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First Aviation Flight from England (Ross Smith Memorial)Print Page Print this page

25-February-2007 (Kent Watson)
25-February-2007 (Kent Watson)

Photographs supplied by Kent Watson / Eric Douglas

The monument commemorates the landing of the first aerial flight from England to Port Darwin in 1919 by the Australian aviators Ross and Keith Smith and their crew. The memorial is also known as the Ross Smith Memorial. 

The flight took 27 days and 20 hours in a Vickers Vimy landing in Darwin on December 10, 1919. It earnt the brothers a £10,000 prize offered by the government to the first Australian airmen to complete the flight in less than 30 consecutive days before December 31.

The unveiling of the monument to the late Sir Ross Smith took place last Sunday at Fannie Bay, over three miles from Darwin, where the aerial flight from England to Australia was completed. A large crowd of people went out from Darwin and Parap in motor cars and other vehicles, and pedestrians arrived from all around. The Darwin Brass Band played a number of selections, after which a landing party from the Naval survey sloop Geranium, towed by a small-launch ,came ashore while the sloop was lying at anchor in the bay.

A contingent of school children, under the direction of Mesdames Ward and Herkes, sang, "Now pray we for our country". The Minister for Home and Territories (Senator Pearce), in his address, gave a brief resume of the flight undertaken by Sir Ross Smith and Sir Keith Smith, Lieut. Shiers and Lieut. Bennett.
The Queenslander (Brisbane), 26th May 1923.

Location

Address:East Point Road, Fannie Bay, 0820
State:NT
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -12.424167
Long: 130.834722
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Technology
Sub-Theme:Industry
Actual Event Start Date:21-November-1919
Actual Event End Date:10-December-1919

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Sunday 20th May, 1923
Front Inscription

Erected by the Commonwealth of Australia

To commemorate the landing at Port Darwin of the first aerial flight from England 

10th December 1919.

Back Inscription

Captain Sir Ross Smith KBE, MC, OFC, AFC.  Australian Flying Corps. AIF.

Lieutenant Sir Keith Smith KBE. Royal Air Force

Sergeant J. M. Bennett APM,  Australian Flying Corps, AIF 

Sergeant W. H. Shiers AFM,   Australian Flying Corps. AIF.

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au