David Blake (general)

Major General David Valentine Jardine Blake (10 November 1887 – 6 March 1965) was a senior commander of the Australian Army who served in both world wars.

3 Squadron flew in a sector of the Somme Valley, facing German planes commanded by the "Red Baron", Manfred von Richthofen.

When the baron was shot down and killed behind allied lines on 21 April 1918, the disposal of his remains became Blake's responsibility.

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 node was considered a cardinal error in military theory.