G-AUER de Havilland D.H.50A
(c/n 116)
Originally G-EBIW, this D.H.50A was imported
in October 1924 as G-AUER for Qantas who
named it 'Hermes'. It was
used for general aviation until 1928 when it was refurbished for use
as
the first air ambulance for the Australian Inland Mission
(AIM) The photo above is from the
Frank Walters collection and was taken at Longreach in
1924. In the shot below, from my own
collection, it is seen as VH-UER and with a small Maltese Cross under
the pilot's cockpit. Photo
No
3 is from the National Library of Australia collection and shows the
aircraft as G-AUER at Mt.
Isa in
the late 1920s in company with an ambulance of the period.
Upon starting service under
contract
for the AIM, The Rev. John Flynn,
the famous Flying Doctor, renamed it 'Victory'.*
(Qantas went on to
name another D.H.50J, G-AUHI, 'Hermes'..thus
causing much confusion
among
latter day historians!). In 1934 -UER
was sold to
Rockhampton Aerial Services Ltd .
It had a
couple (at least) of
accidents including a forced landing on a beach 21
miles north of
Bundaberg in
May 1934 and another in the
sea off Caloundra in December 1935.
In the latter,
although the
actual landing did
not completely destroy the aircraft, the pounding
surf did some
three days
later, and -UER was
stricken from the register on 3 January
1936.
* The clipping at the
foot of the page from the 13 September 1928 edition of the Brisbane
Courier
submitted by Graeme Parsons, supports its renaming by the
Rev. Flynn.
