 By late 1915 the AFC began forming complete squadrons . At British request No. 1 Squadron was dispatched to Egypt with 28 officers and 195 other ranks , where they were equipped with British aircraft including BE2c and Martinsyde <unk> . The squadron operated from Heliopolis , Palestine and Syria over the next two years , supporting ground forces in all the major battles of the Palestine campaign against the Turks . Missions included aerial reconnaissance , bombing enemy positions , communications and artillery spotting . They were also involved in many air @-@ to @-@ air battles with German aircraft , while it was in this theatre that the Australians first encountered anti @-@ aircraft fire . The squadron was re @-@ equipped in 1917 with <unk> , <unk> and Martinsyde <unk> aircraft , while by 1918 these types were replaced with Bristol F.2 Fighters . Notably during this time Lieutenant Frank McNamara was awarded the Victoria Cross for rescuing another Australian pilot who had been shot down by ground fire and forced to land close to Turkish positions on 20 March 1917 . No. 1 Squadron also took part in the actions at Wadi Fara on 21 September 1918 as part of the Battle of Megiddo , which witnessed the destruction of the bulk of the Turkish Seventh Army by British airpower . 
