the Great War, and helped force a serving of humble pie on those who had insulted his countrymen. All-in-all, it had been a remarkable life.