Air Vice Marshal Brian Alexander Eaton, CB, CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force. Born in Tasmania and raised in Victoria, he joined the RAAF in 1936 and was promoted to flight lieutenant on the outbreak of World War II. Eaton led No.81 Wing in Japan, and No 78 Wing in Malta. He commanded RAAF Base Williamtown from 1957 to 1959, after which he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Eaton retired in December 1973 and became an executive for Rolls-Royce in Canberra. He died in 1992 at the age of 75 and was buried in a private ceremony at the Royal Adelaide National Cemetery in Adelaide.
About Brian Eaton in brief
Air Vice Marshal Brian Alexander Eaton, CB, CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force. Born in Tasmania and raised in Victoria, he joined the RAAF in 1936 and was promoted to flight lieutenant on the outbreak of World War II. He held training positions before being posted to No. 3 Squadron at the beginning of 1943, flying P-40 Kittyhawk fighter-bombers in North Africa. Despite being shot down three times within ten days soon after arriving, Eaton quickly rose to become the unit’s commanding officer. His leadership earned him the Distinguished Service Order and Bar in 1944–45, and command of No 239 Wing RAF in Italy, with the temporary rank of group captain. He was also awarded the US Silver Star in 1946 in recognition of his war service. Eaton led No. 81 Wing in Japan, and No 78 Wing in Malta. He commanded RAAF Base Williamtown from 1957 to 1959, after which he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. As Director-General of Operational Requirements in 1965, Eaton argued for increased RAAF co-operation with the Australian Army in light of growing involvement in the Vietnam War. Eaton retired in December 1973 and became an executive for Rolls-Royce in Canberra. He died in 1992 at the age of 75 and was buried in a private ceremony at the Royal Adelaide National Cemetery in Adelaide, South Australia.
He is survived by his wife, two children and a step-grandchild, and two step-great-grandchildren. His great-nephew, Peter Eaton, is a former Australian Prime Minister and a former member of the Australian House of Representatives. He also served in the British House of Commons and the House of Lords as a Member of Parliament for the seat of Bath and Gloucestershire, and was awarded the CB and CBE for services to the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. His son, Peter, is now the Chief of the Defence Staff at the Australian Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and served as an Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Squadron RAAF. Eaton was awarded a CB and a DFC for his service in World War Two. He served as Air Member for Personnel, before being selected as AOC Operational Command in 1973. He later became a director of Rolls- Royce, which he worked for until his retirement in December 1992. He had a son, Brian, who is now a senior executive for the company. Eaton also had a daughter, Sarah, who was married to the former Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Hunt, and a son-in-law, Michael Eaton, who served as the Australian Minister of Defence. He retired in 1995 and died in December 1998. He has a son and a grandson, Michael, who worked for the Australian Defence Force. He will be buried in the Australian state of Victoria, where he was born in 1936.
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