David Valentine Jardine Blake

Infobox Military Person
name= David Valentine Jardine Blake
lived= 10 November 1887 – ???
placeofbirth= Parramatta, New South Wales
placeofdeath=


caption= Major General David Valentine Jardine Blake in Darwin in 1941.
allegiance=Australia
branch=Australian Army
serviceyears= 1916 - 1947
rank= Major General
commands= No. 3 Squadron
battles= World War I
World War II
awards= Mention in Despatches (2)
Army Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
laterwork=
Major General David Valentine Jardine Blake (born 10 November 1887 in Parramatta - ???) was a notable member of the Australian Army in both World War I and World war II, rising to the rank of Major General.

World War I

Blake was commissioned as a career officer, in the Australian Army's Permanent Military Forces in January 1916, during World War I. In September that year, as a Major, he became the first commanding officer (CO) of the newly-formed No. 3 Squadron (3 Sqn) Australian Flying Corps (which was then part of the army). The squadron was deployed to Belgium and France in late 1917, performing a combined reconnaissance and offensive role.

From early 1918, 3 Sqn flew in a sector of the Somme Valley, facing German planes commanded by the "Red Baron", Manfred von Richthofen. When the baron was shot down and killed behind Allied lines on 21 April, the disposal of his remains became Blake's responsibility. Blake initially reported that a 3 Sqn RE8 may have shot down Richthofen. However, following an autopsy, Blake became a strong proponent of the view that ground-based Australian machine-gunners had killed the baron. Blake remained 3 Sqn CO until October 1918. The following year, he was transferred to Australia.

World War II

After the outbreak of World War II, Blake's first significant command (as a Major General) was Officer Commanding, 7th Military District (the Northern Territory), based in Darwin, from September 1941. The post gained in importance when war with Japan broke out in December. In January, Blake's position was incorporated into the short-lived American-British-Dutch-Australian Command.

He was the senior Allied officer present during the devastating air raids on Darwin, on 19 February 1942. In the wake of the initial Japanese raids — and fearing a surface attack — Blake decided to remove all Allied forces from central Darwin and other coastal areas. He was later criticised for this decision, as it made a cardinal error in military theory: withdrawing from a major supply node. Later that year, as a major Allied build-up in northern Australia got underway, Blake was moved to the position of General Officer Commanding, Lines of Communication, Northern Territory Area.

Blake retired from the army in 1947.

External links

* [http://deepthought.hass.adfa.edu.au:8080/showPerson?pid=24593 AIF Project entry for Blake]