Herbert Larkin

Herbert Joseph Larkin was born in Brisbane, Queensland, on 8 October 1894. His mother, Annie Mary Frances McHugh Larkin, was from Queensland. His father, Herbert Benjamin George Larkin, was from Kent, England. The Larkin patriarch was a clerk for the Australian United Steam Navigation Company until about 1901; he then moved his family to Melbourne. By 1916, he accepted a manager's position with the Commonwealth Line, and would later rise to become Chairman of the Board. Herbert Joseph Larkin was educated at St. Thomas' Grammar School in Essendon, Victoria. He became a junior clerk for the Union Steam Ship Company. ==First World War==

On 19 August 1914, Larkin joined the 1st Signal Troop, Royal Australian Engineers, Australian Imperial Force as a corporal. He claimed two years of prior experience in the 21st Signal Troop. He designated his next of kin as M. H. Larkin, residing in Saint Kilda, and claimed British citizenship. He served in both Egypt and at Gallipoli as signals clerk for Generals John Monash and Harry Chauvel. and on 16 July was appointed a flying officer. His initial aerial assignment was to No. 5 Squadron on the French front. He was awarded the French Croix de guerre in March 1917 for the excellence of his visual and photographic reconnaissance work while piloting a Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8. The award was promulgated in the London Gazette on 14 July. On 22 April 1917, Second Lieutenant Larkin was appointed as flight commander, with the accompanying promotion to temporary captain. Larkin ended his tour with No. 5 Squadron by transferring back to England for instructor duty. When his instructor's posting ended, Larkin began a second combat tour with No. 87 Squadron. All the while he was scoring these victories, he also led his flight to success. He won the Distinguished Flying Cross for his valour. As the accompanying citation stated: :"In the recent fighting this officer has led twelve offensive patrols, and these patrols have destroyed twenty-one enemy machines and driven down four out of control. The success of his squadron is due not only to his most able leadership, but also to the fine fighting spirit he inspires by his personal courage and disregard of danger." ==Interwar period==

Pioneering Australian aviation Larkin married Vera Grace Russell Doman in St Saviour's Church, London, on 15 March 1919. He and his bride sailed home to Australia, arriving in July 1919. After his arrival, he initially barnstormed "educational flights" in a Sopwith Dove and made fuel storage systems in his shop in Glen Huntly. Along with some old comrades from No. 87 Squadron, plus his brother Reg, Larkin founded an Australian Sopwith agency named Larkin Sopwith Aviation Co. of Australia Ltd. Larkin claimed the honor of the first night flight in Australia on 25 October 1919 when he piloted the Dove over Australia's version of the Henley Regatta. Larkin Aircraft Supply Company When Sopwith liquidated in 1921, Larkin's agency became the Larkin Aircraft Supply Company. The company would grow to over 100 employees, and produce gliders and a number of powered light aircraft designs, including Australia's first all-metal airplane, the Lasco Lascoter of 1929. The company even opened a flying school in 1931. However, LASCO was crippled by the Great Depression. Pioneering air mail In December 1921, Larkin won the government's airmail contract for the Sydney-Adelaide route. However, his lack of suitable aircraft and sufficient capital led him to partner with Frank L. Roberts in Australian Aerial Services. Roberts brought the government contract for the Sydney-Brisbane route into a partnership with Larkin. The need to form this partnership delayed acceptance of the contract until October 1923. As part of this partnership, Larkin Aircraft Supply Co. flew airmail and passengers over several different routes in Australia between 2 June 1924 and 9 September 1926, connecting Adelaide, Sydney, Broken Hill, Mildura, and Hay. However, service on Roberts' Sydney-Brisbane route failed. ==Downfall==

A contemporary description of Larkin noted that his glaring deepset eyes and pinched mouth displayed his impatience and lack of tact. Certainly, his public accusation of corruption against the secretary for the Department of Defence Malcolm Lindsay Shepherd in February 1929 was a decidedly undiplomatic means of furthering a government-supported business. The subsequent enquiry clearing Shepherd redounded to Larkin's detriment. On 26 January 1934, the Western Mining Corporation and four of its directors sued the members of the Australian Air Convention, alleging false and malicious accusations contained in the circular by the convention had damaged both Western and its directors. When the case went to trial in June 1934, Larkin and Convention Chairman W. T. Shaw attempted to prove they had no malicious intent. WMC's counsel entered into evidence both Larkin's unsuccessful prior accusation of Secretary Shepherd and a letter alleging corruption addressed to the Bribery and Secret Commissions Prevention League. WMC's Company Secretary and three members of the Board of Directors testified there were no aerial survey contract discussions. The three other members of the Convention publicly disavowed the circular and were dropped from the suit. The final weight of the ensuing loss of the suit fell entirely upon Larkin and Shaw. Their subsequent bankruptcies left Larkin as a salaried manager in his own liquidated company, Larkin Aircraft Supply Company. Larkin subsequently left for Europe in 1937. ==Second World War and beyond==

On 24 July 1939, Larkin was appointed a flight lieutenant in Class CC for service in the General Duties Branch of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was promoted to squadron leader in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch on 1 December 1941. On 10 April 1943, he relinquished his commission. Larkin reputedly served with American forces during the Second World War, though details are missing. Larkin had divorced his first wife at some unknown date after his bankruptcy. On 6 June 1945, he remarried, wedding widow Hélène Merley Castan in Paris. He would stay married to her until 1956. His postwar career took him to Germany and Switzerland as well as France; again, details are lacking. In 1957, he retired to the Channel Islands and became a human rights campaigner. He capped his lifelong interest in horticulture by publishing Bonsai Culture for Beginners in 1968. Larkin died at Saint Martin's, Guernsey on 20 June 1972, survived by two sons and a daughter. ==References==