John Margrave Lerew, DFC (20 August 1912 – 24 February 1996) was an officer and pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II, and later a senior manager in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

24 Squadron, based in New Britain, he became famous in the annals of Air Force history for his irreverent response to orders by headquarters in Australia during the Battle of Rabaul in January 1942.

After his squadron was directed to assist in repelling the invading Japanese fleet with its one serviceable bomber, and to keep its damaged airfield open, Lerew signalled headquarters with the ancient Latin phrase supposedly used by gladiators honouring their Emperor: "Morituri vos salutamus" ("We who are about to die salute you").

The rank became substantive the following year, when he was appointed Staff Officer Directorate of Works and Buildings at RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne, responsible for selection and improvement of airfield sites.

[8] The two-seat Wirraways were expected to be employed in operations as fighters,[9] but were suitable for such a role "only in the minds of the Air Board", in the words of RAAF historian Alan Stephens.

[10] On 1 December, RAAF Headquarters in Melbourne put Lerew's squadron on notice for deployment to Rabaul as an advance garrison in the defence of northern Australia.

Possessed of what the official history of the RAAF in World War II described as an "impish irreverence", Lerew listed among his reasons "disappointment in the lack of assistance rendered by the Almighty".

Although the Wirraways were scrambled to intercept attackers on several occasions, their rate of climb was so poor that only once did one of them manage to engage an enemy seaplane, without result; this action, on 6 January, was the first air-to-air combat between RAAF and Japanese forces.

[15] Despite this, morale remained high in the unit; Lerew remarked on the devil-may-care attitude of his personnel, who frequently waited until the last moment to take cover during air raids.

In 1956, while at a conference in Tokyo, he coincidentally met the Japanese plane's pilot, who informed him that his lone assault had damaged an engine and killed two crewmen, adding that Lerew was "the bravest enemy I ever faced".

As his two serviceable Wirraways had no bomb racks, this left only the one remaining Hudson with which to execute the order; it duly took off to search for the enemy ships, but was unable to locate them by nightfall, and returned to base.

[10][18] It was following a further directive from headquarters on 21 January 1942 to keep his airfield "open", that Lerew, after discussion with his intelligence staff, sent the signal that made him famous: "Morituri vos salutamus".

To the first order he replied that trained RAAF crews would be more valuable in future actions than in a last-ditch effort to repel the invader at Rabaul; to the second he simply turned a "blind eye", refusing to escape alone in the only aircraft left that could evacuate his personnel.

[23] On 11 February 1942, he led a flight of three Hudsons in a raid on Gasmata harbour, making what the official history of the RAAF in World War II described as "the first mast-height attack on enemy shipping in the New Guinea campaign".

[24] On 7 April, Lerew was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for "outstanding courage, determination, skill and tenacity in the course of bombing raids on enemy positions in New Britain".

[25] The success of the Gasmata operation prompted the Chief of the Air Staff to commend Lerew's squadron for the "effort required by both crews and ground personnel owing to our small numbers and general condition".

Lerew's biographer, Lex McAulay, speculated of this quick succession of postings across the country: "...it is easy to assume that this Wing Commander whose critical reports were seen by the War Cabinet, and who had twice escaped the enemy at close quarters, was not to be allowed personal contact with the media of the day until his experiences were no longer topical and were overtaken by more recent momentous events".

He travelled via the United States, meeting film stars Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour on the set of Road to Utopia at Los Angeles in February 1944.

[2] He returned to Australia in early 1945, and married Laurie Steele, the Australian-born widow of a Royal Air Force night-fighter pilot, having met her when he was stationed in England.

[2] In March, Lerew took part in the investigation into the crash of a Hudson carrying Major General George Vasey; he determined that the pilot's lack of experience in instrument flying had been a factor, and recommended further such training for RAAF flight crew.

[33] Believing that the promotion of flying safety in the RAAF cut across both administrative and operational spheres, and aware of the notorious feud between the service's two senior officers, Air Vice Marshals George Jones and Bill Bostock, Lerew had proposed that the new directorate be placed squarely under the auspices of Jones as Chief of the Air Staff, with authority to demand free access to information from all other directorates.

[34] Dubious about the prospects for advancement in the post-war military, Lerew applied for a role in the recently established Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization (PICAO) in March 1946, while still Director of Flying Safety in the RAAF.

[2] Appointed Chief of Aerodromes, Air Routes and Ground Aids Section in January 1951,[36] he conducted assessments of airfields throughout the world, and led the team that recommended Hellinikon be developed as Athens' international airport.

[37] Lerew received credit for several of ICAO's accomplishments over the next decade, including administrative reforms within the organisation and finalising a standard runway approach lighting system in 1953 following five years of disagreement among members.

[38] A colleague remembered him as having "that very fortunate duality of personality, being serious, efficient and knowledgeable in his official capacity, with an equally inherent twin ability to really liven things up off-duty".