During World War II, being shot down by the Japanese was often a death sentence for pilots. However, for Sir John Grey Gorton, who later became Australia’s 19th prime minister, it was just the first of several brushes with death. His face was severely damaged in a crash, but he survived and went on to serve his country with distinction.
Born in 1911, Gorton enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1940. After training in England, he was posted to Singapore as part of the No. 135 Squadron RAF, which flew Hawker Hurricane planes. In January 1942, his plane was shot down, and he was forced to crash-land. His face struck the panel, damaging his nose and fracturing both his cheekbones.
On the ground, Dutch soldiers mistook him for a Japanese fighter and opened fire, further injuring his face. Gorton was eventually rescued and evacuated, but the ordeal was far from over. The evacuation vessel he boarded was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, and he was forced to spend 20 hours adrift on a life raft before being rescued again.
Despite these harrowing experiences, Gorton’s determination to serve his country remained unwavering. He returned to Australia and underwent facial reconstruction surgery. After a brief stint at home to heal, he was posted again and survived two more incidents, a forced landing in Darwin and a crash landing in Milne Bay.
Gorton was discharged from the RAAF in December 1944. He then turned his sights to politics, becoming a Liberal senator in 1949. Elevated to the role of navy minister a decade later, he held other portfolios, becoming the first minister for education and science, before his time as prime minister.
Gorton’s tumultuous time in office began in 1968 when he won a Liberal leadership ballot after prime minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming at sea. His larrikin streak initially proved popular with the public, but his conservative views and perceived policy inconsistencies caused friction within his party.
Gorton’s departure from the prime ministership was as unconventional as his entry; he cast the deciding vote against himself in the 1971 no-confidence motion that saw him lose the Liberal leadership. He resigned from the Liberal Party in 1975 but remained vocal on progressive issues as a radio commentator.
Gorton died in 2002 at the age of 90. He was a complex and controversial figure, but his courage, resilience, and dedication to his country are undeniable.
