CHICHESTER - SUSSEX
Portfield All Saints Churchyard
The Argus (Melbourne) 1-4-1941
PILOT OFFICER KILLED
Father Also Airman
Son of a former RAF man now serving with the RAAF, Pilot-Officer Irvine Scott Owen Gaze, RAF, aged 19, who yesterday was reported killed in action, is a former Victorian. He has an elder brother in the RAF, and his father, grandfather, and two uncles all served in the Great War.
His father, Squadion-Leader I O Gaze who is now attached to an R A A F station at Perth, was formerly a director of Ezywalkin Pty Ltd and a well-known member of Royal South Yarra Tennis Club.
Shortly after his mother's death Pilot Officer Gaze, who was educated at Geelong Grammar School, left for England in September, 1939, intending to join the RAF War broke out while he was on his way from Australia. His elder brother, aged 21, who was already in England studying at a university, also joined the RAF and holds a commission Both were members of Spitfire squadrons.
PILOT OFFICER KILLED
Father Also Airman
Son of a former RAF man now serving with the RAAF, Pilot-Officer Irvine Scott Owen Gaze, RAF, aged 19, who yesterday was reported killed in action, is a former Victorian. He has an elder brother in the RAF, and his father, grandfather, and two uncles all served in the Great War.
His father, Squadion-Leader I O Gaze who is now attached to an R A A F station at Perth, was formerly a director of Ezywalkin Pty Ltd and a well-known member of Royal South Yarra Tennis Club.
Shortly after his mother's death Pilot Officer Gaze, who was educated at Geelong Grammar School, left for England in September, 1939, intending to join the RAF War broke out while he was on his way from Australia. His elder brother, aged 21, who was already in England studying at a university, also joined the RAF and holds a commission Both were members of Spitfire squadrons.
GAZE FAMILY
(Stephanie Leigh)
I also found Pilot Officer Irvine Scott Owen Gaze - “of Australia” but who served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve - his grave was opposite the cemetery in the Portfield (All Saints) Churchyard. It has been really enjoyable this afternoon “getting to know” the Gaze family whilst researching this pilot. What a family!
Scott (as he was known) was killed on the 23rd March 1941 serving with 610 Squadron in a flying accident. Some reports are that it was an operational flight; whilst chasing two Ju88s he flew into the South Downs in the bad weather.
Scott’s brother was also a fighter pilot - Frederick Anthony Owen Gaze (known as Tony) - also in 610 Squadron, which was one of three squadrons that formed the Tangmere Wing, led by Douglas Bader. Under Bader's leadership, the wing flew over northern France to engage the Luftwaffe. Gaze achieved his first success on June 26th 1941 when he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109. In July he accounted for two others, shared in the destruction of another and probably destroyed two more. These successes resulted in the award of the first of his three Distinguished Flying Crosses. By September 1942, Tony Gaze had been promoted to Squadron Leader. On September 4th 1943 Gaze was shot down over Le Treport, parachuted out, avoided capture and made contact with the Resistance, which organised an escape line. A few weeks later he turned up in the British consulate in Barcelona, and was flown home via Gibraltar. For the next few months Gaze served with the Air Fighting Development Unit at RAF Wittering, developing new techniques and testing captured enemy aircraft. He then returned to a fighter role and is credited with being the first Allied airman to land on European soil when he led his unit into an airfield at St Croix-sur-Mer, near Bayeux, four days after the D-Day landings. He continued as a fighter pilot as Allied armies fought their way across France and over the Rhine and, in February 1945, shot down a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet, which resulted in his third DFC. Squadron Leader Tony Gaze ended the war with 11 kills, three shared kills and four probable. He also shot down one V1 rocket and was the first Australian to fly the new Meteor III jet in combat.
Once demobilised, Gaze returned home, taking a pre-war Alta racing car with him and started racing on the Rob Roy hill climb outside Melbourne. He raced an Alta Formula 2 car at various events all over Europe and in 1952 became the first Australian to compete in an F1 event, the Belgian Grand Prix. Gaze came second to Stirling Moss in the 1956 New Zealand Grand Prix and continued to race. After a chance conversation in the late 1950s with avid glider competitor Prince Bira of Thailand, Gaze became an active member of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Gliding Club in the Cotswolds. He never forgot his roots, representing Australia in the World Gliding Championship in 1960.
Their father, Irvine Owen Gaze, was only 24 in 1914 when he visited the docks at Port Melbourne to bid farewell to his cousin, the Reverend Arnold Spencer-Smith, on a expedition to the Antarctic as a member of Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. They were a man short and Gaze signed on. The expedition was a disaster that turned into a British triumph, thanks to Shackleton's epic 800-nautical mile voyage in an open boat to rescue his men, including Irvine Gaze. On their return to Australia the men heard the news from Europe and felt compelled to do their bit and enlist. Irvin joined the Royal Flying Corp as a cadet on 29th August 1917 and began training to become a pilot. He eventually joined 48 Squadron. On 4th November 1918, just seven days before the Armistice, Irvine was shot down and captured by the Germans. When they interrogated him, they noticed the white ribbon on his uniform. And he said, "It’s the Polar Medal. I've just come back from the Antarctic." And everyone was happy to have a drink with him, except Goering, who was apparently a bit sulky about it! During World War Two Irvine served as an instructor with the RAAF and became a Squadron Leader.
(Stephanie Leigh)
I also found Pilot Officer Irvine Scott Owen Gaze - “of Australia” but who served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve - his grave was opposite the cemetery in the Portfield (All Saints) Churchyard. It has been really enjoyable this afternoon “getting to know” the Gaze family whilst researching this pilot. What a family!
Scott (as he was known) was killed on the 23rd March 1941 serving with 610 Squadron in a flying accident. Some reports are that it was an operational flight; whilst chasing two Ju88s he flew into the South Downs in the bad weather.
Scott’s brother was also a fighter pilot - Frederick Anthony Owen Gaze (known as Tony) - also in 610 Squadron, which was one of three squadrons that formed the Tangmere Wing, led by Douglas Bader. Under Bader's leadership, the wing flew over northern France to engage the Luftwaffe. Gaze achieved his first success on June 26th 1941 when he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109. In July he accounted for two others, shared in the destruction of another and probably destroyed two more. These successes resulted in the award of the first of his three Distinguished Flying Crosses. By September 1942, Tony Gaze had been promoted to Squadron Leader. On September 4th 1943 Gaze was shot down over Le Treport, parachuted out, avoided capture and made contact with the Resistance, which organised an escape line. A few weeks later he turned up in the British consulate in Barcelona, and was flown home via Gibraltar. For the next few months Gaze served with the Air Fighting Development Unit at RAF Wittering, developing new techniques and testing captured enemy aircraft. He then returned to a fighter role and is credited with being the first Allied airman to land on European soil when he led his unit into an airfield at St Croix-sur-Mer, near Bayeux, four days after the D-Day landings. He continued as a fighter pilot as Allied armies fought their way across France and over the Rhine and, in February 1945, shot down a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet, which resulted in his third DFC. Squadron Leader Tony Gaze ended the war with 11 kills, three shared kills and four probable. He also shot down one V1 rocket and was the first Australian to fly the new Meteor III jet in combat.
Once demobilised, Gaze returned home, taking a pre-war Alta racing car with him and started racing on the Rob Roy hill climb outside Melbourne. He raced an Alta Formula 2 car at various events all over Europe and in 1952 became the first Australian to compete in an F1 event, the Belgian Grand Prix. Gaze came second to Stirling Moss in the 1956 New Zealand Grand Prix and continued to race. After a chance conversation in the late 1950s with avid glider competitor Prince Bira of Thailand, Gaze became an active member of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Gliding Club in the Cotswolds. He never forgot his roots, representing Australia in the World Gliding Championship in 1960.
Their father, Irvine Owen Gaze, was only 24 in 1914 when he visited the docks at Port Melbourne to bid farewell to his cousin, the Reverend Arnold Spencer-Smith, on a expedition to the Antarctic as a member of Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. They were a man short and Gaze signed on. The expedition was a disaster that turned into a British triumph, thanks to Shackleton's epic 800-nautical mile voyage in an open boat to rescue his men, including Irvine Gaze. On their return to Australia the men heard the news from Europe and felt compelled to do their bit and enlist. Irvin joined the Royal Flying Corp as a cadet on 29th August 1917 and began training to become a pilot. He eventually joined 48 Squadron. On 4th November 1918, just seven days before the Armistice, Irvine was shot down and captured by the Germans. When they interrogated him, they noticed the white ribbon on his uniform. And he said, "It’s the Polar Medal. I've just come back from the Antarctic." And everyone was happy to have a drink with him, except Goering, who was apparently a bit sulky about it! During World War Two Irvine served as an instructor with the RAAF and became a Squadron Leader.