William Bostock

William Bostock.
William Bostock (5 February 1892 – 28 April 1968) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). During World War II he led RAAF Command, the Air Force's main operational formation, earning the Distinguished Service Order and the American Medal of Freedom. A veteran of World War I, Bostock first saw combat at Gallipoli, then as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps on the Western Front, where he earned the Belgian Croix de guerre. In the 1930s he served as Director of Training, commanding officer of No. 3 Squadron, and Director of Operations, becoming Deputy Chief of the Air Staff in 1939. Appointed Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command in 1942, he feuded with Chief of the Air Staff George Jones over control of the Air Force in the South West Pacific Area. Following his retirement from the RAAF in 1946, he became a journalist and later a Federal Member of Parliament.