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He was promoted to captain and appointed Flight Commander in April 1917, but his wound prevented further flying and he was invalided to Australia in August that year. His appointment with the Australian Flying Corps ended in January 1918 but he was reappointed in September and became an aviation instructor. He was involved in the first war air operations from the
Australian mainland in 1918. After news that the German raider Wolf had laid sea mines off the coast of south-eastern Australia, claims were made that the ship had operated its seaplanes over
Sydney in March. Other sightings led to the assumption that another German raider was present. Two detachments from Point Cook deployed to carry out costal patrols and possible interception missions. Captain McNamara, with the F.E.2b aircraft and a ground party were deployed to Gippsland in April, and Warrant Officer Hendy manned a Lewis gun from the observer’s seat. The operations concluded in mid-May without finding any sign of enemy forces.
In 1921 McNamara transferred to the newly established Royal Australian Air Force as a flight lieutenant. He held a number of senior RAAF appointments between the wars, and spent two years on exchange to the RAF in the mid-1920s.
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Click here for a timeline of Frank McNamara's life.
