Australian Dictionary of Biography

Keith Selwyn Hennock

NAA, A12372, R/364/P

Keith Selwyn Hennock (1918–1999), air force officer, was born on 8 February 1918 at Young, New South Wales, only son of Henry Augustus Hennock, farmer, and his wife Annie, née Lloyd, both New South Wales born. Keith attended Kingsvale Provisional School and later Young Intermediate High School where he attained his Intermediate and Leaving certificates. He represented his high school in tennis, rugby, and cricket, and was dux in 1935.

Hennock enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on 22 June 1936 as a trainee wireless operator, at Laverton, Victoria. After pestering his superiors, on 21 July 1937 he was granted a cadetship for pilot training at Point Cook, from which he graduated third, and was commissioned on 24 June 1938. He was promoted to flying officer in December. It would be the start of a long and successful air force career.

During World War II Hennock had operational tours in several major theatres, including as a temporary flight lieutenant (later temporary squadron leader) with No. 206 Squadron, Royal Air Force, on Atlantic, English Channel, and coastal patrols (1941–42); as a temporary squadron leader and commanding officer of No. 459 Squadron, an RAAF patrol unit in North Africa (1942) operating Hudson bombers; and as a temporary wing commander and commanding officer of No. 2 (Bomber) Squadron in Darwin piloting Hudsons against Japanese forces (1943–44). In October 1944 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his leadership and resourcefulness while on operations. Promoted to wing commander (substantive) in March 1950, he later commanded No. 391 Base Squadron in Japan during the Korean War (1951–52). He had married Joyce Eunice Spencer on 14 September 1940 at St Mark’s Church, Granville, New South Wales, but she died suddenly in Melbourne on 14 July 1944 aged twenty-eight. They had no children. On 19 January 1946 he married Sydney-born Verna Jacqueline Mann at Christ Church, South Yarra, Victoria.

Towards the end of Hennock’s posting as commanding officer of the RAAF base in Canberra (1952–55), the governor-general, Sir William (Viscount) Slim, acknowledged his courtesy and efficiency, conveying to the chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sir John McCauley, that he had ‘never visited a better run air station.’ He was particularly impressed with the ‘smartness and discipline maintained by all ranks’ (HH-AF), and attributed these qualities to Hennock’s example. Hennock was subsequently made an honorary aide-de-camp to Slim.

There followed several staff posts before his promotion to group captain in July 1955. In 1958 he became air attaché in Washington, DC. He returned as officer commanding No. 82 Wing, the RAAF’s bomber force, at Amberley, Queensland, in 1960; was promoted to air commodore in January 1963; and in 1967 served as officer commanding RAAF Richmond. His higher leadership qualities were recognised when, in December 1967, he was promoted to acting air vice-marshal (substantive September 1969) and appointed air officer commanding Operational Command at Glenbrook, New South Wales. In his role he was responsible for all RAAF air operations, before becoming chief of staff Far East Air Force in Singapore in 1969. An appointment as AOC Support Command, Melbourne, upon his return completed his commands, and his final posting was to the Air Board, Canberra, in January 1973 as air member for personnel, in charge of more than 22,000 RAAF members’ careers. He had been appointed OBE in June 1960 and CBE in June 1968.

After almost thirty-nine years’ service, Hennock retired on 8 February 1975, and chose not to seek a second career. With Verna, he moved into a house overlooking the sea at Sunshine Beach near Noosa, Queensland, but they spent most of their time travelling the world, with European destinations their favourite. He was tall (178 cm) and thin with brown eyes and a fresh complexion. His superiors rated him an intelligent man with ‘pluck’ (HH-AF), and his subordinates respected and admired him for his personal qualities and fairness. He died on 9 August 1999 in Mosman Private Hospital, New South Wales, of carcinoma of the lung, and was cremated. Verna and their three children, Jacqueline Elizabeth, Josephine Alexa, and John Keith, known as ‘Jay,’ survived him.