JC Fitzmaurice – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB06/03/202303/06/2023

Aviation Heritage Vol. 54 No. 1 (March 2023) Contents Listing

The latest quarterly edition (March 2023) of the AHSA journal – Aviation Heritage – has recently been posted to members. The full contents are...

1924 WGCDR Stanley James Goble and FLTLT Ivor Ewing McIntyre continued their around-Australia flight in Fairey IIID A10-3. They departed from Gladstone, QLD at 6.37 a.m, on 11 April 1924, with good visibility and no rain, bound for Townsville. Touchdown there was at 11.50 a.m., and as they taxied to the beach they were escorted by a large shark, about 14 feet long, which circled the aircraft. It was discovered that a compass being sent from Melbourne would not arrive until the 13th, so pending its arrival the Fairey was taxied up the river and hoisted onto the Burns Philp wharf, and the time was spent in patching up the floats and coating the seams with carbon expanding paint. McIntyre was suffering from the unwanted attentions of the mosquitoes and sandflies, his knees and ankles were swollen to twice their normal size and for several days after leaving Gladstone he could not don his boots. He also had a septic finger which had to be surgically treated before leaving Townsville. Source: The First Round-Australia Flight, 1924 by Neville Parnell, AHSA Journal, vol 6, no 12, December 1965

1929 After a forced landing west of Wyndham, WA, Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, Harold Litchfield and Tom McWilliams were stranded for a twelfth day on 11 April 1929. Ulm recorded the following in his log: "Smithy and Litchfield have left for the old possey, Darlinghurst Hill, to keep the fire going. They will stay there to-night and Mac and I are keeping the fire going here today and will listen in. At 9 a.m. a pair of 'planes passed about 12 miles away, travelling south to north. Hope they return here and find us. We almost expect them back in an hour or so! Why I don't know, but somehow Mac and I are confident they will return and perhaps find us. At 2 p.m. one 'plane flew from N.N.W. to S.S.E 10 to 15 miles away, presumably one returning. Litchfield told us Smithy collapsed at Darlinghurst Hill today. He looks very weak, so Litchfield did the bulk of the work up there. He is splendid and looks good for a few days yet. All of us are suffering from hunger pains keenly. The radio reports that the Albatross seaplane carrier is leaving and that two 'planes searched Roe River and Avon Valley north of us. This is disappointing. We hoped they would search south of Regent River. Now to bed. Cheerio." James Woods and Bert Heath flying two Wetern Australian Airways DH.50s both departed from Derby at 7am and searched as a pair on 11 April. Woods, in the DH.50 sponsored by The West Australian was accompanied by Messers Foulkes and Dooley, and Heath was accompanied by Oswald Siddons. They flew over the Avon Valley mission (Walcott Inlet) at 8:14am and arrived over Port George IV mission together at 8:54am. They then flew east across the Roe River and searched areas to the east and the north, without seeing any sign of the Southern Cross. Woods' aircraft had more fuel capacity, and continued searching after Heath turned back for Derby, landing there at 3:15pm. Ulm mentions seeing these aircraft in his log. Eric Chater was quoted in newspapers as saying "We may have flown over Smithy three or four times" and indeed each time Woods and Heath flew from Avon Valley (Walcott Inlet) to Port George IV mission, a direct track took them within 4 miles west of the Southern Cross. Les Holden's DH.61 "Canberra" remained in Wyndham for maintenance. Matheson and Finn in the Goulburn Aero Club's Gipsy Moth departed Longreach on 11 April in the afternoon, reaching Cloncurry that evening. After flying from Sydney, Captain J. Tracy and Captain Osmond H. Jolley decided not to proceed further from Brisbane in the Queensland Air Navigation Ltd Gipsy Moth G-AUIR, being unable to find insurance for the aircraft. A Bristol Tourer flown by pilot O'Dea, and commissioned by the Western Australia State Government, left Perth on 11 April heading for Derby. It was carrying radio equipment to help establish a search headquarters for Colonel Mainsbridge as well as radio operator Mr S.C. Austin. Prime Minister Bruce gave instructions that the Navy was to send the seaplane carrier HMAS Albatross (which was in Sydney Harbour) north to assist with the search. Keith Anderson and Bob Hitchcock were still stranded in the Tanami desert after their forced landing the day before. Anderson kept a record by writing on the vertical stabiliser of the Kookaburra: "Force landed here 2.35 p.m. 10 April 1929 thru' push rod loosening No 2 cylinder cutting out (as at Algebuckina S.A. on 9/4/1929, but temporarily fixed K.V.A.) exhaust valve & 25% h.p. Cleared bit of runway here which turned out just insufficient of engine coincidentally lost power. Since 12/4/1929 all efforts, of course same next to nil, thru having no water to drink except solutions of urine (with oil, petrol, methylate from compass) directed on obtaining sufficient power from engine to permit on successful take-off. No take-off able to be attempted since 11/4/29 due increased debility from thirst, heat, flies, & dust. Left Stuart (Alice Springs) 7.15a.m. local time and followed telegraph for 100 miles which was intention. Cut off then direct for point between Wave Hill & Ord River Downs. On a/c crosswind & inaccurate compass & having practically only sun for guidance as large map showed only featureless desert determined to above or nor'ward of course, which am sure have done. As was in air for 7 hours & am pretty confident had "Duckpond" on my starboard, I figure my position to now be [no more written]". No search aircraft had yet been diverted to search for Anderson and Hitchcock, but newspapers were now reporting on two missing aircraft - the Southern Cross and the Kookaburra. Sources: Parnell, N. and Boughton, T., Flypast, A Record of Aviation in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988; Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld), Mon 15 Apr 1929, Page 9, "LIEUTENANT ULM'S LOG"; Davis, Pedr and Smith, Dick, Kookaburra: The Most Compelling Story in Australia's Aviation History, Lansdowne Press, Dee Why, NSW, 1980