Souvenir commemorative programme for a 'Pictures in Motion & Colour' film showing, presented by Lowell Thomas Travelogues, of aviator Ross Smith's flight from England to Australia, 12th November-10th December 1919, personally told by the pilot himself, four-page brochure containing short story of the flight by Captain Sir Ross Smith, map of the route from Hounslow to Port Darwin, two b & w photos of Smith and his brother and co-pilot Keith, with facsimile signatures, and cover photograph of their Vickers Vimy 'plane, plus a detailed description of what was featured in the two-part film which had a ten-minute interval, fair condition considering age, deep horizontal fold crease-line across centre, staples rusty Sir Ross Macpherson Smith (1892-1922) with his brother Keith Smith and mechanics James Bennett and Wally Shiers flew the 18,250km. from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome to Darwin, Northern Territory in 27 days, 20 hours to claim the £A10,000 prize offered by the Australian government for the first Australians in a British aircraft to fly from Great Britain to Australia. In their modified Vickers Vimy bomber, they became the first Australians to cover the journey in less than 30 days. Ross Smith was killed along with Bennett while testing a Vickers Viking amphibian aircraft which crashed in Byfleet soon after taking off from Brooklands on 13 April 1922.
£150 - £200
Souvenir commemorative programme for a 'Pictures in Motion & Colour' film showing, presented by Lowell Thomas Travelogues, of aviator Ross Smith's flight from England to Australia, 12th November-10th December 1919, personally told by the pilot himself, four-page brochure containing short story of the flight by Captain Sir Ross Smith, map of the route from Hounslow to Port Darwin, two b & w photos of Smith and his brother and co-pilot Keith, with facsimile signatures, and cover photograph of their Vickers Vimy 'plane, plus a detailed description of what was featured in the two-part film which had a ten-minute interval, fair condition considering age, deep horizontal fold crease-line across centre, staples rusty Sir Ross Macpherson Smith (1892-1922) with his brother Keith Smith and mechanics James Bennett and Wally Shiers flew the 18,250km. from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome to Darwin, Northern Territory in 27 days, 20 hours to claim the £A10,000 prize offered by the Australian government for the first Australians in a British aircraft to fly from Great Britain to Australia. In their modified Vickers Vimy bomber, they became the first Australians to cover the journey in less than 30 days. Ross Smith was killed along with Bennett while testing a Vickers Viking amphibian aircraft which crashed in Byfleet soon after taking off from Brooklands on 13 April 1922.