Commodore John Goble RAN

Received the sad news this morning from Ron Osborn that fellow NOC life member, Commodore John Goble, passed away peacefully yesterday at his Mona Vale nursing home. Commodore Goble was a WW2 veteran, having seen service in both the Pacific and European theatres. Last November, he was awarded the French Legion d’Honneur for his participation in the Normandy D-Day Landings. He was also a RAN Fleet Air Arm pioneer, and with the late Commander Digger Bourke, was among the first RANC graduates to be awarded his “wings” after flying training in the UK.

A summary of his distinguished service career is given below:

John Goble was born in Brighton, Victoria and entered the RAN College in 1937. In December 1941 he was posted to HMAS CANBERRA for a short period and later served in HMAS AUSTRALIA in the Coral Sea and Solomon Islands actions during 1942. In 1943 he attended courses in the UK to qualify for promotion to Lieutenant and on completion, was posted to a Landing Craft (Assault) Flotilla that took part in the D-Day landing on 6 June 1944. He was then posted to HMS BATTLER, an escort carrier built in the USA and part of the British Eastern Fleet based at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. He was among the first group of RAN officers to qualify as a pilot shortly after WW2 and served with the RN until 1948, which included a year in 827 Squadron on board HMS TRIUMPH, a Light Fleet Carrier. In 1949 he returned to Australia as a member of 816 Squadron on board HMAS SYDNEY and in 1951, he returned to the UK to attend the RAF Central Flying School. He then served as a Flying Instructor in the UK until returning to Australia to become CO of 817 Squadron. Between 1955 and 1959, he served on the Naval Aviation Staff, then a year as XO in the Battle Class destroyer, HMAS TOBRUK and from there as Commander (Air) in HMAS MELBOURNE. In 1960 he attended the US Armed Services Staff College and on return became Commander (Air) at NAS Nowra. In an unexpected move he was then posted as the first XO of HMAS SUPPLY. From 1964 to 1967 he was Director of Naval Air Policy. During this period the Government approved the acquisition of the Tracker and A4 Skyhawk aircraft. This was followed with two years with the Joint Planning Group in the Department of Defence. In 1969 he Commanded HMAS VAMPIRE and in 1970, HMAS STALWART. He then moved to Nowra in Command, which was followed by a year in the RAN Trials and Assessment Unit. After a six-month period as CO of the carrier HMAS MELBOURNE in the latter half of 1973, he was appointed COS to the Fleet Commander for two years. Commodore Goble retired from the RAN in February 1976 to study for a career in Law from which he retired in 1992.