VH-USA  de Havilland D.H.84 Dragon II                     (c/n   6074)

                                  

                                        The shot above of two W.R. Carpenter and Co Ltd Dragons is from the Sarah Chinnery
                                        collection.    The aircraft in the back is VH-UTX, and the photo was probably taken at
                                        Salamaua, New Guinea, where the air transport company was based.  In the photo below,
                                        from the Wally Civitco collection., it is seen in company with VH-URD, another of Carpenter's
                                        Dragons,    VH-USA was delivered new in July 1934.    On 6 October 1936 both -USA and
                                        -UTX  were transferred to Mandated Airlines, dating the above photo to around the middle
                                        of 1936.  VH-URO had crashed in 1935 before the merger whilst VH-USA was later destroyed
                                        by the Japanese at Salamaua, New Guinea on 21 January 1942.    VH-UTX escaped that fate
                                        by being impressed into service with the RAAF on 9 April 1941 as A34-11.