See the *Williams Archive for everything we have found to the moment.
With the support of AHSA New South Wales, this is a collection of information about marking Richard Williams’ pioneering flight to the Solomon Islands, September-December 1926.
The basic data we have collected is here and the summary of flight, as it stands at the moment, is here. It can be downloaded as a Word file, which can be used for any purpose. It can be printed as an A5 booklet, and it would be good to get copies of the file and booklet distributed as widely as possible.
I’m happy to send copies of the booklet to anyone who might be interested in marking the hundred years anniversary of the flight. Please advise postal addresses.
This bulletin board will summarise developments as they occur,
Thanks for all the input on this amazing character. The completed publication can be downloaded from here.
I’d be interested particularly in any local memories of the coastal expedition of 1923. The detail in the Trove collection of Daily Mail articles is, if anything, too much!
It has been suggested that we collect information on the RAAF Supermarine Southampton flying boats with a view to marking their 100 years. The best source is adf serials, but additional information would be greatly appreciated!
The next interesting around Australia flight is Smith and Ulm, with Hitchcock as mechanic in June 1927. 10-day, 5-hour circumnavigation of Australia in a Bristol Tourer biplane. This 11,585-kilometre flight, which began in Sydney, beat the previous record by 12 days, and its main purpose was to raise money and arouse interest in the Pacific flight project of 1928, which will involve great celebrations!