poor student at school, tried to make up for his lack of training by studying economics and taking a course in pelmanism. After his retirement from Qantas, Fysh received an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering (EngD), in a commemoration ceremony from the University of Tasmania, in 1971. Described as a man of "great political acumen" and having "a hard head for business", Fysh had a reputation as a stern, uncompromising taskmaster. This contrasted against his "shy, quiet" nature; he described himself as "painfully shy...as a child feeling looked down on, sensitive, and socially lost." Fysh felt these feelings never left him, being "ill at ease with fame or publicity." Described as single-minded in many instances, his insistence on using a D.H.86 (De Havilland Express 86) lead to a bitter clash and eventual fall-out between Fysh and Sir Gordon Taylor. Fysh also made rivals in other airline entrepreneurs such as Norman Brearley, a founder of Western Australian Airways. On 5 December 1923, Fysh married Elizabeth Eleanor ("Nell") Dove, from Hunter River, in St James Church, Sydney. They had a son and daughter, John Hudson Fysh and Wendy Elizabeth Fysh, both born in Longreach, Queensland. Fysh described his family as "his bulwark against the [company's] relentless pressures" World War I On 25 August 1914, Fysh enlisted in the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Australian Light Horse Brigade at a training camp in Pontville, Tasmania, following the declaration of the Great War. Initially commissioned as a private, Fysh was transported from Hobart on the HMAT Geelong to Egypt on 20 October 1914. He received his training in Egypt, and arrived at Gallipoli in May 1915; only two weeks after the initial Anzacs had arrived. Fysh was evacuated in December 1915, after serving for 7 months in the Australian Imperial Force. He served in Palestine and Sinai, fighting in the Palestine Campaign for the 'C' Squadron of the Light Horse Regiment. He was transferred from Palestine on 17 July 1916, to the 1st Light Horse Brigade, Machine Gun Squadron. First promoted to corporal, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in January 1917. Fighting under lieutenant Ross Smith in the Light Horse, he soon replaced Smith as the section officer when Smith was transferred to the Flying Corps. In July 1917, Fysh requested a transfer from the Light Horse Brigade to the Royal Flying Corps. After months of training, he qualified as an observer