Aircraft Types Used by Australian Forces 1914 - 1940

Westland Wapiti

Used By: No.1 (Army Cooperation) Squadron RAAF, No.3 (Army Cooperation) Squadron RAAF

No.1 Flying Training School RAAF

A Brief History of the Westland Wapiti in RAAF Service

By Paul McGuiness

By 1927 the RAAF’s only combat aircraft were a handful of DH.9 and DH.9A machines which had reached the end of their useful life and needed urgent replacement. The replacement favoured by the Air Board was the Armstrong Whitworth Atlas and in June 1927 eight of these aircraft were approved for purchase. However, the acquisition of these aircraft was not supported by many in the Defence arena, especially the incumbent Chief of Air Staff (CAS) who expressed a preference for the De Havilland DH.65 Hound. By mid-1928 the Fairey IIIF and Westland Wapiti were also added to the list by various factions and, following some very acrimonious debate, the RAAF appeared to reach a decision when it announced on 3 July 1928 that 32 DH65 Hounds were approved for purchase. However, in August the CAS gained Ministerial agreement to change the order by convincing the Minister that the Wapiti’s composite wood and metal construction would be much more suitable for training a new generation of aero fitters and metal workers and, unlike De Havilland, Westland offered a fixed price contract, which appealed enormously to the politician. Accordingly, the Hound order was cancelled and the Wapiti or

dered in its stead.

The Wapiti was an evolution from the Airco DH.9 that employed the wood and fabric wings, tail, control surfaces and struts of the DH 9A. A new deeper fuselage and new undercarriage were used while a much larger fin and rudder were used because of control issues in the new design. The Mk.I Wapiti had a fabric covered wooden rear fuselage with a forward fuselage of fabric and aluminium covered metal tube structure. The Mk.II, and all subsequent Marks, replaced the wooden frame components with all-metal construction. The aircraft was a conventional single-engined equal span two-bay biplane with slight stagger, with tandem open cockpits and a fixed main undercarriage plus tail-skid. Armament comprised of a fixed forward firing Vickers .303 caliber machine gun and a .303 Lewis machine gun for the gunner/observer while the Bristol Jupiter 9-cylinder radial engine provided the power.

An initial order for 28 Mk.1A aircraft (Serials A5-1 to A5-28) with spare engines, parts and specialist tools was placed with Westland Aircraft Pty Ltd on 14 October 1928 at a cost of £150,000 and these machines were all delivered between April and November 1929. An order for a further 10 Mk.IIA machines with Serials A5-29 to A5-38 followed in May1929 and were delivered between November 1930 and March 1931. Finally, an additional six Mk.IIA machines were ordered from RAF stocks in 1937 with the Serials A5-39 to A5-44, with five being delivered in February 1938. Although a total of 44 aircraft was actually ordered only 43 saw service as A5-44 was destroyed in a dockyard accident in the UK while being loaded onto a ship for delivery to the RAAF.

From 1929 to 1934 the Wapiti served mainly with No 1 and No 3 Army Co-Operation Squadrons at RAAF Laverton and RAAF Richmond respectively, with only a small number being used as advanced trainers with No 1 Flying Training School at Point Cook VIC. Perhaps surprising to many is the fact that Wapitis of No 1 & 3 Squadrons were specifically tasked to perform a multitude of aerial photography and mapping missions and during their life they covered large tracts of Australia and New Guinea. One other little know task was the daily meteorological flight performed by both No 1 & 3 Squadrons with the information passed on to Meteorological Offices in both States. These sorties were flown in all weather conditions on nearly every day of the year in the early 30s. One other task that needs mentioning is the significant effort devoted to performing Bush Fire Patrols in Victoria by No 1 Sqn during the bush fire seasons from 1930 to mid-1936. The patrols were carried out on an as-required basis and proved to be hugely popular with the public and did indeed provide a valuable service to the community. The Wapiti’s front-line service effectively ended in 1935 with the arrival of the much more capable Hawker Demon aircraft and the Wapitis were progressively relegated to training and squadron hack duties. By mid-1937 all but one of the surviving aircraft were serving with 1FTS at Point Cook. One of the last duties performed was to act as a tug for the de Havilland Australia G type glider prototypes.

A total of 20 aircraft were destroyed in accidents and/or converted to components from their introduction in 1929 until the advent of WWII. Of the 23 Wapitis still in service at the outbreak of WWII none survived beyond January 1946, all machines having been lost to accidents or converted to components. Unfortunately no thought was given to retaining an aircraft for posterity and no complete airframe survived RAAF service. In fact, of the 585 machines produced worldwide the only known surviving Wapiti is in the Indian Air Force Museum, New Delhi.

A5-1

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft

1928/29 Built during the period November 1928 to February 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/1927.

21Feb29 Before shipment to Australia A5-1 was officially 'christened' into the RAAF by Lady Ryrie, wife of Major-General Sir Granville de Laune Ryrie, the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. The ceremony was hosted by Westland Aircraft founder Sir Ernest Petter at the Yeovil factory. The aircraft flew its first official flight after the christening ceremony under the control of Westland Chief test pilot Captain J.A. Padget.

00Mar29 Aircraft disassembled, packed in three crates for shipment and loaded aboard the 8,286 ton Shaw, Saville & Albion Line ship MV Taranaki at London docks.

26Apr29 Arrived at No 7 Victoria Dock Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.

29Apr29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton, VIC for assembly and testing. Jupiter engine No J8077 fitted.

10May29 First flight following assembly by O3 WGCDR William Hopton Anderson DFC.

00May29 Allocated to No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton.

31May29 Flown to Adelaide to represent the RAAF at the opening of Parafield Airport Adelaide SA. Pilot was the RAAF Chief of Staff Air Commodore Richard Williams with fitter A387 CPL A.J. Abicair.

03Jun29 On the return flight to Point Cook a record time of 2 hrs 50 min was recorded at an average speed of 155 mph.

04Jun29 Record flight from Laverton to Adelaide of 450 miles in 2 hrs 40 min by RAF Exchange officer SQNLDR HG Smart at an average speed of 165 mph.

25Jun29 Received by No 1 (AC) Sqn.

11Sep29 Engine failure resulted in forced landing at Laverton, no damage. Pilot PLTOFF Shaw uninjured.

26Sep29 One of nine Wapitis that flew from Point Cook and Laverton to Sydney to participate in the Sydney - Perth Centenary Celebrations Air Race.

28Sep29 Flew in the above race. Route was: Sydney - Junee - Laverton - Nhill - Parafield - Kimba - Ceduna - Cook - Forrest - Rawlinna - Kalgoolie - Tammin - Maylands (Perth). Arrived at Maylands on 03Oct29, participated in the WA Centenary Air Pageant before returning to Laverton 20Oct29.

03Feb30 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

17Jul30 Forced landing at Point Cook following partial seizure of Jupiter 8143 engine. Airscrew and fwd fuselage damaged. Pilot O37 FLGOFF A.G Gerrand received minor injuries.

11Aug30 Crash landed at Point Cook following seizure of Jupiter engine J8143, serious damage to airframe and engine. Pilot Cadet A.R. Cook received minor injuries and shock.

20Aug30 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for repairs.

22Jan31 Received by 1FTS after repairs completed.

26May31 Undercarriage collapsed on landing, causing damage to the undercarriage (75%); and lower mainplane surfaces (35%). Pilot Cadet J.G Glen was uninjured.

21May31 Allocated to 1AD for repairs.

19Aug31 Received by1FTS after repairs completed.

07Sep32 Ran into soft ground allowing the aircraft to sink down and then tip onto its nose. Airscrew and engine bearers damaged.

10Oct32 Received by 1AD for repairs, then returned to 1FTS.

18Oct34 One of five 1FTS aircraft that formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay. Later in the day flew as part of the formation flyover of Melbourne. Crew was FLTLT E.C Douglas and FLGOFF G. Lightfoot.

10Nov34 One of five 1FTS aircraft in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester. Flown by FLTLT E.C Douglas with LAC Hurford.

19Nov34 Flew from Point Cook to Junee, NSW then onto RAAF Base Richmond to take part in Sydney's welcome parade for HRH the Duke of Gloucester, again flying in the mixed aircraft H formation [this time with 20 aircraft]. Flown by FLTLT E.C Douglas with LAC Mackintosh and LAC Russell.

18Feb35 Engine failure, forced landing at Point Cook.

26Mar36 Collided with A7-48, which was parked on the tarmac. Slight damage. Pilot Cadet G.K Buscombe was uninjured.

12Mar37 Allocated to 1FTS Instrument Flight.

09Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Aerial Pageant at Flemington Racecourse. The crowd was estimated to be 170,000+. There were no centralized pageants in the 1930s: each was a local affair. The above was drawn by John Collins

19Apr38 Flew to RAAF Richmond via Cootamundra.

23Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Richmond Aerial Pageant. The crowd was estimated to be 150,000+.

19Sep38 Heavy landing. Stbd oleo leg burned. Cadet White uninjured.

27Mar39 120 hourly inspection carried out at No 1AD. Jupiter VIII engine No J8147 removed & J8158 fitted.

28Mar39 Allocated to 1FTS Cadet Wing.

25Aug39 Received by1FTS.

07Sep39 Taxied into soft ground allowing the aircraft to sink down and then tip onto its nose. Airscrew damaged. Cadet AG Wearne uninjured.

06Nov39 120 hourly inspection carried at No 1AD.

20Nov39 Engine J8158 removed for conversion.

16Feb40 Airframe inspected for suitability of continued use for another 120 hours. Recommended for instructional duties or conversion to components.

10Apr40 Jupiter VIII engine No J8151 fitted.

24May40 Issued to No 1 Engineering School, Ascot Vale VIC.

28Oct40 Converted to Instructional Wapiti No 2.

05Dec44 Converted to components.

A5-2

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1928/29 Built during the period November 1928 to February 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/1927.

21Feb29 Before shipment to Australia A5-2 was officially 'christened' into the RAAF by Lady Ryrie, wife of Major-General Sir G. de L. Ryrie, High Commissioner for Australia in London. The ceremony was hosted by Westland founder Sir Ernest Petter.

Mar29 Aircraft disassembled, packed in three crates for shipment and loaded aboard the 8,286 ton Shaw, Saville & Albion Line ship MV Taranaki at London docks.

26Apr29 Arrived at No 7 Victoria Dock Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.

29Apr29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8079 fitted.

09May29 First flight following assembly by RAF Exchange officer SQNLDR HG Smart. This was the first Wapiti to fly in Australia.

10May29 Allocated to No 3 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Richmond, NSW.

16May29 Flew from RAAF Laverton to RAAF Richmond in four hours & 30 minutes by the 3Sqn CO, O9 SQNLDR F.W.F Lukis.

22Jun29 Struck by gale force wind when landing, aircraft tipped onto port wing. Severe damage to wing tip and undercarriage.

26Sep29 One of nine Wapitis that flew from Point Cook and Laverton to Sydney to participate in the Sydney - Perth Centenary Celebrations Air Race.

28Sep29 Flew in the above race. Route was: Sydney - Junee - Laverton - Nhill - Parafield - Kimba - Ceduna - Cook - Forrest - Rawlinna - Kalgoolie - Tammin - Maylands (Perth). Arrived at Maylands on 03Oct29, participated in the WA Centenary Air Pageant before returning to Laverton 20Oct29.

30Sep29 Forced landing at Forrest WA, broken fuel line. Pilot O312 FLGOFF A.L. Walters uninjured.

15Oct29 Forced landing at Conoble Station, near Ivanhoe NSW owing to burst oil pipeline. Pilot O312 FLGOFF A.L. Walters uninjured.

02Feb30 Allocated to No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

03Feb30 Received by 1FTS.

29Jul30 Ground collision with A5-11. Medium damage to both aircraft Pilots O34 FLGOFF FJB Wright and SGT Austin [A5-11] received minor injuries.

30Jan31 Forced landing at Point Cook, minor damage. Pilot O37 FLGOFF A.G. Gerrand uninjured.

08Dec33 Forced landing at Essendon airport.

31Jan34 Fuel starvation caused a forced landing immediately after take-off from Point Cook. Medium to severe damage to undercarriage, lower wings and propeller. Pilot FLGOFF T.F. Percival received minor injuries.

04Jul34 Engine failure caused a forced landing in a forested area near Macedon, VIC resulting in extensive damage to the engine and aircraft. Pilot SGT J.H. Buchan and 2nd pilot FSGT A.E. Reddaway received minor injuries.

05Jul34 A tender was dispatched from Point Cook to retrieve the wreckage and return it to 1AD for survey and reporting.

20Jul34 Air Board Agenda No 1652/34 approved write-off and conversion to components.

A5-3

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1928/29 Built during the period November 1928 to February 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/1927.

Mar29 Aircraft disassembled, packed in three crates for shipment and loaded aboard the 8,286 ton Shaw, Saville & Albion Line ship MV Taranaki at London docks.

26Apr29 Arrived at No 7 Victoria Dock Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.

29Apr29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8080 fitted.

03May29 Allocated to No 3 (AC) Sqn at RAAF Base Richmond NSW.

22May29 On the delivery ferry flight to Richmond, aircraft encountered severe thunderstorms and low cloud near Seymour and the pilot decided to return to Point Cook. Crew FLGOFF F.R. Scherger and an unnamed mechanic.

23May29 Same crew as above successfully delivered the aircraft to No 3 Army Co-Operation (AC) Squadron at RAAF Base Richmond NSW.

29Aug29 Along with A5-5 and A5-6 flew a record Sydney-Brisbane flight time of 3hr 20min. Aircraft was participating in the 1929 Brisbane Aerial Pageant at Eagle Farm airfield. Crew was FLTLT Anderson (RAF) and FSGT W Brown. Returned to Richmond on 03Sep.

06Feb30 Engine failure, forced landing at Richmond. Pilot O313 PLTOFF J.R. Fleming uninjured.

10Feb30 Engine J8080 replaced with J8151 with 197 flying hours.

17Feb30 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

28Aug30 After touch down at Point Cook at 1005hrs the aircraft swung violently to stbd when the stbd wheel detached from the axle. Moderate damage to undercarriage and stbd wing. Pilot 3318 CPL R.J. Parker minor injuries. Accumulated time was 203.25 hours.

19Mar31 Display for the Australian Institute of Engineers featured the new procedure of picking up messages from the ground using a ‘hook-and-line’ technique.

21Sep31 Overturned on landing at Pont Cook owing to a strong wind gust just as the aircraft touched down.. Moderate damage to airscrew, hub, upper mainplane, and fuselage. Solo Cadet I.D. McLachlan uninjured.

23Sep31 Received by 1AD for repairs.

20Apr32 Received by1FTS after repairs completed.

01Jun33 Engine failure caused a forced landing at Point Cook. Pilot FLGOFF R. Dalton uninjured.

18Oct34 One of five 1FTS aircraft that formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay. Later in the day flew as part of the formation flyover of Melbourne. 05Feb35 Heavy landing resulted in damage to fuselage and lower mainplanes.

10Nov34 One of five 1FTS aircraft in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

Adelaide Advertiser 12 November 1934

06Feb35 Received by 1AD for repairs.

01Mar35 Received by1FTS after repairs completed.

05Mar35 Fuel blockage caused an emergency landing near Holsworthy NSW.

27Apr37 Overshot landing and struck fence on roll-out. Tail plane damaged. Solo pilot Cadet Skinner received bruising and shock.

09Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Aerial Pageant at Flemington Racecourse. The crowd was estimated to be 170,000+.

19Apr38 Flew to RAAF Richmond via Cootamundra.

23Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Richmond Aerial Pageant. The crowd was estimated to be 150,000+.

24May38 Jupiter VIII engine No J8145 removed & J8149 fitted.

13Oct38 Due for complete overhaul - 2265 flying hours accumulated.

19Oct38 To be dismantled and held at 1FTS pending further decision.

02Jun39 1FTS recommend conversion because of high flying hours.

08Sep39 Received by Point Cook Wireless Workshop for conversion to Instructional purposes.

16Sep38 Air Board Agenda No.2318/38 authorised the aircraft to be used as a Training Aid.

30Jan40 Allocated to Engineering School at Ascot Vale, Melbourne

17Feb40 Allocation cancelled and now authorized for conversion.

06May40 Converted to component parts by 1FTS Salvage Section.

A5-4

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1928/29 Built during the period November 1928 to February 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/1927.

Mar29 Aircraft disassembled, packed in three crates for shipment and loaded aboard the 8,286 ton Shaw, Saville & Albion Line ship MV Taranaki at London docks.

26Apr29 Arrived at No 7 Victoria Dock Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.

29Apr29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8081 fitted.

13May29 Received by No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC.

02Jun29 Departed Laverton at 0600 hrs for Parafield flown by the RAAF Director of Training (SQNLDR HG Smart) with the Secretary of the Air Board (Maj A.R. Coleman). Represented the RAAF at the opening of Parafield Airport Adelaide SA.

12Jun29 Record flight from Laverton to Richmond, 525 miles in 3 hrs 44 min by SQNLDR HG Smart (RAF Exchange), average speed of 140 mph! Accompanied by O36 FLTLT J.P.J. McCauley and an unnamed mechanic.

26Sep29 One of nine Wapitis that flew from Point Cook and Laverton to Sydney to participate in the Sydney - Perth Centenary Celebrations Air Race.

28Sep29 Flew in the above race. Route was: Sydney - Junee - Laverton - Nhill - Parafield - Kimba - Ceduna - Cook - Forrest - Rawlinna - Kalgoolie - Tammin - Maylands (Perth). Arrived at Maylands on 03Oct29, participated in the WA Centenary Air Pageant before returning to Laverton 20Oct29.

03Feb30 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF base Point Cook, VIC.

18May30 Engine failure caused forced landing, no airframe damage. Pilot 1420 LAC L.M. Diprose uninjured.

15Jul30 While taxying at Point Cook collided with A5-7, minor damage to wing tips of both aircraft. Pilots O38 PLTOFF W.G. Rae [A5-4] and PLTOFF O34 FJB Wright [A5-7] were uninjured.

26Mar31 Crash landed at Point Cook, serious damage to port wing, undercarriage and fwd port fuselage. Pilot FLGOFF F.J. Stevens received minor injuries.

01Apr31 Received by 1AD for repairs.

06Aug31 Received by 1FTS.

18Aug31 When landing at Werribee Satellite airfield a slow engine response caused the pilot to hit a stone fence approach. Port side of the undercarriage was torn off and further damaged incurred when the aircraft landed and slid along the runway. Solo pilot Cadet CD Candy was uninjured.

19Aug31 Received by 1AD for repairs.

09Aug32 Received by 1FTS. Engine J8157 fitted.

28Feb33 Petrol pump failure caused forced landing. No damage. Pilot was O38 FLGOFF W.G. Rae.

23May33 Engine stoppage caused a forced landing at Deniliquin NSW while on a cross-country Navex. Pilot Cadet A.C. Mills cleared a fuel blockage and proceeded with the exercise.

07Feb34 Struck boundary wire fence on landing approach. Minor damage. Pilot O101 PLTOFF E.D. Scott was uninjured.

06Sep34 Engine problems resulted in a crash landing in a paddock near Birregurra, 105km SW of Point Cook. Pilot uninjured but moderate to severe damage was inflicted on both lower mainplanes; airscrew and undercarriage.

10Sep34 Received by 1AD for repairs.

22Jan35 Received by 1FTS. Issued to Seaplane Sqn for use as a cross-country training aircraft.

26Feb35 Minor damage following heavy landing at Point Cook.

15Oct37 Received by 1AD for major overhaul.

04Dec37 Jupiter VIII engine No J8157 removed & J8077 fitted.

09Dec37 Served with 1SFTS B Flight at Point Cook. Frequently issued to Seaplane Sqn for use as a cross-country and air gunnery training aircraft and an advanced trainer for the Air Pilotage Seaplane Courses conducted during this period.

09Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Aerial Pageant at Flemington Racecourse. The crowd was estimated to be 170,000+.

19Apr38 Flew to RAAF Richmond via Cootamundra.

23Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Richmond Aerial Pageant. The crowd was estimated to be 150,000+.

27Mar39 Received by 1FTS Cadet Wing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8077 removed & J8144 fitted.

12Jul39 Jupiter VIII engine No J8144 removed & J8143 fitted.

12Sep39 Crashed near Mt Buninyong 14km South of Ballarat and aircraft extensively damaged. Instructor O35982 PLTOFF E.E.V Dillon and trainee Cadet V.F.W Sullivan were both slightly injured and admitted to Ballarat Base Hospital. Aircraft extensively damaged, recommended for conversion.

21Sep39 Issued to 1AD for conversion.

13Oct39 Air Board Agenda No.2597/39 approved conversion of airframe and Jupiter VIII Serial 8143.

A5-5

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1928/29 Built during the period November 1928 to February 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/1927.

00Mar29 Aircraft disassembled, packed in three crates for shipment and loaded aboard the 8,286 ton Shaw, Saville & Albion Line ship MV Taranaki at London docks.

26Apr29 Arrived at No 7 Victoria Dock Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.

29Apr29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8082 fitted.

15May29 Allocated to No 3 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Richmond, NSW.

22May29 On the delivery ferry flight to Richmond, aircraft encountered severe thunderstorms and low cloud near Seymour and decided to return to Point Cook. Crew FLTLT C.T. Anderson (RAF) & LAC Norris.

23May29 Same crew as above successfully delivered the aircraft to No 3 Army Co-Operation (AC) Squadron at RAAF Base Richmond NSW.

27May29 Force landed at Harden, NSW on a flight to Laverton with engine 'missing'. Pilot FLTLT C.T. Anderson (RAF) and fitter CPL W.E. Perrin replaced spark plugs and continued the flight.

29Aug29 Along with A5-3 and A5-6 flew a record Sydney-Brisbane flight time of 3hr 20min. Aircraft was participating in the 1929 Brisbane Aerial Pageant at Eagle Farm airfield. Crew was FLTLT Walters and AC1 Lamb. Returned to Richmond on 03Sep.

26Sep29 One of nine Wapitis that flew from Point Cook and Laverton to Sydney to participate in the Sydney - Perth Centenary Celebrations Air Race.

28Sep29 Flew in the above race. Route was: Sydney-Junee-Melbourne-Nhill-Adelaide-Kimba-Ceduna-Cook-Forrest-Rawlinna-Kalgoolie-Tammin-Maylands (Perth). Arrived at Maylands on 02Oct29, then participated in the WA Centenary Air Pageant before returning to Laverton on 20Oct29.

12Feb30 Flown by O31 FLGOFF R.H. Simms - won the 40 Mile Aerial Derby at the 1930 Hargreaves Park Air Pageant, Sydney.

22Mar30 Flown by O37 PLTOFF A.G Gerrand - won the 40 Mile Aerial Derby at the 1930 Adelaide Air Pageant held at Parafield Airport SA.

25Mar30 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF base Point Cook, VIC.

02Apr30 Undercarriage collapsed on landing when pilot stalled-in from 15ft. Major damage to undercarriage, airscrew, lower fuselage and lower wings. Pilot O1336 FLTLT Carn Scarlett Wiggins received minor injuries.

24Apr30 Received by 1AD for repairs.

12Jul30 Received by No 3 Sqn after repairs completed.

26Jul31 Engine failure caused forced landing, no airframe damage. Engine suffered a broken con rod. Pilot FLTLT A.C. Campbell and two crewmen were uninjured.

19Mar32 One of eight 3 Sqn Wapiti aircraft that formed part of the RAAF Fly Past for the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

30Aug32 One of three Wapitis that participated in the 1932 Wingham Air Pageant, Crewed by PLTOFF Blamey and AC1 Wright fitter 2A.

15Nov32 Forced landing after engine failure

10Apr33 Received by No 2 Aircraft Depot RAAF Richmond for repairs and major overhaul.

14Mar33 Failed test flight with rigging problems. Pilot R162 SGT J. Buckham uninjured.

09Aug34 Received by No 3 Sqn.

16Oct34 One of nine 3 Sqn Wapitis that departed Richmond for a ferry flight to Point Cook via Junee.

18Oct34 The above nine aircraft formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay.

08Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn Wapitis that departed Richmond for a ferry flight to Point Cook via Junee.

10Nov34 The above nine aircraft participated in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

19Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Cootamundra Air Pageant which was attended by 9,000 people.

23Nov34 Part of an 18 strong Wapiti formation (nine from 1 Sqn and nine from 3 Sqn) that flew the Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Sydney Harbour.

HMS Sussex Sydney Harbour 1934

26Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Festival of Sydney Aerial Display at RAAF Richmond which was attended by an estimated crowd of between 250,000 and 300,000 people.

24Feb35 Heavy landing at Richmond. Minor damage, no injuries.

04Jul35 Received by 1FTS. Engine J8145 fitted.

15Oct36 Excessive speed in dive caused severe airframe overstress during recovery. Pilot FLGOFF Scott and trainee CPL Dillon uninjured. Aircraft grounded for the next 11 months until it could be repaired at 1AD.

02Sep37 Received by 1AD for repairs and major overhaul.

10Dec37 Received by 1FTS. Jupiter VIII engine No J8145 removed & engine J8080 fitted.

09Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Aerial Pageant at Flemington Racecourse. The crowd was estimated to be 170,000+.

19Apr38 Flew to RAAF Richmond via Cootamundra.

23Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Richmond Aerial Pageant. The crowd was estimated to be 150,000+.

08Jun38 Struck fence after landing. Airscrew broken, damage to lower wings and undercarriage. Pilot AC1 Whitworth was bruised and shocked.

17Aug38 A5-17 taxied into A5-5 while it was parked. Slight damage. Pilot Cadet Paterson uninjured.

27Mar39 Received by1FTS Cadet Wing.

02Apr39 Jupiter VIII engine No J8080 removed & engine J8077 fitted.

11Mar40 Port oleo leg failed on landing, minor damage to strut. FSGT H. Baldwin and passenger FLGOFF Carter were uninjured.

10Apr40 Jupiter VIII engine No J8077 removed & engine J8079 fitted.

30Apr40 Jupiter VIII engine No J8079 removed for overhaul & engine J8145 fitted.

01May40 Stalled in a gliding turn low to the ground and struck the fence of No 2 Landing Ground Point Cook causing damage to the port wing tip. Pilot FLTLT Fyfe and student Cadet Fletcher were uninjured.

28May40 Issued to No 1 Engineering School at Ascot Vale, Melbourne. Converted to Instructional Wapiti No 3.

28Oct40 Converted to components.

A5-6

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1928/29 Built during the period November 1928 to February 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/1927.

Mar29 Aircraft disassembled, packed in three crates for shipment and loaded aboard the 8,286 ton Shaw, Saville & Albion Line ship MV Taranaki at London docks.

26Apr29 Arrived at No 7 Victoria Dock Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.

29Apr29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8083 fitted.

25May29 Received by No 3 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Richmond, NSW.

29Aug29 Along with A5-3 and A5-5 flew a record Sydney-Brisbane flight time of 3hr 20min. Aircraft was participating in the 1929 Brisbane Aerial Pageant at Eagle Farm airfield. Crew was FLGOFF R.H Simms and CPL G. Eddison. Returned to Richmond on 03Sep.

12Mar30 During a cross-country Navex the aircraft crashed at Clarendon NSW causing serious damage to the fwd fuselage, engine mounts, airscrew and lower wings. Pilot Cadet R.E. Allman received minor injuries.

16Apr30 Air Board Agenda No.1384/30 directed that all serviceable and repairable items be stripped from the fuselage and be returned to store; Viper engine N0.8160 be sent to 1AD for repair and reissue; and, the fuselage be classified as repairable and sent to 1AD for examination and repair if economically viable.

00May30 Above actions carried out. Examination of the fuselage at 1AD showed the fuselage was economical to repair and requested approval to begin remedial actions.

00May30 Air Board approval given to repair the fuselage.

00Jun30 Fuselage repairs completed and the aircraft reassembled as a complete serviceable machine.

01Jul30 Allocated to No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

00Jul30 Received by 1FTS and issued to Advanced Training Squadron (ATS).

06Feb33 Aircraft departed Point Cook at 1405 hrs for local solo touch-and-go circuit training with Cadet J.C McDonnell (19) single, of College Park, Adelaide SA in command. At approximately 1440 hrs the aircraft was approaching from a NW direction at 700ft and preparing to land when it collided with A5-8 [see entry below]. Both aircraft became enmeshed and plummeted to the ground, crashing into a private paddock 300 yards from the airfield. Despite a rapid response from the Base rescue & firefighting teams the large petrol loads onboard prevented any successful rescue attempts and both aircraft were completely destroyed by fire. Cadet McDonnell was, in the opinion of the Base Medical Officer, killed on impact before the fire took hold.

John Charles Bolton McDonnell was born in Adelaide in 1914 the son of Charles and Carlisle McDonnell. He attended St Peter’s College Adelaide where his father was a master before enlisting in the RAAF in 1932 after his father’s untimely death. Accompanied by his mother to Victoria so she could be near her son, she was giving a speech on Disarmament and the League of Nations to the Victorian Women’s Movement in Melbourne when she was informed of his death. Cadet McDonell was buried with full military honours in the Fawkner Cemetery Melbourne on Wednesday 8^th February 1933.

14Feb33 Air Board Agenda No.1549/33 gave approval to convert the airframe and Jupiter engine No.8153 to components. The value of the write-off was for £2,760/19/6 comprising: £2,565 for the airframe; £130/19/6 for fitted equipment and accessories; and, £65 for pilot clothing and associated articles.

A5-7

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

12May29 Arrived at Port Melbourne docks, Melbourne Victoria.

15May29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing.

01Jun29 Allocated to No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF base Point Cook, VIC. Jupiter VIII engine No J8142 fitted.

08Aug29 A Water & Geological Aerial Survey of Eastern Central Australia was conducted by Professor Cecil T Madigan (Adelaide University) using A5-7 & A5-8. The survey covered 30,000 square miles in nine flights out of Broken Hill, Maree, Birdsville, Alice Springs and Oodnadatta. Crews were O34 FLGOFF Frederick James Byam Wright and O37 FLGOFF Andrew Graham Gerrand; aero fitter A173 FSGT T.H. Stewart; photographer A1069 AC1 Laurence Victor Thomas; and WOP A1269 AC1 H. Bain. A5-7 was the first aircraft to ever land at Birdsville. This aircraft was fitted with two-way wireless equipment for ground reception.

31Aug29 Survey completed and aircraft returned to Point Cook for servicing and overhaul. Return route was Alice Springs, Quorn, Parafield, Nhill and Point Cook.

15Jul30 While taxying at Point Cook collided with A5-7, minor damage to wing tips of both aircraft. Pilots O38 PLTOFF W.G. Rae [A5-4] and O34 PLTOFF JFB Wright [A5-7] were uninjured.

20Oct30 Air lock in fuel line caused an engine failure and forced landing at Point Cook.

24Nov31 At 1545 hours when landing at Point Cook the student, Cadet C.D Candy, stalled the aircraft from 15ft on landing. The undercarriage collapsed causing moderate damage to the undercarriage, lower fuselage and wings.

19May33 Heavy landing when practicing power off landings caused damage to undercarriage, propeller and lower wings. Cadet K.D. Salmon received bruising and shock.

12Feb34 Stalled from 20ft during landing at Point Cook. Moderate damage to undercarriage and fuselage. Pilot FLGOFF T.F. Percival was uninjured.

18Oct34 One of five 1FTS aircraft that formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay. Later in the day flew as part of the formation flyover of Melbourne. 08May35 Collided with a tractor near the runway after landing, minor damage to wing tip. Pilot O38 FLTLT G.E Douglas was uninjured.

10Nov34 One of five 1FTS aircraft in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

30Oct35 Cadet Brian Reginald 'Blackjack' Walker (22) of Adelaide SA was part of a four airplane flight engaged on a cross-country training exercise from Point Cook to Denilliquin (NSW) and return via Ballarat and Echuca. At approximately 1300 hrs when over Echuca airfield Walker's aircraft suddenly dove to the ground and appeared to land at high speed. The aircraft proceeded for some distance before the stbd tyre blew out and the aircraft first pivoted onto the stbd wing then back to the port wing before overturning. Cadet Walker was thrown from the cockpit just before the aircraft became inverted and ended up face first on the runway about 20ft from the wreckage. Cadet Walker was taken by locals to the Echuca Base Hospital with serious head injuries, from which he eventually made a full recovery. The aircraft was almost totally destroyed in the accident.

10Nov35 Air Board Agenda approved conversion to components.

'Blackjack' Walker in Moresby, Papua New Guinea 1942

Walker spent three weeks in the Echuca hospital before graduating his pilots’ course in March 1936. He spent a wide and varied career in the RAAF which culminated in his command of No1. Fighter Wing in Darwin in 1945. He was discharged from the RAAF as a Group Captain in January 1946 with a DSO. Brian Walker passed away on 21st April 1997, aged 84.

A5-8

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

12May29 Arrived at Port Melbourne docks, Melbourne Victoria.

15May29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8143 fitted.

04Jun29 Allocated to No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

08Aug29 A Water & Geological Aerial Survey of Eastern Central Australia was conducted by Professor Cecil T Madigan (Adelaide University) using A5-7 & A5-8. The survey covered 30,000 square miles in nine flights out of Broken Hill, Maree, Birdsville, Alice Springs and Oodnadatta. Crews were O34 FLGOFF Frederick James Byam Wright and O37 FLGOFF Andrew Graham Gerrand; aero fitter A173 FSGT T.H. Stewart; photographer A1069 AC1 Laurence Victor Thomas; and WOP A1269 AC1 H. Bain. A5-7 was the first aircraft to ever land at Birdsville. This aircraft was fitted with two-way wireless equipment for ground reception.

15Aug29 Force landing near Broken Hill – no damage. Crew of O37 FLGOFF A.G. Gerrand; A173 FSGT T.H. Stewart; and, A1269 AC1 H. Bain were uninjured.

31Aug29 Survey completed and aircraft returned to Point Cook for servicing and overhaul. Return route was Alice Springs, Quorn, Parafield, Nhill and Point Cook.

12Oct29 Aircraft crash landed at Laverton, minor damage. Pilot O34 FLGOFF Frederick James Byam Wright uninjured.

28Apr30 Crash landing at Point Cook caused light damage to undercarriage and lower wings. Pilot Cadet A1420 LAC L.M. Diprose received minor injuries.

15May30 Crash landing near Point Cook caused light damage to airscrew and engine. Pilot PLTOFF Haudevel uninjured.

06Feb33 Aircraft departed Point Cook at 1405 hrs for local solo touch-and-go training with Cadet Kenneth Aloysius Crispe (24) single of Reservoir, Melbourne VIC in command. At approximately 1440 hrs the aircraft was approaching from a NW direction at 700ft and preparing to land when it collided with A5-6 [see entry above]. Both aircraft became enmeshed and plummeted to the ground, crashing into a private paddock 300 yards from the airfield. Despite a rapid response from the Base rescue & firefighting teams the large petrol loads onboard prevented any successful rescue attempts. The aircraft was destroyed.

Kenneth Aloysius Crispe was born to Charles Thomas and Alice Crispe of Preston, Melbourne Victoria in 1909. After attending Xavier College in Melbourne he completed a Bachelor of engineering Degree at Melbourne University before joining the RAAF in 1932 and had nearly completed his flight training at the time of his death. Cadet Kenneth Aloysius Crispe was buried with full military honours in the Strathallan Cemetery in Melbourne VIC on 8th February 1933.

Strathallan (Preston) Cemetery, Melbourne

14Feb33 Air Board Agenda No.1549/33 gave approval to convert the airframe and Jupiter engine No.8153 to components. The value of the write-off was for £2,755/16/2 comprising: £2,565 for the airframe; £127/10/0 for fitted equipment and accessories; and, £63/6/2 for pilot clothing and articles.

A5-9

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

02Jun29 Arrived at Port Melbourne docks, Melbourne Victoria.

07Jun29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8144 fitted.

07Aug29 Received by No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC

26Sep29 One of nine Wapitis that flew from Point Cook and Laverton to Sydney to participate in the Sydney - Perth Centenary Celebrations Air Race.

28Sep29 Flew in the above race. Route was: Sydney - Junee - Melbourne - Nhill - Adelaide - Kimba - Ceduna - Cook - Forrest - Rawlinna - Kalgoolie - Tammin - Maylands (Perth). Arrived at Maylands on 02Oct29, participated in the WA Centenary Air Pageant before returning to Laverton on 20Oct29.

21Jan30 Received by 1AD for repairs & modifications.

07Mar30 Received by 1 (AC) Sqn.

07Apr30 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

04Jun30 Received by 1 (AC) Sqn.

26Oct30 Ground collision with A7-34, minor damage to both aircraft. Pilot O316 FLGOFF A.G. Carr uninjured.

13Mar31 Crash landing at Laverton, minor damage. Pilot O34 FLTLT JFB Wright uninjured.

12Feb32 One of three Wapitis that departed Point Cook with Bulldog A12-5 for the 1932 Annual Tasmanian Training flight to Hobart via Launceston-Wynyard-Brighton and return. The four aircraft flew to Yanaki airfield on Wilsons Promontory and awaited the rival of Southampton A11-2 which acted as the SAR aircraft for the flight across Bass Strait. The flight of five departed Yanaki at 1230hrs for the flight to Western Junction airfield (Launceston). Heavy sea fog was encountered between Flinders Island and Tasmania that caused the aircraft to lose contact with each other. Two of the Wapitis (A5-9 and -35) the Bulldog and the Southampton all reached Launceston but A5-10 failed to appear and was reported as missing. See A5-10 for details.

00Feb32 Together with A5-10, A5-35 and A12-5 carried out Army Cooperation duties and navigational training across Tasmania. Air displays were given as follows: Western Junction airfield, Launceston [13Feb – 3,500 spectators]; Brighton airfield Hobart [20Feb-10,000 spectators]; and, Wynyard [27Feb-6,500 spectators]. The three Wapitis and Bulldog rejoined the Southampton at Launceston on 29Feb32 and returned to Point Cook. A5-9 was crewed by O16 FLTLT Douglas Ernest Lancelot Wilson and CPL J Stirling throughout the detachment.

19Nov32 Forced landing at Laverton caused damage to undercarriage and lower wings.

21Nov32 Received by 1AD for complete overhaul.

19Dec32 Received by 1FTS.

01Mar33 Engine failure caused a forced landing in a field two miles from Point Cook causing undercarriage and airscrew damaged. SGT D.G. Cameron was uninjured.

06Mar33 Received by 1AD for repairs.

27Sep33 Received by No 3 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Richmond, NSW.

06Mar34 Struck a telegraph post on landing in a paddock near Richmond. Required depot repair.

09Apr34 Received by 1AD for repairs.

12Sep34 Received by 3 (AC) Sqn.

16Oct34 One of nine 3 Sqn Wapitis that departed Richmond for a ferry flight to Point Cook via Junee.

18Oct34 The above nine aircraft formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay.

08Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn Wapitis that departed Richmond for a ferry flight to Point Cook via Junee.

10Nov34 The above nine aircraft participated in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

19Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Cootamundra Air Pageant which was attended by 9,000 people.

23Nov34 Part of an 18 strong Wapiti formation (nine from 1 Sqn and nine from 3 Sqn) that flew the Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Sydney Harbour.

26Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Festival of Sydney Aerial Display at RAAF Richmond which was attended by an estimated crowd of between 250,000 and 300,000 people.

02Jul35 Loaned to No 101 Fleet Cooperation Flight. Flown to Point Cook by FLTLT E.G Knox-Knight and O27099 FLGOFF P.G Graham to participate in the annual Squadron Bombing Competition held on 4Jul35.

04Jul35 Allocated to No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

05Jul35 Received by 1FTS.

22May36 Heavy landing caused minor damage to undercarriage. Pilot A637 SGT R.F Somerville and 2nd Pilot 3318 SGT RJ Parker were uninjured.

03Jun36 Received by 1AD, engine J8081 fitted.

12Jun36 Received by 1FTS.

09Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Aerial Pageant at Flemington Racecourse. The crowd was estimated to be 170,000+.

19Apr38 Flew to RAAF Richmond via Cootamundra.

23Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Richmond Aerial Pageant. The crowd was estimated to be 150,000+.

29Apr38 The aircraft was part of an 11 aircraft formation returning from the RAAF Richmond 1938 Air Pageant when they ran into a dust storm over the Victorian border. The pilot force landed at 1545 hours in a paddock about five miles from Whittlesea, VIC. A total of five aircraft from the formation were forced down because of the ferocious sand storm. Pilot O89 FLGOFF Wittscheibe and passengers A3845 AC1 L.V Dolphin & A2632 AC1 T. Otterspoor were uninjured.

29Aug38 Stalled on landing approach resulted in a heavy landing, which caused considerable damage to the undercarriage & lower wings. Cadet E.B. Watt uninjured.

22Nov38 Ran out of fuel and made an emergency landing at Essendon Airport.

16Jan39 Engine J8081 replaced by J8156.

24Feb39 Forced landing at Essendon Airport due to magneto problems.

27Mar39 Received by 1FTS Cadet Wing

02Jun39 Aircraft accumulated a total of 2,336 flying hrs. Recommended for conversion.

15Aug39 Allocated to Point Cook Technical Section for conversion to instructional purposes.

27Nov39 At 1FTS awaiting approval for conversion.

24Jan40 Issued to Point Cook Technical Section converted to Instructional Airframe No 10.

15Apr40 Issued to No 1 Engineering School at Ascot Vale, Melbourne minus the engine.

00May40 Converted to components.

A5-10

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

02Jun29 Arrived at Port Melbourne docks, Melbourne Victoria.

07Jun29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8145 fitted.

07Aug29 Allocated to No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC

26Sep29 One of nine Wapitis that flew from Point Cook and Laverton to Sydney to participate in the Sydney - Perth Centenary Celebrations Air Race.

28Sep29 Flew in the above race. Route was: Sydney - Junee - Melbourne - Nhill - Adelaide - Kimba - Ceduna - Cook - Forrest - Rawlinna - Kalgoolie - Tammin - Maylands (Perth). Arrived at Maylands on 02Oct29, participated in the WA Centenary Air Pageant before returning to Laverton on 20Oct29.

16Jun30 Flew in a formation to escort aviatrix Ms. Amy Johnson to an official reception at Moonee Ponds Racecourse, Melbourne

04May30 Forced landing at Laverton no damage. Pilot FLGOFF Donald Urquhart MacIntosh uninjured.

25Aug30 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

09Oct32 Engine failure caused a forced landing near Musk VIC 65km NW of Point Cook. Cadet Jamieson uninjured, mechanics from 1FTS drove to the site and repaired the engine.

00Dec30 Flew in a seven Wapiti aircraft formation over Melbourne and surrounds on 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 15 December to promote the upcoming 1931 Commonwealth Conversion Loan. The flights were in conjunction with a public appeal conducted by radio 3DB and The Herald and The Sun newspapers.

30Dec30 Allocated to and received by No 1 Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC

23Mar31 Crash landing at Laverton minor damage. Pilot FLGOFF A.G. Carr uninjured.

10May31 Crash landing at Laverton minor damage. Pilot FLTLT Garrett uninjured.

12Feb32 One of three Wapitis that departed Point Cook with Bulldog A12-5 for the 1 Sqn 1932 Annual Tasmanian Training flight to Hobart via Launceston-Wynyard-Brighton and return. The four aircraft flew to Yanaki airfield on Wilsons Promontory and awaited the rival of Southampton A11-2 which acted as the SAR aircraft for the flight across Bass Strait. The flight of five departed Yanaki at 1230hrs for the flight to Western Junction airfield (Launceston). Heavy sea fog was encountered between Flinders Island and Tasmania that caused the aircraft to lose contact with each other. Two of the Wapitis (A5-9 and -35) the Bulldog and the Southampton all reached Launceston but A5-10 failed to appear and was reported as missing.

The Southampton was then tasked to search for the missing Wapiti and the missing aircraft was located in a clearing next to the railway line at the coastal town of Bridport. The aircraft flew to Launceston on the morning of the 13^th and rejoined the rest of the flight.

00Feb32 Together with A5-9, A5-35 and A12-5 carried out Army Cooperation duties and navigational training across Tasmania. Air displays were given as follows: Western Junction airfield, Launceston [13Feb – 3,500 spectators]; Brighton airfield Hobart [20Feb-10,000 spectators]; and, Wynyard [27Feb-6,500 spectators]. The three Wapitis and Bulldog rejoined the Southampton at Launceston on 29Feb32 and returned to Point Cook. A5-10 was crewed by FLGOFF W.S. Armstrong; AC1 W. Thompson fitter 2A throughout the detachment.

12Oct32 On a cross-country flight from Laverton to Seymour and return the aircraft became trapped in heavy fog and crash-landed near Daylesford, VIC at 1130 hours. Pilot FLTLT C.K. Shields and crewmen SGT Langley & LAC Watson received minor cuts, abrasions. Aircraft was a complete wreck.

15Oct32 Wreckage recovered and returned by rail to 1AD.

26Oct32 Air Board Agenda No.1530/32 gave approval to convert the airframe to components.

A5-11

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

May29 Aircraft disassembled, packed in three crates for shipment and loaded aboard the 11,796 ton Shaw, Saville & Albion Line ship SS Mahana at London docks.

21Jun29 Arrived at No 6 Victoria Dock Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.

24Jun29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8146 fitted.

20Sep29 Received by No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC.

26Sep29 One of nine Wapitis that flew from Point Cook and Laverton to Sydney to participate in the Sydney - Perth Centenary Celebrations Air Race.

28Sep29 Flew in the above race. Route was: Sydney - Junee - Melbourne - Nhill - Adelaide - Kimba - Ceduna - Cook - Forrest - Rawlinna - Kalgoolie - Tammin - Maylands (Perth). Arrived at Maylands on 02Oct29, participated in the WA Centenary Air Pageant before returning to Laverton on 20Oct29.

29Apr30 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

29Jul30 Ground collision with A5-2. Medium damage to both aircraft Pilots O34 FLGOFF F.J.B Wright [A5-2] and SGT Austin [A5-11] both received minor injuries.

29Aug30 Crash landing at Point Cook – minor damage. Pilot Cadet J.H. Buckham.

30Sep30 Minor damage caused by strong winds when parked on the tarmac. Repaired at unit.

25Sep30 Ground collision with A9-9 while taxying at Point Cook. Minor damage to both aircraft and pilots CPL R.J. Parker and O27099 PLTOFF P.G. Graham [A9-9] were both uninjured.

14May31 Crash landed at Point Cook – minor damage. Pilot FLGOFF R.H. Simms uninjured.

27May32 Extensive damage following landing accident.

01Jun32 Received by 1AD for repairs.

13Dec32 Received by 1FTS.

21May34 Forced landed at Deniliquin when the engine failed during a cross-country Navex.

18Oct34 One of five FTS aircraft that formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay. Later in the day flew as part of the formation flyover of Melbourne.

29Oct34 First practice of the "Tow Home" display for the 1934 Laverton Air Pageant, whereby a Tiger moth was 'pulled' off the ground and into the air on a 200ft tow cable attached to the Wapiti. Pilot O38 FLTLT G.E Douglas and pilot of the Moth was O38 FLTLT W.G Rae.

10Nov34 One of five 1FTS aircraft in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

26Nov34 Participated in the 1934 RAAF Richmond Air Pageant. Pilot O38 FLTLT G.E Douglas

06Feb35 Minor damage from heavy landing at Point Cook Runway No2.

06May35 Led the Kings Jubilee Fly past over Melbourne and suburbs with crew of O38 FLT G.E Douglas and PLTOFF R.C Creswell.

18Jun35 Forced landing because of engine failure. Solo pilot Cadet Jones uninjured, aircraft severe to moderate damage requiring Depot repair.

21Oct36 Forced landing because of engine failure. Solo pilot Cadet Bohem uninjured.

11Jan37 Received by 1AD for major overhaul.

21May37 Received by 1FTS.

17Jun37 Ran into ditch after landing at satellite airfield, tipped onto nose, broke the airscrew. Lower wing damaged. Pilot AC1 Newbound sustained bruising.

09Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Aerial Pageant at Flemington Racecourse. The crowd was estimated to be 170,000+.

19Apr38 Flew to RAAF Richmond via Cootamundra.

23Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Richmond Aerial Pageant. The crowd was estimated to be 150,000+.

05Dec38 Aircraft struck a pile of dirt after landing. Lower mainplanes damaged, fuselage twisted, and engine damaged. Pilot WGCDR Bladin uninjured.

23Jan39 Received by 1AD for repairs. Engine J8416 replaced with J8149.

02May39 Received by 1FTS Cadet Wing.

25Aug39 Engine J8149 replaced with J8148.

15Mar40 Lower longerons bent, stbd strut bent, stbd lower wing damaged and main fuel tank split following a series of heavier than normal landings. Cadet Clifford uninjured.

20Mar40 Engine J8148 removed.

24May40 Issued to No 1 Engineering School at Ascot Vale, Melbourne minus engine.

19Jun40 Converted to Instructional Airframe No 4.

03Sep40 Converted to components.

A5-12

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

May29 Aircraft disassembled, packed in three crates for shipment and loaded aboard the 11,796 ton Shaw, Saville & Albion Line ship SS Mahana at London docks.

21Jun29 Arrived at No 6 Victoria Dock Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.

24Jun29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8147 fitted.

11Sep29 Received by No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC.

20Sep29 Received by No 3 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Richmond, NSW.

02Jul30 Landed in soft mud and overturned. Extensive damage. Pilot O38 FLTLT FRW Scherger and 2nd Pilot O313 FLGOFF JR Fleming were uninjured.

03Jul30 Received by 1AD for repairs.

12Sep30 Received by No 3 AC Sqn.

29Nov30 Collided with G-ABCF 'Southern Cross Junior' (an Avro Avian Sport biplane) at Mascot airport. Minor damage to both aircraft. Pilots PLTOFF A.C. Campbell McMullew [A5-12] and Air Commodore Kingsford-Smith were uninjured.

26Nov31 Bad weather caused a forced landing near Buladelah, NSW. Pilot FLTLT H.E. Fraser uninjured.

19Mar32 One of eight 3 Sqn Wapiti aircraft that formed part of the RAAF Fly Past for the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

29Jun32 Forced landing at Glenfield NSW pilot FLTLT A.L. Walters uninjured.

30Aug32 One of three Wapitis that participated in the 1932 Wingham Air Pageant, Crewed by O210891 PLTOFF John Reginald Paget and fitter 1A AC1 J. McCardell.

10Jun33 Fuel flow problems caused a forced landing at Richmond. Pilot SGT J. Buckham uninjured.

07Oct34 Received by No 1 AC Sqn.

09Oct34 One of nine 1 Sqn Wapitis that flew to Frankston, Victoria and formatted with three 203 Sqn RAF Short S8/8 Rangoon Flying Boats from Basra, Iraq. The Rangoons had departed Iraq in late September for their flight to Australia to participate in the Victorian 100 Year Statehood Celebrations.

18Oct34 One of nine 1 Sqn Wapitis that formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay.

10Nov34 One of nine 1 Sqn aircraft in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

19Nov34 One of nine1 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Cootamundra Air Pageant which was attended by 9,000 people.

23Nov34 Part of an 18 strong Wapiti formation (nine from 1 Sqn and nine from 3 Sqn) that flew the Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Sydney Harbour.

26Nov34 One of nine 1 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Festival of Sydney Aerial Display at RAAF Richmond which was attended by an estimated crowd of between 250,000 and 300,000 people.

03May35 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

21May37 Ran out of petrol, forced landed 5 mile from base. No damage. Pilot FLGOFF Wittscheibe and Cadet AC1 Groundwater uninjured.

08Dec37 Received by 1AD for major overhaul. Engine J8081 replaced with J8142.

23May38 Received by 1FTS.

19Sep38 Forced landed after engine failure on take-off. Pilot SGT Sladen and student CPL Ogden were uninjured.

21Nov38 Bad weather caused a forced landing at Mansfield airfield. No damage.

24Apr39 Received by 1FTS Cadet Wing.

25Aug39 Engine J8142 replaced with J8151.

14Mar40 Forced landed after engine failure on take-off. Pilot FLGOFF Chaseling and student Cadet Sproule were uninjured.

10Apr40 Engine J8151 replaced with J8081

30Mar41 Engine J8081 replaced with J8144.

16Oct41 Allocated to 1AD.

21Oct41 Received by 1AD.

17Sep43 Allocated to No 3 Aircraft Depot at RAAF Base Amberley, QLD for parachute dropping experiment.

12Jan44 Allocation cancelled, aircraft not capable of safe cross-country flight.

25Mar44 Allocated to No 1 Central Recovery Depot (1CRD) at Werribee Airfield, VIC.

27Apr44 Approval given to convert to components.

A5-13

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

May29 Aircraft disassembled, packed in three crates for shipment and loaded aboard the 11,796 ton Shaw, Saville & Albion Line ship SS Mahana at London docks.

21Jun29 Arrived at No 6 Victoria Dock Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.

24Jun29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing.

Sep29 Received by No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC. Jupiter VIII engine No J8148 fitted.

16Nov29 On a flight from Richmond to Laverton a broken wing streamline wire caused a forced landing at Cootamundra and later, another broken wire caused another forced landing at Euroa, VIC. Pilot O31 FLGOFF R.H. Simms (on loan from 3 Sqn) was uninjured.

16Jun30 Flew in a formation to escort aviatrix Ms. Amy Johnson to an official reception at Moonee Ponds Racecourse, Melbourne.

06Oct30 Forced landing at Baddaginnio, near Benalla VIC caused engine and airscrew damage. Repair crew sent from Laverton to retrieve the aircraft. Pilot SQNLDR A.H. Cobby was uninjured.

Dec30 Flew in a seven Wapiti aircraft formation over Melbourne and surrounds on 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 15 December to promote the upcoming 1931 Commonwealth Conversion Loan. The flights were in conjunction with a public appeal conducted by radio 3DB and The Herald and Sun newspapers.

13Jan32 One of two Wapiti aircraft used in Phase I of the 1932 Aerial Oil Survey Expedition. Phase I entailed surveys of selected areas around Longreach, Charleville and Roma in SW Queensland during the period 13Jan-04Feb1932. The expedition was led by Dr W.G Woolnough, the Australian Government Geological Adviser; RAAF participants were pilots O37 FLTLT A.M. Charlesworth and PLTOFF J.C Miles; photographer SGT A. Watson and, Air mechanics LACs Skinner, Stevens & Fay. Route flown was Richmond, Coffs Harbour, Archerfield, Roma, Longreach, Charleville, Bourke, Tamworth and Richmond.

01Feb32 On the return journey from the above expedition, the aircraft was overturned and damaged by cyclonic winds while parked at Bourke, NSW. A team from Richmond went to Bourke and restored A5-13 to airworthy status. The aircraft flew back to Richmond on 08Feb32 then returned to 1 Sqn at Laverton soon after.

00Jul33 Received for use by No 3 (AC) Sqn at RAAF Base Richmond, NSW.

27Nov33 Crewed by pilot FLGOFF I.D. McLahlan; photographer SGT F.R. Wilson; and, fitter LAC P. Sherwood departed Richmond for Townsville via Coffs Harbour, Brisbane, Rockhampton and Bowen. Arrived in Townsville on 30Nov and commenced a 150² mile survey of the Culpa region for the Queensland Main Roads. Returned to Richmond on 19Jan34.

18Aug34 While conducting air to ground gunnery the aircraft crashed near Londonderry Racecourse. Aircrew received minor injuries but the aircraft was extensively damaged.

00Aug34 Aircraft used as a spares source for the other 3 Sqn Wapitis. Request approval for conversion.

12Sep34 Air Board Agenda 1684/34 approved conversion to components and struck-off charge.

A5-14

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

May29 Aircraft disassembled, packed in three crates for shipment and loaded aboard the 11,796 ton Shaw, Saville & Albion Line ship SS Mahana at London docks.

21Jun29 Arrived at No 6 Victoria Dock Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria.

24Jun29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8149 fitted.

07Nov29 Received by No 3 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Richmond, NSW.

11Apr30 Participated in the 1930 Narromine Air Pageant crewed by PLTOFF Sturt de-B Griffith and observer LAC McNab.

26Nov30 Forced landing near Buladelah NSW caused minor damage. Pilot PLTOFF J.A. Mitchell uninjured.

19Mar32 One of eight 3 Sqn Wapiti aircraft that formed part of the RAAF Fly Past for the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

27Sep33 Received by 1AD for major servicing.

23May34 Received by No 3 AC Sqn.

16Oct34 One of nine 3 Sqn Wapitis that departed Richmond for a ferry flight to Point Cook via Junee.

18Oct34 The above nine aircraft formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay.

08Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn Wapitis that departed Richmond for a ferry flight to Point Cook via Junee.

10Nov34 The above nine aircraft participated in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

19Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Cootamundra Air Pageant which was attended by 9,000 people.

23Nov34 Part of an 18 strong Wapiti formation (nine from 1 Sqn and nine from 3 Sqn) that flew the Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Sydney Harbour.

26Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Festival of Sydney Aerial Display at RAAF Richmond which was attended by an estimated crowd of between 250,000 and 300,000 people.

05Jul35 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

26Nov36 Aircraft flipped over after running off the runway. Aircraft extensively damaged beyond unit repair capability. Pilot AC1 Jackson uninjured.

27Nov36 Received by 1AD for repairs. Engine J8149 replaced with J8162.

31May37 Received by 1FTS. Served with 1SFTS B Flight at Point Cook. Frequently issued to Seaplane Sqn for use as cross-country and air gunnery training aircraft.

01Apr38 Struck by airscrew of A5-32 while flying in formation. Damage to stbd upper wing. Pilot FLGOFF Wiley and passenger LAC Plumb uninjured.

22Nov38 Forced landing due to bad weather, no damage.

06Mar39 120 Hourly Inspection at 1FTS - 14 days to complete.

27Mar39 Issued to 1FTS Cadet Wing. Engine J8162 replaced with J8157.

25Aug39 Issued to 1FTS

02Oct39 120 Hourly Inspection at 1FTS - 11 days to complete. Engine J8157 replaced with J8152.

16Jan40 Issued to No 1 Engineering School at Ascot Vale, Melbourne.

18Jun40 Converted to Wapiti Instructional Airframe No 9.

04Apr42 Air Board direction to convert to components.

19Jul40 Converted to components.

A5-15

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

Jul29 Arrived at Port Melbourne docks, Melbourne Victoria.

05Jul29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing.

12Jul29 Allocated to No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF base Point Cook, VIC. Jupiter VIII engine No J8151 fitted.

Jul29 Received by 1FTS.

Aug29 Allocated to No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC.

Aug29 Received by 1 Sqn.

26Sep29 One of nine Wapitis that flew from Point Cook and Laverton to Sydney to participate in the Sydney - Perth Centenary Celebrations Air Race.

28Sep29 Flew in the above race. Route was: Sydney - Junee - Melbourne - Nhill - Adelaide - Kimba - Ceduna - Cook - Forrest - Rawlinna - Kalgoolie - Tammin - Maylands (Perth). Arrived on 01Oct29 at Maylands, participated in the WA Centenary Air Pageant over Perth, returned to Laverton.

02Oct29 Forced landing near Deakin WA when oil tank burst- no damage FLGOFF Chadwick repaired the engine and flew back to Maylands airfield.

12Oct29 Forced landing with fuel feed problem near Loongana airfield WA (between Rawlina and Forrest). FLGOFF Chadwick solved the problem and continued his journey.

04Mar30 Forced landing at RAAF Laverton. Pilot Cadet R.J. Gotto was uninjured.

26Jun30 Crash landed at Laverton, minor damage. Pilot SGT Cameron uninjured.

13Mar31 Crash landed at Laverton, minor damage. Pilot PLTOFF H.W. Berry uninjured.

1932 Allocated to No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF base Point Cook, VIC.

1932 Received by 1FTS.

07Dec32 Forced landing at Point Cook due to engine failure.

13Mar33 Engine failure caused forced landing at Point Cook. SGT L. Diprose uninjured.

18Oct34 One of five FTS aircraft that formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay. Later in the day flew as part of the formation flyover of Melbourne.

10Nov34 One of five 1FTS aircraft in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

13Aug35 The aircraft lifted off from Point Cook at 1010 hrs on a routine flight to Werribee Satellite Airfield for touch-and-go training. Cadet T.J. Laws (21) single of Brisbane, QLD was in the front seat and controlled the take-off; O38 FLTLT W.G. 'Gordon' Rae (30) was the Instructor in the rear seat. Immediately after take-off the engine failed at about 100ft and the pilot had insufficient speed or height to attempt any meaningful recovery action and, could not manoeuvre away from the 22,000 Volt power lines located close to the airfield. Witnesses saw a large blue flash as the aircraft struck the wires and heard a loud bang, at this point FLTLT Rae was catapulted out of the aircraft onto the ground. The aircraft then swooped across the aerodrome perimeter road and crashed forcefully into a steel boundary fence, whereupon it burst into flame. Rescuers from the base were quickly on the scene and recovered a seriously injured FLTLT Rae approximately 50ft from the wreckage but could not recover Cadet Law because of the raging inferno. The Air Accident Investigation Committee from Laverton arrived soon after and concluded that it was highly unlikely that Cadet Law would have survived the impact with the steel fence before the aircraft was totally destroyed by fire.

Air Cadet Thomas John Laws (21) of Taringa, Brisbane QLD was buried on Wednesday 14^th August 1935 in the New Melbourne General Cemetery in Fawkner (now called the Fawkner Crematorium & Memorial Park).

In an almost unbelievable occurrence Cadet Laws’ mother was informed that her son was dead by telegram! The exact wording of the Telegram was “You are informed that your son has been killed in an air force accident Air Force, Point Cook"

15Aug35 Air Board Agenda No.1800/35 gave approval for the charred aircraft remains to be dumped into the sea.

A5-16

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

20Jun29 Arrived at Port Melbourne docks, Melbourne Victoria.

05Jul29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8152 fitted.

20Sep29 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

05Oct29 Received by No 3 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Richmond, NSW.

24Sep30 Won the Aerial Derby Race at the 1930 Hargrave Park Air Pageant. Pilot FLGOFF R.H Simms.

29Sep30 Won the Aerial Derby Race at the 1930 Wingham Air Pageant. Pilot FLGOFF R.H Simms.

14Nov30 Flew from Richmond to Harrington, NSW carrying officers to investigate the crash landing of A5-24 the previous day four miles SW of Harrington.

19Mar32 One of eight 3 Sqn Wapiti aircraft that formed part of the RAAF Fly Past for the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

27Jan33 Received by 1AD for major servicing.

16Aug33 Received by No 3 AC Sqn.

19Jun34 3Sqn PR Flight to Wingham NSW. FLGOFF W.G. Compagnoni and Observer LAC H.J. Adams lunched with local dignitaries before returning to Richmond.

16Oct34 One of nine 3 Sqn Wapitis that departed Richmond for a ferry flight to Point Cook via Junee.

18Oct34 The above nine aircraft formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay.

08Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn Wapitis that departed Richmond for a ferry flight to Point Cook via Junee.

10Nov34 The above nine aircraft participated in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

19Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Cootamundra Air Pageant which was attended by 9,000 people.

23Nov34 Part of an 18 strong Wapiti formation (nine from 1 Sqn and nine from 3 Sqn) that flew the Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Sydney Harbour.

26Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Festival of Sydney Aerial Display at RAAF Richmond which was attended by an estimated crowd of between 250,000 and 300,000 people.

27May35 Part of the Jubilee Air Pageant at Archerfield Aerodrome, Brisbane.

06Jun35 Part of the Jubilee Air Pageant at Archerfield Aerodrome, Brisbane.

16Aug35 During practice spin recovery training the pilot lost control and the aircraft impacted the ground. Extensive damage to fuselage, wings and undercarriage torn off. Pilot Cadet Andrew Fisher Chalman received minor injuries.

00Aug35 Issued to 1AD for repair.

00May36 Selected along with A5-32 to be part of the six month long Port Hedland WA based Minerals Survey Detachment. Both aircraft fitted with W/T equipment and long range fuels tanks.

20May36 Departed Richmond with O324 FLTLT W.L Hely and LAC P Sherwood to fly to Port Hedland WA. Route taken was Richmond-Laverton-Nhill-Parafield-Ceduna-Kalgoorlie-Perth-Geraldton-Port Hedland.

27May36 Arrived Port Hedland. During the period May-Nov flew 600 hours conducting Minerals survey to obtain 8,000 photo mosaics from which more than 20,000 prints were made. The first four months of the survey were restricted to the West Pilbara Region, while the last two months covered specified areas within the Ashburton, Gascoyne and Kimberley Districts.

27Nov36 Departed Port Hedland after completion of the Minerals Survey.

02Dec36 Delayed at Kalgoolie due to illness of pilot FLGOFF RA McLean (A5-32). Flew on after McLean’s recovery and reached Nhill VIC on 16Dec

18Dec36 Arrived back at 3 Sqn RAAF Richmond.

24Jan37 Received by 1AD for major servicing. Engine J8152 replaced with J8081.

29Jul37 Received by 1FTS Intermediate Wing.

04Aug37 Forced landing at East Malvern, VIC - no damage. Cadet Wilber got lost on a navigation exercise and ran short of fuel.

16Aug37 Struck by strong gust of wind on touchdown. Aircraft flipped onto nose, severely damaged. Pilot O34 FLTLT Wright and Cadet A.E. Oakley shaken.

09Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Aerial Pageant at Flemington Racecourse. The crowd was estimated to be 170,000+.

19Apr38 Flew to RAAF Richmond via Cootamundra.

23Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Richmond Aerial Pageant. The crowd was estimated to be 150,000+.

22Nov38 Engine failure, forced landing - no damage.

18Mar39 120 hourly servicing. Engine J8081 replaced with J8155.

27Apr39 Issued to 1FTS Cadet Wing

25Aug39 Issued to 1FTS Intermediate Wing. Engine J8155 replaced with J8080.

07Sep39 Engine failure forced landing in paddock, struck fence after landing. Minor damage. Cadet J. Saunders uninjured.

12Sep39 Engine J8080 replaced with J8142.

23Jun40 Engine failure - aborted take-off. Engine J8142 replaced with J8077.

30Sep41 Allocated to 1AD.

16Oct41 Allocation cancelled.

27Oct41 When taking–off from Point Cook the aircraft reached 60ft when the engine failed completely. The pilot managed to land within the airfield confines swerving to avoid two obstacles when the aircraft collided with a road grader near the boundary gate. Port undercarriage and lower mainplane were lightly damaged. Pilot A400852 SGT F.I. White received minor injuries.

20May42 Allocated to de Havilland Aircraft at Mascot Airport, Sydney NSW for major servicing.

12Sep42 Received by No 2 Aircraft Depot (2AD) at RAAF Base Richmond, NSW for post servicing checks. Aircraft was in such poor state it was returned to de Havilland to rectify the many problems.

13Sep42 Received by de Havilland.

21Sep42 Received by 2AD for post servicing and rectification checks.

30Sep42 Allocated to Special Duties Section of 2AD.

11Nov42 Allocated to 1ADfor use as towing aircraft for de Havilland Glider A57-1002 trial program.

24Nov42 Received by 1AD at RAAF Laverton.

17Aug43 Allocated to No 3 Aircraft Depot (3AD) at RAAF Base Amberley, QLD.

21Dec43 Allocation cancelled. Reallocated to No 1 Air Performance Unit (1APU) at RAAF Laverton.

12Jan44 Allocated to 3AD.

08Feb44 Oleo collapsed at RAAF Richmond during ferry flight to 3AD. Held for repair at 2AD.

16May44 Received by 3AD.

22Mar45 Approval given for conversion.

26Mar45 Allocated to No 3 Central Recovery Depot at RAAF Amberley for conversion.

03Jan46 Converted to components.

A5-17

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

012Jul29 Arrived at Port Melbourne docks, Melbourne Victoria.

18Jul29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8154 fitted.

20Sep29 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

26May30 Received by No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC.

16Jul31 Received by 1AD for major servicing.

14Sep31 Received by No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Sqn at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC.

12Oct33 One of three Wapiti aircraft to participate in the 1SQN Annual Trans Australia Training Flight. Crew was FLGOFF H.R. Harding; fitter A1521 AC1 B.A.J Potter; and, metal rigger A1229 LAC G.S. Brinsley. Departed Laverton and flew to Kaniva VIC – Parafield SA – Ceduna – Forrest WA – Rawlina – Kalgoolie – Perth with an actual flight time of 20hrs 12mins spread over three days. Aerial displays were given at Kaniva and Perth. Returned to Laverton on 03Nov33, return flight time of 16hrs 20mins.

06Nov33 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC. Issued to Seaplane Squadron and fitted with floats.

1933-38 Served with 1SFTS B Flight at Point Cook. Frequently issued to Seaplane Sqn for use as cross-country and air gunnery training aircraft and an advanced trainer for the Air Pilotage Seaplane Courses conducted during this period.

04Oct35 Allocated to 1AD for overhaul. Reconverted to land plane configuration.

09Oct35 Received by 1AD.

27Apr36 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF Base Point Cook, VIC.

09Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Aerial Pageant at Flemington Racecourse. The crowd was estimated to be 170,000+.

19Apr38 Flew to RAAF Richmond via Cootamundra.

23Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Richmond Aerial Pageant. The crowd was estimated to be 150,000+.

17Aug38 Collided with A5-5 on the tarmac - minor damage.

23Feb39 Collided with A5-40 on the tarmac - minor damage.

03Mar39 120 hourly servicing. Engine J8155 replaced with J8159.

27Mar39 Issued to 1FTS Cadet Wing.

25Aug39 Issued to 1FTS Intermediate Wing. Engine J8159 replaced with J8142.

16Jan40 Allocated to No 1 Engineering School at Ascot Vale, Melbourne for Instructional duties.

21Jan40 Issued to Engineering School

15Apr40 Received by Engineering School with engine J8155 fitted.

18Jun40 Converted to Instructional Wapiti No 7.

18Jun40 Converted to components.

A5-18

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

12Jul29 Arrived at Port Melbourne docks, Melbourne Victoria.

18Jul29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton, VIC for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J88155 fitted.

1929 Allocated to No 1 AC (Army Co-operation) Squadron at RAAF Base Laverton, VIC

1929-35 Received by No 1 AC Sqn and served primarily on Army Cooperation duties.

26Sep29 One of nine Wapitis that flew from Point Cook and Laverton to Sydney to participate in the Sydney - Perth Centenary Celebrations Air Race.

28Sep29 Flew in the above race. Route was: Sydney - Junee - Melbourne - Nhill - Adelaide - Kimba - Ceduna - Cook - Forrest - Rawlinna - Kalgoolie - Tammin - Maylands (Perth). Arrived at Maylands on 01Oct29, participated in the WA Centenary Air Pageant over Perth then returned to Laverton.

16Jun30 Flew in a formation to escort aviatrix Ms. Amy Johnson to an official reception at Moonee Ponds Racecourse, Melbourne.

00Dec30 Flew in a seven Wapiti aircraft formation over Melbourne and surrounds on 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 15 December to promote the upcoming 1931 Commonwealth Conversion Loan. The flights were in conjunction with a public appeal conducted by radio 3DB and The Herald and The Sun newspapers.

19Mar31 Allocated to 1AD for overhaul and repair.

12Sep31 Allocated to 1Sqn after overhaul

15Sep31 Received by 1Sqn.

09Oct34 One of nine 1 Sqn Wapitis that flew to Frankston, Victoria and formatted with three 203 Sqn RAF Short S8/8 Rangoon Flying Boats from Basra, Iraq. The Rangoons had departed Iraq in late September for their flight to Australia to participate in the Victorian 100 Year Statehood Celebrations.

18Oct34 One of nine 1 Sqn Wapitis that formed part of 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay.

10Nov34 One of nine 1 Sqn aircraft in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

19Nov34 One of nine1 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Cootamundra Air Pageant which was attended by 9,000 people.

23Nov34 Part of an 18 strong Wapiti formation (nine from 1 Sqn and nine from 3 Sqn) that flew the Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Sydney Harbour.

26Nov34 One of nine 1 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Festival of Sydney Aerial Display at RAAF Richmond which was attended by an estimated crowd of between 250,000 and 300,000 people.

04Mar35 Minor ground collision with A7-61 when taxying in strong wind conditions.

21Apr35 Pupil pilot crashed into Mt Egerton, near Ballarat VIC, during a training flight in cloudy, misty weather. Local residents stated they saw the aircraft flying around the district for some time before it disappeared into the thick mists clinging to the mountains. They further stated that they regained sight of the aircraft when the pilot changed course to the SW and appeared to be heading toward a large cleared paddock on the western slope of Mt Edgerton. At about that time the engine cut out and the aircraft impacted trees on the southern shoulder of the mountain. Locals found the pilot alive but badly injured and when a doctor arrived on scene he pronounced that Cadet Lindsay Cyril Murray had succumbed to his injuries.

Lindsay Cyril Murray was born to John Thomas & Alma May Murray of East Kew, Victoria in 1915. He enlisted in the RAAF as a Cadet in 1934 and at the time of his death he had accumulated a total of 65 hours flight time, including 4 dual hours and 14 solo hours in the Wapiti. Lindsay Cyril Murray was buried in the Yarck Cemetery in Yarck, Murrurundi Shire Victoria.

27May35 Air Board Agenda No.1759/35 gave approval to strike off charge. The airframe had a total of 622hrs 15min flight time and the Jupiter VIII engine had a total of 921hrs 10min running time.

A5-19

14Oct28 One of 28 aircraft purchased by RAAF order OSI. 242 at a cost of £3,500 per aircraft.

1929 Built in 1929 by Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, Somerset to Air Ministry Specification 26/27 and shipped to Australia.

Sep29 Arrived at Port Melbourne docks, Melbourne Victoria.

Sep29 Received by No 1 Aircraft Depot (1AD) at RAAF Laverton for assembly and testing. Jupiter VIII engine No J8156 fitted.

Oct29 Received by No 1 Flying Training School (1FTS) at RAAF base Point Cook, VIC.

24Aug32 Forced landing due to engine failure.

22Mar33 Forced landing due to engine failure. Pilot SGT L. Diprose received minor injuries.

09Sep33 On a routine training flight from RAAF Laverton and performing a low level pass over the Belmont Aerodrome at Geelong, VIC the aircraft force landed and ended up on its nose. Crew of PLTOFF E.D. Scott & SGT Hazel uninjured. Aircraft recovered and returned to Laverton for repair.

1934 Served with 1SFTS B Flight at Point Cook. Frequently issued to Seaplane Sqn for use as cross-country and air gunnery training aircraft and an advanced trainer for the Air Pilotage Seaplane Courses conducted during this period.

00May34 Loaned to 3Sqn at RAAF Base Richmond for six months.

12Jun34 3 Sqn PR Flight to Wingham NSW. FLGOFF C.N Edgerton and Observer SGT Edison lunched with local dignitaries before returning to Richmond.

18Oct34 One of nine 3Sqn aircraft that formed part of a 23 strong Wapiti formation that formatted with 22 other RAAF aircraft to fly a 45 aircraft Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Port Phillip Bay.

10Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft in the three RAAF Fly pasts that occurred during the Laverton Air Pageant, which was attended by 200,000 people. 18 RAAF aircraft comprising Wapitis, Tiger Moths, Bulldogs and Cadets formed the letter H for the fly pasts to honour HRH, the Duke of Gloucester.

19Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Cootamundra Air Pageant which was attended by 9,000 people.

23Nov34 Part of an 18 strong Wapiti formation (nine from 1 Sqn and nine from 3 Sqn) that flew the Royal Salute for the arrival of HRH the Duke of Gloucester aboard the Royal Navy Cruiser HMS Sussex as it sailed up Sydney Harbour.

26Nov34 One of nine 3 Sqn aircraft that participated in the 1934 Festival of Sydney Aerial Display at RAAF Richmond which was attended by an estimated crowd of between 250,000 and 300,000 people.

01Nov35 Flown to Deniliquin NSW then back to Echuca VIC by FLGOFF F. Headlam with O38 FLTLT G.E Douglas in A5-4 to investigate crash of Wapiti A5-7 at Echuca on 30Oct35.

28Mar38 Jupiter Engine 8154 fitted.

09Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Aerial Pageant at Flemington Racecourse. The crowd was estimated to be 170,000+.

19Apr38 Flew to RAAF Richmond via Cootamundra.

23Apr38 Along with 11 other 1FTS Wapiti aircraft performed a range of stunts, demonstrations and formation flying at the 1938 RAAF Richmond Aerial Pageant. The crowd was estimated to be 150,000+.

25Apr38 The aircraft was part of an 11 aircraft formation returning from participating in the RAAF Richmond 1938 Air Pageant when it ran into a dust storm over the Victorian border. The pilot was endeavouring to land when the engine cut out at about 200ft and the aircraft nosed over and crashed into a field about four miles from Whittlesea, VIC. The pilot FLGOFF Andrew Fisher Chalman (23) single, of Pakenham VIC was killed instantly and the observer LAC Raymond Robert Pine (25) married of Williamstown, VIC was seriously injured in the crash. The aircraft was destroyed. A total of five aircraft from the formation were forced down because of the ferocious dust storm, fortunately no other fatalities or major accidents occurred.

Andrew Chalman was born on 5^th February 1913 in Pakenham East, Victoria. When he left school he commenced work at the Pakenham East Post Office and was known for his cheery, efficient and courteous manner but he wanted something more so he returned to school and got his Leaving Certificate, enabling him to join the Air Force.

FLGOFF Chalman was buried with full military honours in the Pakenham Cemetery on 28 April 1938. His loss was reported in the Pakenham Gazette of 29 April 1938 'No previous event in Pakenham’s history has cast such a gloom over the district as the news that Flying-Officer Andrew Fisher Chalman was killed when his Royal Australian Air Force plane crashed at Whittlesea last Monday afternoon. He was held in such high esteem and affection that every home and individual in Pakenham has felt in his death a sense of deep personal loss.'

Pakenham Cemetery, Victoria Australia

23May38 Air Board Agenda 2213/1938 approved write-off and conversion for airframe and Jupiter 8154.

PMcG 2020-05-28

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon