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|laterwork= }} Air Vice-Marshal William Hopton (Bill) Anderson, CBE, DFC (30 December 1891 – 30 December 1975) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He flew with the Australian Flying Corps in World War I, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Belgian Croix de guerre, and leading Nos. 3 and 7 Squadrons. Anderson commanded the Australian Air Corps during its brief existence in 1920, before joining the fledgling RAAF the following year. The service's third most senior officer, he primarily held posts on the Australian Air Board in the inter-war years. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1934, and promoted to air commodore in 1938. When World War II broke out, Anderson was Air Member for Supply. In 1940 he acted as Chief of the Air Staff between the resignation of Air Vice-Marshal Stanley Goble in January and the arrival of Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett, RAF, the next month. He led the newly formed Central and Eastern Area Commands between December 1940 and July 1943, briefly returning to the Air Board as Air Member for Organisation and Equipment in 1941–42. Anderson was founding Commandant of the RAAF Staff School from July to November 1943, and held this post again from October 1944 until his retirement in April 1946. Known to his colleagues as "Andy" or "Mucker", he died on his birthday in 1975.〔Coulthard-Clark, "Anderson, William Hopton", pp. 53–54〕 ==Early life and World War I== Born on 30 December 1891 in Kew, Victoria, Bill Anderson was the third son of surveyor Edward Anderson, from England, and his wife Florence, a native Victorian. The youth was educated at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School, where he joined the cadet corps. He began his professional military career as a Royal Australian (Garrison) Artillery officer in December 1910, before transferring to the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, based at Rabaul in what was then German New Guinea, in March 1915.〔 The following January, Anderson joined the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) as a captain, serving with No. 1 Squadron in Palestine.〔〔Cutlack, (''The Australian Flying Corps'', p. 35 )〕 He was posted to No. 3 Squadron (designated No. 69 Squadron Royal Flying Corps by the British) in August 1917, operating Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 two-seat reconnaissance aircraft on the Western Front.〔〔Cutlack, (''The Australian Flying Corps'', p. 181 )〕 From October 1917, No. 3 Squadron was heavily involved in artillery ranging, activity that left the slow R.E.8s vulnerable to attack by German fighters. Twice that month Anderson's plane was dived upon by multiple enemy aircraft. He was, in his own words, "too scared to think" on the first occasion, but both times held his nerve and manoeuvred his plane so that his observer could hold off their opponents with Lewis Gun fire while other R.E.8s came to their aid.〔〔Molkentin, ''Fire in the Sky'', pp. 201–202〕 Anderson was spotting for artillery near the Messines Ridge on 6 December when he engaged a German two-seat DFW that observer John Bell was able to shoot down; it was No. 3 Squadron's first confirmed aerial victory.〔Newton, ''Clash of Eagles'', p. 16〕〔Molkentin, ''Fire in the Sky'', pp. 224–225〕 In January 1918, Anderson was given the temporary rank of major and posted to England to take charge of No. 7 (Training) Squadron AFC.〔 He was recommended for the Military Cross (MC) on 12 March for his achievements with No. 3 Squadron in France, the citation noting his "resolute fight" and "cool and capable flying" in evading attacks by enemy aircraft and successfully carrying out his reconnaissance missions.〔(Recommendation: Military Cross ) at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved on 26 June 2011.〕 In the event, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in the King's Birthday Honours promulgated in the ''London Gazette'' on 3 June, becoming the first Australian to receive the newly created decoration.〔Sewell, ''Flying the Southern Skies'', pp. 12–13〕 He was also awarded the Belgian Croix de guerre, gazetted on 9 July. Anderson went back to France in October 1918 as commanding officer of No. 3 Squadron.〔〔Gillison, (''Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942'', pp. 1, 16 )〕 His service earned him a mention in despatches on 11 July 1919. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「William Anderson (RAAF officer)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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