Propelled into our aviation history
Andrew Stackpool reflects on the life of Dr Ron Wambeek, fighter and test pilot, who lived life to the full in every endeavour

Andrew Stackpool

The historic propeller of the Vickers Vimy aeroplane, flown from England to Australia in 1919, hangs pride of place in the RAAF Base Williams SGTs’ Mess.

A page from the Minutes Book of the AFC SGTs’ Mess, recording the need to purchase spittoons.

The propeller that hangs in the RAAF Base Williams Sergeants’ Mess dining room was originally fitted to the Vickers Vimy aeroplane that made the first flight from England to Australia in November 1919.

In 1919 Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes offered a prize of £10,000 to the first aircrew to fly between England and Australia.

Two brothers, Ross and Keith Smith, who had achieved outstanding records with the Australian Flying Corps in World War I decided to try. They acquired a Vickers Vimy bomber and, after some modifications and test flights, took off from Hounslow, England, on November 12, 1919.

The crew of the Vickers was: pilot Captain Sir Ross Smith; navigator Sir Keith Smith; chief engineer Sergeant J. M. Bennett; and assistant engineer Sergeant W. Shiers.

After a long and hazardous trip, the aircraft arrived in Darwin on December 10. It had flown 18,250km at an average speed of 137km/h.

The Smiths were knighted and the two sergeants commissioned; they shared the prize money equally.

Just after taking off from Calcutta racecourse, some hawks flew into the propeller. The Vimy circled the course for a few minutes. All seemed well and the aircraft continued its flight, arriving in Darwin safely.

The Vickers subsequently took off from Darwin and was en route to Cloncurry when trouble struck. Sir Ross Smith later wrote:

“Twenty miles from Anthony’s Lagoon, I was startled by a loud ‘crack’ from the port propeller and was horrified to see that one blade had split from the tip to the boss. We landed and at first it looked hopeless to think of repairing the propeller and going on.

“Just after we landed we were astonished to see two motor cars coming towards us. They contained Mr S. Peacock and son. Mr Peacock has been sinking a sub-artesian bore just where we landed and he was now going to remove his camp and travel back to Queensland until after the summer.

“Before their departure they left us food and water also a sheet of galvanized iron with which Bennett said he could mend the broken propeller.

“We were camped there for three-and-a-half days, during which time Bennett carried out a wonderful, and what I consider a unique, piece of skilful workmanship.

“When the propeller blade had split in the air, several splinters of wood had flown off, but Bennett, nothing daunted, shaped new bits out of a packing case to fill the gaps. He next glued the split portions together, then he cut the sheet of galvanized iron into strips and bound them round the blade.

“The strips of iron were fastened on to the blade with screws which had been taken out of the floorboards of the machine.

“When this was done the whole blade was covered with fabric and painted. So there would be little or no vibration, the opposite blade of the propeller had to be treated in exactly the same manner.

“It was a great relief when the propeller was finally fitted on the engine again and so well had Bennett done his work that there was practically no vibration when the engine was running.

“At Charleville in Queensland both engines were given a much needed and thorough overhaul and a new propeller was made by the Queensland Government at their railway workshops at Ipswich.”

Point Cook had another role in the flight. A landing strip had to be constructed at Darwin before the Vickers arrived, and a crew flew from the base to Darwin to oversee the construction. The result was the first trans-Australian flight.

In 1920, the propeller was presented to the Mess at RAAF Base Point Cook before being moved to its final home after Point Cook closed.

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