Item MM 1448 Negative - De Havilland DH-88 Comet Aeroplane G-ACSR, MacRobertson Centennial Air Race, Refueling in Darwin, Fannie Bay, Northern Territory, 1934

Summary

The Melbourne Centenary Air Race, also known as the MacRobertson International Air Race, was held in October 1934, to commemorate the Centenary of the establishment of Melbourne and the first European settlement of Victoria. The race, from London to Melbourne, was sponsored by businessman and philanthropist Sir MacPherson Robertson, who had founded the largest confectionary business in the Commonwealth, MacRobertson Confectionary Manufacturers Ltd. The race route covered 18,240 km (11,330 miles) from England to Australia. All competitors were required to land at Baghdad, Allabad, Singapore, Darwin and Charleville. Prizes for the race included £10,000 and a gold cup for the overall winner. English team C.W.A. Scott and T. Campbell Black were the eventual winners, flying through pylons at Flemington Racecourse in front of 40,000 spectators and landing at Laverton. Eight planes failed to finish the race. Gilman and Baines were tragically killed when their Fairy Fox crashed near Foggia, Italy.

Description of Content

The De Havilland Comet (G-ACSR) flown by Cathcart Jones and Ken Waller refueling in Darwin while competing in the MacRobertson Centennial Air Race. Cathcart Jones is standing on the wing. W. Grant, Vestey's local representative, is the man in the white suit. Scott and Campbell Black, who won the race, flew the distance in just under three days.