Our flying boys

"Dedicated to the Vickers Vimy crew". Cover carries portraits of J.M. Bennett, Ross Smith, Keith Smith, and W.H. Shiers in uniform.

In 1919 the Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes announced an Air Race, offering a prize of 10,000 pounds for the first aviator to fly from London to Australia in 30 days or less. Ross as pilot, Keith as assistant pilot and navigator and their two mechanics James Bennett and Wally Shiers, decided to compete. The flight was made in a Vickers Vimy plane; a former bomber with an open cockpit. Their route began in Hounslow, England on 12 November 1919 and took them across parts of Europe, the Middle East, India and south east Asia to the finish in Darwin. The enormous challenge the trip presented is evident in the notebook kept by Ross in which he made detailed notes and sketches regarding potential landing sites during the flight. Included here are notes and sketches made by Ross of a possible landing field on a racecourse in Singapore. The flying conditions were poor throughout the trip with many hazards including extreme weather conditions encountered along the way. A diary of the trip was kept by Keith and recorded that conditions and visibilty were poor right from their take-off in England. With an open cockpit plane, it was also very cold and they were soon glad of their sheepskin boots and fur gloves and face masks.

On the 10 December, almost 28 days after leaving England, the Vickers Vimy landed at the newly constructed Darwin Aerodrome to win the race. Despite the heroic nature of their achievement, upon landing the crew still had to take time to fill out the required quarantine and customs reports. These make interesting reading as they record the names of the places where the plane landed along the route. As recognition for their amazing success Ross and Keith received knighthoods, while the mechanics, Sergeants W.H. Sheirs and J.M. Bennett, were commissioned and awarded Bars to their Air Force Medals. The 10,000 pounds prize money was divided equally among the four men.

EMMIE RONCHETTI-ALLIN
Her father: Anglican Edmund Spencer Gould Ronchetti was born in Exeter, England 1844 and arrived in South Australia in 1874. A painter at HM Dockyard, Port Adelaide, Edmund started SA’s first Brass Band. Married to Emma Jane Stone: their four children included Lionel; who became a music teacher at North Adelaide and Emma Jane, born at Rosewater 15 January 1882.

In 1905 Emmie performed with Hilda Felstead and Hooper Brewster-Jones. She later won a Ballarat Eisteddfod solo soprano championship, then became involved with SA’s Scots community and regiment and also taught singing. So generous at fundraising was Emmie that she received a complimentary concert in 1906.

Emmie married Reginald Allin, in 1911, moving to his home Gumnor, in Sydney. Returning to North Adelaide, their child Lillia Thalia was born in 1912 and subsequently two sons. In 1930 Thalia became a singer, actress and soubrette.

Emmie wrote Our flying boys in the early 1920s with some input from Jack Fewster. She also worked in radio. She died aged 84 at Brighton.

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