Crowds running to welcome the Smith brothers

Reference

SLSA catalogueCatalogue recordSLSA referencePRG 1701/1/27

Details

TitleCrowds running to welcome the Smith brothersDate taken1920 MarchDescriptionCrowds at an airfield running towards the Vickers Vimy G-EAOU aircraft as it is landing, to welcome the victorious crew of the 1919 England to Australia Air Race.History/biographyIn 1919 Australian Prime Minister William Hughes offered a £10,000 prize on behalf of the Australian government for the first Australians to fliy an aircraft from England to Australia, in under 30 consecutive days. Of the six teams that entered the race, the winning crew and first to fly an aircraft from Enlgand to Australia, flew in the Vickers Vimy G-EAOU bomber, departing London on 12 November 1919, and arriving in Darwin 27 days and 20 hours later, on 10 December 1919. They flew via Lyon, Rome, Cairo, Delhi, Calcutta, Singapore, and Surabaya in Indonesia (where the aircraft became bogged and bamboo mats were placed on the airstrip), finally arriving in Darwin. The crew consisted of South Australian pilots and brothers Captain Ross MacPherson Smith and Lieutenant Keith Macpherson Smith, with mechanics Sergeants Walter Henry Shiers and James Mallett Bennett. The four men shared the prize money, Keith and Ross Smith were knighted, and Shiers and Bennett were awarded bars to their Air Force Medals and honorary commissions. After the flight, the crew flew to Sydney and eventually returned to Adelaide in 1920, making many stops along the way for spectators to welcome home the victors.

Depicts or relates to

Place^[1]EventArrival in Adelaide after England-Australia flightSubjectSmith, Ross Macpherson, Sir, 1892-1922Smith, Keith Macpherson, Sir, 1890-1955Bennett, James Mallett, 1894-1922Shiers, Walter Henry, 1889-1968Vickers Limited.England-Australia air race, 1919.Vickers aircraft.Vimy (Bomber).Airplanes -- South Australia.Air pilots -- South Australia.Crowds -- South Australia.

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Crowds running to welcome the Smith brothers