# David Blake (general)

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{{short description|Australian Army general}}
{{refimprove|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= David Valentine Jardine Blake
|image= 
|image_size= 
|alt= 
|caption= 
|nickname= 
|birth_date= {{birth date|1887|11|10|df=yes}}
|birth_place= Parramatta, [Colony of New South Wales](/source/Colony_of_New_South_Wales)
|death_date= {{death date and age|1965|03|06|1887|11|10|df=yes}}<ref>[https://archive.today/20120721015148/http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/IndexSearch?form=IndexingSearch&SessionID=32339097&sname=Blake&gname=David&fname=&mname=&event=deaths&frange=1965&trange=1965&place= NSW Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages]</ref>
|death_place= [Newtown, New South Wales](/source/Newtown%2C_New_South_Wales)
|burial_place= 
|allegiance= Australia
|branch= [Australian Army](/source/Australian_Army)
|service_years= 1911–1947
|rank= [Major General](/source/Major_general_(Australia))
|unit= 
|commands= [7th Military District](/source/7th_Military_District_(Australia)) (1941–42)<br/>Australian Flying Corps Training Depot (1919)<br/>[No. 3 Squadron AFC](/source/No._3_Squadron_RAAF) (1916–18)
|battles= 
{{tree list}}
* [First World War](/source/First_World_War)
* [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War)
** [Bombing of Darwin](/source/Bombing_of_Darwin)
{{tree list/end}}
|awards= [Mentioned in Despatches](/source/Mentioned_in_Despatches) (2)<br/>[Distinguished Service Medal](/source/Distinguished_Service_Medal_(U.S._Army)) (United States)
|other_work=
}}
[Major General](/source/Major_general_(Australia)) '''David Valentine Jardine Blake''' (10 November 1887 – 6 March 1965) was a senior commander of the [Australian Army](/source/Australian_Army) who served in both [world war](/source/world_war)s.

==Early life==
David Blake was born on 10 November 1887 in [Parramatta, New South Wales](/source/Parramatta%2C_New_South_Wales). He was educated at Marist Brothers, Parramatta.

==First World War==
thumb|Major David Valentine Blake (2nd from right), officer commanding 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, with unnamed officers
Blake was [commissioned](/source/Officer_(armed_forces)) as a career officer in the [Australian Army](/source/Australian_Army)'s Permanent Military Forces in 1911. In September 1916, as a [major](/source/Major_(rank)), he became the first commanding officer of the newly formed [No. 3 Squadron](/source/No._3_Squadron_RAAF) [Australian Flying Corps](/source/Australian_Flying_Corps) (then part of the army). The squadron was deployed to Belgium and France in late 1917, performing a combined [reconnaissance](/source/reconnaissance) and offensive role.

From early 1918, No. 3 Squadron flew in a sector of the [Somme](/source/Somme_(river)) Valley, facing German planes commanded by the "Red Baron", [Manfred von Richthofen](/source/Manfred_von_Richthofen). When the baron was shot down and killed behind [allied](/source/Allies_of_World_War_I) lines on 21 April 1918, the disposal of his remains became Blake's responsibility. Blake initially reported that a 3 Sqn [R.E.8](/source/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_R.E.8) may have shot down Richthofen. However, following an autopsy, Blake became a strong proponent of the view that ground-based Australian machine-gunners had killed the baron. Blake remained 3 Sqn CO until October 1918. The following year, he was transferred to Australia.

==Second World War==
After the outbreak of the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War), Blake's first significant command (as a [major general](/source/major_general)) was Officer Commanding, [7th Military District](/source/7th_Military_District_(Australia)) (the [Northern Territory](/source/Northern_Territory)), based in [Darwin](/source/Darwin%2C_Northern_Territory), from September 1941. The post gained in importance when [war with Japan](/source/Pacific_War) broke out in December. In January 1942, Blake's position was incorporated into the short-lived [American-British-Dutch-Australian Command](/source/American-British-Dutch-Australian_Command).

Blake was the senior Allied officer present during the first [air raids on Darwin](/source/Bombing_of_Darwin) on 19 February 1942. In the wake of the initial Japanese raids—and fearing a surface attack—Blake decided to remove all Allied forces from central Darwin and other coastal areas. He was later criticised for this decision, as withdrawing from a major [supply](/source/Materiel) node was considered a cardinal error in military theory. Later that year, as a major Allied build-up in northern Australia got underway, Blake was moved to the position of General Officer Commanding, Lines of Communication, Northern Territory Area.

Blake retired from the army in 1947.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4154021&S=1 Personal file at National Archives of Australia]
*[http://parramattamaristobu.org.au/index.php/in-uniform1/16-in-uniform/detail/70-major-general-david-valentine-blake.html?tmpl=component Photograph at Parramatta Marist Old Boys Union] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085615/http://parramattamaristobu.org.au/index.php/in-uniform1/16-in-uniform/detail/70-major-general-david-valentine-blake.html?tmpl=component |date=4 March 2016 }}
*[https://www.awm.gov.au/people/P10676871/ Profile at Australian War Memorial]

{{Australian Generals of World War II}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, David Valentine Jardine}}
Category:1887 births
Category:1965 deaths
Category:Australian generals
Category:Australian military personnel of World War I
Category:Australian Army personnel of World War II
Category:Military personnel from New South Wales
Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Category:Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
Category:Military personnel from Sydney
Category:People educated at Parramatta Marist High School

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [David Blake (general)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Blake_(general)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Blake_(general)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.