The Private Air Marshal: A biography of George Jones

Time: 10.00am - 11.00am

After leading the RAAF through the last three years of World War II, Air Vice-Marshal George Jones served on until 1952 to complete a record continuous term as Air Force chief. The career of Air Marshal Sir George Jones, as he became, has been examined by Canberra historian Peter Helson to determine what sort of man Jones was at a personal level, and what made him tick.

Helson’s study traces Jones’ life from an impoverished start, to his service on Gallipoli and as a decorated Australian Flying Corps ‘ace’ on the Western Front in World War I. It tracks him through a tumultuous tussle for command of the RAAF during in the Pacific War, and onwards to his eventual death in 1992 at the age of 95. This study provides a fascinating counterpoint to Jones’ own autobiography, From Private to Air Marshal, published in 1988.

This seminar will highlight the author’s many discoveries about Jones’ past, and will include a formal launch of the book by the current Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin.