John Gorton photographed in his days as an Air Force pilot.

John Gorton, thought he had "had it" after a second devastating crash in a fighter aircraft during World War II, according to his former CO, Wing Commander (ret'd) Dick Creswell.

But events proved him wrong.

Sir John died in Sydney on May 10 after a long, active and frequently controversial political career, including three years as prime minister.

Senior representatives of the Air Force, including Air Marshal Houston, honoured the former PM and No. 77 Squadron pilot at a Memorial Service at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney on May 31.

Many former members of the RAAF, some dating back to when 77SQN was formed, joined Governor General Peter Hollingworth and a broad cross-section of the political community including the present and former PMs, cabinet ministers and members, at the service.

77SQN organised a flypast of F/A18s - the classic formation of aircraft with one missing - to mark the passing of arguably its most distinguished former member.

A well-known Air Force identity, Creswell was a flying instructor at the Fighter Operations Training Unit in Mildura when he first met John Grey Gorton as a trainee pilot.

Gorton was posted to the UK to serve in the RAF and was serving with a Hurricane squadron shipped to Singapore when he was involved in the first of two aircraft accidents which brought the characteristic craggy appearance to his face.

An account of the incident by Air Force artist Peter Randall-Kent says: "A flight of Hurricanes flown by John Gorton, Sgt Alan Coutie and 'Swampy' Marsh, a Canadian, was scrambled on January 30, 1940, from Kallang. Whilst climbing to engage the Japanese bombers south of Singapore, they were bounced by Zeros. In the dogfight that followed, Gorton's Hurricane was badly damaged.

"In putting the damaged aircraft down in a cleared area on one of the islands, he hit some overgrown gasoline storage tanks, smashing his face on the instrument panel and gunsight and sustaining considerable injuries to his arms and legs. A Dutch plantation owner took him in. Both Alan Coutie and 'Swampy' Marsh were killed in action.

"Eventually two RAF airmen came to the island in an air-sea rescue launch, took one look at Gorton, pronounced him dead, took his wallet, watch and pay book and returned to Singapore.

"A week later a shot up Australian Brewster Buffalo crashed a little distant to where Gorton was recuperating. The unconscious pilot was lifted from his damaged plane.

"They were picked up by an RAF air-sea rescue launch and returned to Singapore. In Singapore both pilots boarded the SS Derrymore to take them back to Australia for hospitalisation but the ship was torpedoed and sunk on its way to Batavia."

At the time, Creswell was, as he describes it, "a brand new, 21-year-old squadron commander" charged with forming up one of two Kittyhawk squadrons at Pearce, WA.

"John spent a day in the water in an overcrowded raft before being picked up and coming through to Perth," he said.

"His face was pretty badly smashed up and he went home to Mystic Park, his family's farming property in the east, for a few weeks before he returned to Perth to join the squadron."

Gorton travelled with 77SQN when it moved to Darwin. The squadron spent about five months based at the northern gateway before moving base to Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea.

"His second nasty accident occurred when the engine in a Kittyhawk he was flying died on lift off from the Milne Bay strip," Creswell said. "I said: 'You've had it.' He said: 'Yes. I think I have.'"

But he hadn't: he was elected as a Senator for Victoria in 1949 and became Leader in the Senate in 1965. He subsequently became the Member for Higgins, and in his-26 year in federal politics, served variously as Minister for Navy, CSIRO, Interior, Works, Education and Science and Defence before his time as PM between 1968 and 1971.

Creswell kept in regular contact with the pilot who became PM.

"We were good friends and I was saddened by his death," he said of Sir John. "Now there are only about five of us left."

Sir John, who was knighted in 1977, is survived by his second wife, Nancy, his sister Ruth, his children, Joanna, Michael and Robin, 12 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

By Tony Underwood