James Fairbairn
James Fairbairn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Wadhurst, Sussex, England |
| Died | August 13, 1940 (aged 43) |
| Occupation(s) | Pilot, politician |
| Years active | 1915–1940 |
| Known for | Minister for Air and Minister for Civil Aviation (1939–1940) |
James Valentine Fairbairn (28 July 1897 – 13 August 1940) was an Australian pilot and politician. Serving as a fighter pilot during World War I, he later represented the United Australia Party (UAP) in the federal parliament and held the positions of Minister for Air and Minister for Civil Aviation from 1939 until his passing in 1940.
Although born in England to Australian parents, Fairbairn was raised in rural Victoria. At the age of 18, he returned to England to enlist in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). Early in his combat service, he was shot down and sustained a serious arm injury, spending more than a year as a prisoner of war in Germany. After the war, he became a grazier in Victoria's Western District. He had a brief tenure in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1932 to 1933 before winning the Flinders by-election in 1933, which brought him into the Australian House of Representatives.
Fairbairn maintained his involvement with aviation as a civilian and was widely acknowledged as an expert in the field. In 1939, he was appointed to Cabinet during the initial Menzies Government. His career was cut short when he perished in the 1940 Canberra air disaster, along with two fellow cabinet members and the army chief.
Early life
Born on 28 July 1897 in Wadhurst, Sussex, England, Fairbairn was the third child among five siblings to Australian parents Elizabeth (née Osborne) and Charles Fairbairn. The family owned extensive pastoral properties across Queensland and Victoria, which were accumulated by his Scottish-born grandfather, George Fairbairn. These estates were managed by his father and uncles, including George and Steve Fairbairn. His maternal grandfather, James Osborne, was also involved in pastoral pursuits. When Fairbairn was two years old, his family acquired land near Skipton in Victoria’s Western District, where he lived until age eleven before attending boarding school at Geelong Grammar School. During his schooling, he distinguished himself in tennis, athletics, and rowing.
Military service
Shortly after turning 18 in 1915, Fairbairn traveled to England to enlist with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), following his elder brother Osborne who had already joined. He completed officer training in Scotland and flight instruction at both Croydon and Netheravon, piloting Bristol Scouts. After being commissioned as a flying officer, he was deployed to France in December 1916 with No. 54 Squadron, which was the first RFC squadron equipped with Sopwith Pups.
On 14 February 1917, during an escort mission over German-held territory near Cambrai and Saint-Quentin, engine trouble forced him to leave formation. While being chased by enemy fighters, he attempted an Immelmann turn but ultimately crash-landed. To prevent his aircraft from falling into enemy hands, he set it ablaze; however, he became trapped and was captured by German forces. He sustained severe facial burns along with a bullet wound to his right elbow that caused lasting impairment. Imprisoned as a prisoner of war in France and the Netherlands, he later recuperated in Switzerland before being exchanged for a German prisoner in April 1918. Following this, he continued rehabilitation in London and received a modest pension from the Royal Air Force due to his injuries.
Post-war period and initial political engagement
After returning to Australia in December 1919, Fairbairn took charge of his family's station located at Peak Downs in Central Queensland. In 1923, he wed Daisy Olive "Peggy" Forrest, and together they purchased a 4,000-acre grazing estate near Derrinallum at Mount Elephant. By 1934, the property had grown to support between 3,000 and 10,000 sheep alongside 350 cattle, with improvements driven by the application of superphosphate. He was a trailblazer in crossbreeding Southdown with Corriedale sheep and served as a representative for his region within the Graziers' Association of Victoria.
Utilizing connections from his family background and education, Fairbairn secured directorships at the Union Trustee Company of Australia and the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney. Although unsuccessful in his 1924 electoral attempt, he was elected to the Hampden Shire Council in 1930, serving a single term. Demonstrating a keen passion for aviation, he constructed a personal airstrip and acquired a used de Havilland DH.60 Moth in 1931; however, he experienced a crash landing near Camperdown the following year.
Fairbairn entered the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1932 as the member for Warrnambool, representing the United Australia Party.
National political career
In 1933, Fairbairn resigned from his state parliamentary seat to contest and win the federal electorate of Flinders in a by-election prompted by former prime minister Stanley Bruce's departure. He retained this seat until his passing. Renowned for his expertise in aviation, he frequently piloted flights between his estate and Canberra. In 1936, he purchased a De Havilland Dragonfly in England and personally flew it back to Australia. The Fairbairn family earned the nickname "Flying Fairbairns," though tragedy struck when his brother George Patrick Fairbairn and sister-in-law Mary perished in an aircraft accident in 1935.
On 26 April 1939, Fairbairn was appointed Minister for Civil Aviation and Vice-President of the Executive Council in the inaugural Menzies Ministry, also providing support to the Minister for Defence. With the onset of World War II, he traveled to Canada to assist with establishing the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, where on 13 November 1939 he became Australia's first Minister for Air.
He stepped down from his role as Vice-President of the Executive Council on 26 January 1940 but joined the second Menzies Ministry on 14 March 1940 as both Minister for Civil Aviation and Minister for Air. In July that year, he conducted an aerial inspection of all RAAF bases throughout Australia aboard his Dragonfly.
Passing and enduring impact
On 13 August 1940, Fairbairn was among ten fatalities when the Canberra air disaster occurred during landing near Canberra Airport; this crash involved an RAAF Lockheed Hudson and claimed the lives of four crew members along with six passengers, including the Chief of the General Staff and three Federal Government ministers. The following day, Prime Minister Robert Menzies lauded Fairbairn's steadfast character and determined parliamentary advocacy. He left behind his wife and two children, one being Geoffrey Forrester (1924–1980), who became a history lecturer at the Australian National University.
In tribute, Fairbairn Airbase, integrated within present-day Canberra Airport, was named in his honor in 1953. The military portion was redesignated as RAAF Base Fairbairn in 1962; although now closed as a base, its northeastern section retains the Fairbairn name as a commercial park.
His first cousin once removed, Sir David Fairbairn, also pursued a career in federal politics.