|  |
|
| |
|
| Missing In Action (MIA) | Prisoners Of War (POW) | Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) |
| Chronology | Locations | Aircraft | Ships | Submit Info | How You Can Help | Donate |
|
| Former Assignment ANA  Charles Ulm 1933  Stanley Brogden 1943 |
Aircraft History Built by Avro in 1931 as one of the first five license built versions of the Fokker F.VIIB/3m. Constructors Number 231. Purchased by Australian National Airways Ltd. (ANA) and registered in Australia as Avro 618 Ten (Avro X) nicknamed "Southern Moon" registration VH-UMI. After Avro 618 Ten "Southern Cloud" VH-UMF went missing on March 21, 1931 the company cease operations and went into liquidation. In 1933, purchased by Charles T. P. Ulm, one of the former principals of ANA and rebuilt for long range flights with Wright Whirlwind radial engines with 330 hp each and additional fuel tanks with the work performed at the ANA workshop at Mascot Airfield in Sydney. The rebuilt plane was renamed "Faith in Australia" in a black cursive font on the fuselage. The tail rudder had a motif with the British flag with Australia at the center. with registration VH-UXX in black on the fuselage and lower side of the wings. During 1933, This aircraft was piloted by Ulm on a record breaking flight from the United Kingdom to Australia. In July 1933 during take off wrecked on Portmarnock Beach near Dublin in Ireland. Afterwards, repairs were paid for by Lord Wakefield of Hythe but when the plane was repaired it was too late to attempt an Atlantic flight due to poor weather. On December 12, 1933 the plane made the first air mail delivery from Auckland to Invercargill in New Zealand. During April 1934, piloted by Ulm on the first air mail flight from Australia to New Zealand. On July 2, 1934 flown by Charles Ulm and G.U. Allan on the fourth official trans-Tasman airmail flight from Ninety Mile Beach in Victoria to Sydney with a cargo of 10,145 letters flown to New Zealand then the plane returned to Australia. Afterwards, the plane was to immediately continue on the first air mail flight to New Guinea but was delayed due to bad weather. After these record setting international flights, on the right side of the fuselage below the nickname was added "ANZAC Memorial Appearl Air Tour" in smaller black block letters. The left side of the fuselage behind the door had a black retangle with "Faith in Australia Flights / Australia to England 1933 / England to Australa 1933 / Australia to New Zealand / New Zealand to Australia 1934." On July 24, 1934 flown by Charles Ulm with crew Bob Boulton, Scotty Allan and Reg Halligan and Barry Yong on the first official air mail flight from Australia to New Guinea transporting 4,167 letters flying from Melboune via Sydney, Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns. On July 26, 1934 landed in Port Moresby. On July 27, 1934 landed in Lae Airfield. On July 30, 1934 took off from Lae Airfield on the first official air mail flight from the Territory of New Guinea to Australia. The plane did not land at Port Moresby as intended and instead proceeded to Cairns Airfield. On August 1, 1934 landed in Sydney. Wartime History By 1941, this plane was the last surviving Avro 618 Ten in Australia. On May 21, 1941 arrived in New Guinea and used for charter flights and passenger flights. During February 1942 as the threat of Japanese invasion loomed, this aircraft was used to evacuate civilians from New Guinea to Australia. On February 12, 1942 took off from Port Moresby with passengers embarked including Mr. Norman Roberts Wilde, Guinea Airways, company director (aviation), D. C. Muir, P. L. Taylor and S. Stevens on an evacuation flight via Horn Island Airvield then to Cairns Airfield where Wilde disembarked then continued onwaard to Garbutt Field with the remaining passengers. Fate By 1943, photographed abandoned at Garbutt Field in Townsville. Ultimate fate unknown likely scrapped or otherwise disappeared. Memorials Ulm went missing on December 3, 1939 piloting Airspeed Envoy "Stella Australis" VH-UXY with a crew of George Littlejohn and J. Leon Skilling on a flight from Oakland Airfield bound for Hawaii. Despite an extensive search, no trace of the plane or crew were found. During 1984, Australia and Papua New Guinea issued postal stamps to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the first air mail flights with depictions of this plane. References AirHistory VH-UXX at Townsville (photo) via Civil Aviation Historical Society Collection (CAHS) Stanley Brogden collection Commonwealth of Australia Particulars of Persons Arriving in Australia - Norman Roberts Wilde, 12-2-42 Cairns Meccano Magazine "Famous Veteran Aircraft to the Rescue" Vol. XXVII No. 5 May 1942 page 180 [PDF] "Aircraft employed in evacuating women and children from New Guinea include the late Capt. C. T. Ulm’s famous Avro [618] Ten 'Faith in Australia'. In this triple engined monoplane he made his record flight from the United Kingdom to Australia in 1933, and the next year flew it from Australia to New Zealand, another record at the time." Memorandum for Officer-in-Charge, Sydney Office. 17 December 1942 "Stephens Aviation Ltd. has submitted a claim for paymet of &195 in respect of evacuees M. Coad... P. L. Taylor, D. C. Muir, R. L. Boreham, K. Blake and S. Stephens carried by aircraft VH-UXX from Port Moresby to Horn Island - Cairns - Townsville between 10th and 25th February, 1942." Pacific Islands Aviation Society "Pre-War T.P. & N.G. Aircraft [Territory of Papua & New Guinea]" by Alan Bovelt 29 October 1969 page 2 State Library NSW Charles T.P. Ulm collection of historical aviation photographs, ca. 1920-1934 (PXE 1122 , SV/228 , FM1/5748) photos 42 parked front group pose, 43 nose climbing to cockpit, 44 caption, 46 parked front view, 47 caption, 50 parked Portmarnock Beach with crowd, 51 caption, 52 crashed Portmarnock Beach, 53 caption, 54 crashed Portmarnock Beach with crowd, 55 caption, 56 crashed Portmarnock Beach recovery, 57 caption, 58 caption, 59 caption, 60 crashed Portmarnock Beach right engine wheel, 61 caption, 62 Ulm group pose front, 63 Ulm engine service, 64 Ulm service nose, 66 parked crowd, 67 caption, 68 fuselage pose, 69 caption, 72 passenger disembarks plane, 78 first air mail delivery Aucland to Invercargill N.Z. 12/12/33, 80 group pose with plane, 81 Ulm flight gear, 82 plane beach crowd, 83 plane beach with cars and crowd, 86 warmup front, 87 cockpit view wave, 88 Ulm cockpit windown, 89 load mail fuselage door, 90 load mail fuselage door with car, 91 caption, 92 Ulm sign papers plane, 93 Ulm inspecting mail bags near plane, 94 crowd fuselage door, 96 plane parked beach with cars, 97 plane front, 102 Ulm points map near plane being refueled, 103 car with tail of plane, 104 engine service, 105 caption, 106 wing fuel tank, 107 rear fuselage, 108 fuel tanks, 109 caption, 110 fuel tanks, 111 caption, 112 fuselage frame, 113 caption, 114 fuselage tanks frames, 115 caption, 116 fuel tank, 117 caption, 118 engine frame, 119 caption, 120 nose fittings, 121 caption, 123 radios, 124 parked Mascot right side, 125 caption, 126 refuel Mascot, 127 swinging propeller before test flight at Mascot, 128 caption, 129 swinging propeller before test flight, 130 caption, 131 cockpit view, 132 cockpit view, 135 pose, 136 parked left side, 127 in flight over Australia, flight, 189 parked beach with cars, 190 open fuselage door unloading, 191 cargo unloading, 192 parked rear refuel from drums, 193 taxi, 194 front view, 195 aerial view of coastline of New Guinea, 196 caption, 198 parked left side, 199 parked speech, 201 caption card New Guinea, 203 Ulm with plane in Port Moresby, 204 Ulm cockpit wave, 205 Ulm cockpit window, 206 Ulm Port Moresby, 207 captions, 209 in flight Coral Sea, 210 caption Papuan mountains, 212 view of New Guinea mountains and right engine nacelle, 213 caption card Port Moresby, 215 aerial view of Port Moresby, 216 caption card across New G., 218 aerial view jungle engine cylinders, 219 caption card New Guinea jungle, 221 aerial view over jungle, engine cylinders, 222 caption New Guinea flight crew, 224 New Guinea crew pose with plane, 228 dredges on gold field, 230 dredges on gold field Airmail to Papua New Guinea, 1933, 1934 and 1938 Post Courier "First mail by air in Papua New Guinea" by Barney Orere November 15, 2023 FindAGrave - Charles Thomas Philippe Ulm (photos) FindAGrave - Norman Roberts Wilde Thanks to Bruce Hoy for additional information Contribute
Information |
 Avro 618 Ten  Photo Archive |
| Discussion Forum | Daily Updates | Reviews | Museums | Interviews & Oral Histories |
|
