Maurice Guillaux - Flying into Harden with Australia's first airmail, 16-18 July 1914

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Maurice Guillaux in Sydney following his flight from Melbourne, 18 July 1914. Collection: Powerhouse Museum.

The first official air mail flight in Australia - from Melbourne to Sydney - was undertaken between Thursday 16 and Saturday 18 July 1914 by visiting French stunt pilot Ernest Francois "Maurice" Guillaux (1883-1917) in a Blériot XI monoplane (Dougherty 2014). The aircraft possessed an open monobox frame, a 50 horsepower Gnome engine, and carried 55 litres of fuel enabling it to fly for approximately two hours (Crouch 1982). Whilst performing across the country between April and October 1914, Guillaux was contracted by the Commonwealth Postmaster General’s Department to fly from Melbourne to Sydney, carrying freight and mail (Wilson 2014). This was just four years after Australia's first straight-line controlled powered flight by Colin Defries in a Wright Brothers Model A on 9 December 1909 at Victoria Park racecourse, Sydney, and the first circling flight by Ernst Weiss at Diggers Rest, Victoria on 18 March 1910 (Debenham 2009). 

During the flight from Melbourne to Sydney, Guillaux landed at Harden showground at 4.06 pm on 16 July 1914 (the author lives at Harden). Due to the onset of bad weather in both Harden and his next scheduled stop at Goulburn, Guillaux did not leave until early Saturday morning, having to turn back despite various attempts on Thursday afternoon (adverse winds) and Friday (torrential rain). This blog brings together numerous records and accounts dealing with the adventurous Frenchman's brief stay in Harden, whilst also providing an overview of his Australian visit and the pioneering flight from Melbourne to Sydney.

Stunt pilot / aeronaut extraordinaire!

Maurice Guillaux obtained his pilot's license in 1912 and famously won the Pommery Cup the following year, flying 1,229 kilometres / 763 miles in a single day (Wikipedia 2021). Early in 1914 he and a group of colleagues decided to undertake a world tour with their Blériot XI. The Perth Sunday Times noted the following on 5 April 1914:

Aviation

M. Guillaux, a noted French aviator, was a passenger on board the R.M.S. Orontes [Oronsay], which passed through on Tuesday. The reason of his visit to Australian and New Zealand is to give exhibitions in flying. He is known as one of the most daring flying men in the world. On Christmas Day last he looped the loop over the city of Paris, a feat which no other aviator has yet tried. M. Guillaux has quite a number of records to his name, and has lately been flying in Egypt. During his stay there he made fourteen loops while looping the loop, and he then startled the spectators by making a vertical flight in the shape of a corkscrew. M. Guillaux flies a Blériot machine fitted with a 50-horse power Gnome engine, generally recognised as the leading machines in the world.

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Guillaux arrived in Sydney on 8 April 1914 aboard the Oronsay, and over the following 195 days travelled throughout south-eastern Australia (New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia) undertaking public displays which drew paying audiences of up to 30,000 individuals. Guillaux was kept busy during this period, both travelling and performing, both in the sky and on land. For example, on Friday, 8 May he undertook the first local flight of a seaplane, taking off from Sydney Harbour in an aircraft owned by one of the members of the Anthony Hordern dynasty.

Guillaux in the Hordern seaplane on Sydney Harbour, May 1914. Collection: State Library of New South Wales.

Some of the historic flights and public displays Guillaux engaged in between 8 April and 22 October 1914 included:

Loop the loop, Victoria Park 24 April 1914

• 20 April (Monday) - test flight of the Blériot XI at Victoria Park racecourse, Zetland, Sydney
  
• 25 April - first public display at Newcastle Showground
  
• 1 May - flies over Sydney
• 2 May (Saturday) - public display at Victoria Park, in front of a crowd of between 10,000 and 60,000. Guillaux carries out a loop the loop
• 8 May (Friday) -  first Australian seaplane flight, on Sydney Harbour 
  
• 9 May (Saturday) - public display at Victoria Park
• 11 May - private flights for paying customers in Sydney
• 16 May - public display at Wagga Wagga en route by train to Melbourne
• 23 May - public display at Albury
• 28 May - landing at Government House, Melbourne (captured on film)
  
• 30 May - public display at Flemington racecourse, attended by up to 30,000 people
• 5 June - flies the seaplane in Sydney
  
• 8 June (Monday) - public display at Bendigo
• 9 June (Tuesday) - flies from Bendigo to Ballarat
• 13 June (Saturday) - public display at Ballarat
• 19 June - flies over Adelaide
• 20 June - public display at Cheltenham racecourse, Adelaide, attended by about 15,000 people
• 3 July (Friday) - flies from Melbourne to Geelong
• 4 July - public display at Geelong racecourse
• 5 July - flies from Geelong to Melbourne
• 16 - 18 July - air mail flight from Melbourne to Sydney
• 1 August - public display at Ascot Racecourse, Sydney, during which the Blériot crashes and Guillaux is injured
  
• 12 September - public display at Bathurst - his "farewell flight in Australia"
  

A number of photographs from these events survive. One was autographed by Guillaux for the lord mayor of Ballarat (Mcnay 2014).

A Monsieur le Maire de Ballarat, Bien respect ... M. Guillaux [To the Mayor of Ballarat .... M. Guillaux, best wishes], 16 June 1914. Postcard.

Various pieces of surviving British Pathe film footage from 1914 were edited together by Cinesound as a newsreel in 1964 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Guillaux's first air mail flight. The footage includes the take off from Government House, Melbourne, on 28 May, and the aftermath of the crash in Sydney on 1 August. It does not include any footage of the actual first airmail flight, though it did receive extensive coverage in the newspapers of the day and numerous photographs were taken at the point of departure, en route and after landing in Sydney.

First Australian air mail remembered in film flashbacks (1964), Cinesound and British Pathe, duration: 1.23 minutes. Source: YouTube.

Guillaux was not the only airman performing in the country at that time. His competition included the Australian Henry Hawker and American Arthur "Wizard" Stone. The latter planned an inaugural airmail flight from Melbourne to Sydney commencing on 6 June. However, this never took place as Stone crashed during a show in Rockhampton on 1 June. Guillaux subsequently completed this task.

The twelve months just prior to the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 was a period in which many Australians saw for the first time an aircraft both in the sky and up close on the ground. It was something very new and novel. Australia was indeed fortunate to have an aviator as experienced and skillful as Maurice Guillaux to introduce them to the possibilities of powered flight. It was also fortunate that he brought to the country a Blériot XI as it was both innovative and hardy, despite its seemingly frail construction and limited range.

An original Blériot XI taking off, flying and landing at an airshow in Germany during 2017.

Very few Blériot XI survive to this day - Guillaux's being one of them, though it no longer takes to the air.

The April 1914 (?) attempt

According to a brief notice in the Queensland Balonne Beacon of Thursday, 9 April 1914, Maurice Guillaux attempted the Melbourne to Sydney first airmail flight the previous day [8 April]:

Beaten by Bad Weather

Aviator Guillaux left Melbourne yesterday carrying the first aerial mail to Sydney. He reached Albury in 2 hours, a distance of 190 miles. After leaving there, the last heard of him was at Junee. Owing to heavy rain, Guillaux, who was carrying the overland mail, was forced to discontinue his flight till the weather moderated.

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This report is impossible, as records state that Guillaux arrived in Sydney on the Oronsay the previous day, 8 April and spent the following week or two unpacking the Blériot XI and preparing it for the Australian tour. The status of the report remains unclear, as the original copy of the newspaper on the National Library of Australia's TROVE database looks genuine. On the actual flight three months later, it took him 3 1/2 hours to travel between Melbourne and Albury, comprising 2 hrs 2 minutes travel time and the rest refueling. This report more easily fits in with events which took place on 16-17 July, not 8-9 April, and its publication cannot be explained. No similar reports have been located in any other Australian newspaper and it does not tie in with the aborted Walter Stone attempt at the first aerial mail flight in May and June. It is therefore ignored by the current author.

The first air mail flight

Between 16 - 18 July 1914 Maurice Guillaux flew solo from Melbourne to Sydney, being the first to do so. His route and approximate arrival and departure times were as follows:

Thursday 16 July

9.12am - departs Melbourne 

9.54am - arrives at Seymour (42 minutes travel time)

10.55am - departs Seymour (1 hr 1 m rest/refuel)

11.40am - arrives at Wangaratta (45 minutes travel time)

12.15pm - departs Wangaratta (35 minutes rest/refuel)

12.50pm - arrives at Albury (35 minutes travel time)

1.45pm - departs Albury (55 minutes rest/refuel)

2.50pm - arrives at Wagga Wagga (1 hr 5 minutes travel time)

3.30pm - departs Wagga Wagga (40 minutes rest/refuel)

3.45pm - flies over Junee (15 minutes travel time)

4.45pm - arrives at Harden (travel time from Wagga Wagga 1 hr 15 minutes); 

c.5pm - departs Harden; turns around at Binalong due to bad weather and returns to Harden where he stays overnight

Friday 17 July

2pm - departs Harden; turns around at Galong and returns to Harden due to bad weather where he stays overnight

Saturday 18 July

7.15am - departs Harden

9.15am - arrives at Goulburn (2 hrs travel time - longest and most difficult leg of the flight)

11.05 am - departs Goulburn (1 hr 50 m rest/refuel)

12.35pm - arrives at Liverpool (1 hr 30 m travel time)

1.30pm - departs Liverpool (55 m rest/refuel)

2.55pm - arrives at Moore Park, Sydney (1 hr 25 m travel time)

Total travel time: 9 hours 33 minutes.

At the time this was the longest airmail flight in the world, at some 930 kilometres, or 582 miles. In undertaking the flight, Guillaux was sponsored by O.T. Cordials, Lipton Tea and the Shell Oil Company. Along the underwing area of his plane large letters were put in place in black. They read:

ADD O-T

It would appear that these letters were made of paper or light cloth, as they deteriorated along the route and were completely gone by the time of Guillaux's arrival in Sydney. This was no doubt due to the strong winds and heavy rain encountered during the latter part of the journey, disappearing completely between Goulburn and Sydney.

Guillaux and his team had the official support of the postal authorities in this adventure, enabling him to carry mail which was stamped both in Melbourne and upon arrival in Sydney. Walter Stone has earlier on secured the support of the authorities in regard to the official status of this first air mail flight. However, following his crash on 1 June the postal authorities looked to Guillaux to complete the task. Some 2000 special postcards were printed and sold for 2/- each to commemorate the flight, and 1785 of these were carried on board by Guillaux, along with a thermos flask of tea and additional postage and freight items. The postcards printed for the aborted Walter Stone flight of 6 June (sample illustrated below) were subsequently sent to Sydney by rail during August (Kelly 2012). In one instance, Stone's name was crossed out and replaced by Guillaux.

The Guillaux flight, which was constrained by the aircraft's fuel range of approximately 2 hours, involved seven stops, usually in paddocks and on racecourses. This enabled Guillaux and his support crew to refuel and secure food and rest for the pilot and ensure the safe running of the plane. The pilot encountered extremely cold weather conditions during the course of the flight, and heavy weather on the second and third days. The planned first day would involve the flight from Melbourne to Harden or Goulburn, and the second day from there to Sydney. The support crew travelled by car and train and included a mechanic. They would travel along the way, with the aviator's arrival foreshadowed so that the general populous and authorities would be on the lookout for his arrival. He generally followed features on the landscape such as the Melbourne to Sydney train line. Departure from Melbourne was scheduled to take place at 9 am sharp on Thursday, 16 July, but the mail delivery was late arriving. 

M. Guillaux ready to start to Sydney, a victim afterwards of the war, photograph. Collection: State Library of New South Wales.

Guillaux eventually lifted off from the Melbourne Agricultural Ground at 9.12 am and arrived at Jordan's paddock, Seymour, around half an hour later at 9.54 am. At every stop he refueled, and from Seymour he departed around 10.55 am, arriving at Wangaratta at 11.40 am where he was greeted by a large crowd. Part of the second D from his underwing ADD O-T signage had blown off by this stage (illustrated below).

Maurice Guillaux at Wangaratta, Thursday, 16 July 1914. Collection: National Library of Australia. Note the promotional logo on his underwing area: ADD O-T.

Guillaux left Wangaratta at 12.15 pm and reached Albury, in New South Wales, at 12.50 pm. Here he had lunch with his friend the local French lord mayor Georges Frere, before departing around 1.45 pm for Wagga Wagga. Reaching there just on an hour later at 2.45 pm, he initially landed on the wrong field, where a horse race had just been completed (Middleton 2012). From the second, correct site he departed around 3.45 pm, arriving at the Harden race course at 4.45 pm with the support of an especially strong tail wind. Seeking to reach Goulburn before nightfall, and having encountered good weather so far, he left Harden shortly after refueling but was forced to return due to bad weather in the form of a strong headwind near Binalong.

Route of the flight from Melbourne to Sydney. Source: Lockley 2015

Guillaux stayed overnight in Harden and early the next day - Friday 17 July - gave a public display during the morning despite the heavy rain. In the afternoon he took off and attempted to reach Goulburn. However, he was again forced back due to bad weather - the temperature was near freezing, with strong winds and torrential rain buffeting the frail aircraft. He also suffered some air sickness. Despite being unable to complete his journey on Friday, Guillaux nevertheless did not waste time whilst in Harden, offering joy rides to some of the local residents and also spending Friday night there at the Carrington Hotel, located next to Harden railway station. Guillaux eventually departed Harden on Saturday, 18 July at 7.15 am, arriving in Goulburn two hours later at 9.15 am after what he described as one of the worst flights he had ever undertaken in his life. Apparently the wind nearly flipped to plane on a number of occasions. 

Maurice Guillaux at Goulburn, Friday 17 July 1914.

Leaving Goulburn at 11.05 am, he reached Liverpool, a suburb of Sydney, at 12.35 pm, where he had lunch with some of the locals after landing in a nearby paddock when low on fuel. About an hour later he departed Liverpool and arrived at Sydney's Moore Park Football Ground either at 2.30 pm or 2.55 pm. Here he received a formal welcome and reception to mark the completion of his historic flight, attended by the Australian Governor-General Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson, the New South Wales Governor Sir Gerald Strickland, and Post Office officials. The Governor was at the ground attending an international rugby match which was due to kick off at 3pm. In order not to arrive too early, Guillaux took his time in landing, diverting briefly over Manly to ensure that the reception committee was ready to welcome him prior to kick off. 

Maurice Guillaux and his Blériot XI monoplane after the first mail and cargo flight Melbourne-Sydney, 18 July 1914. Photographer: A. J. Perier. Collection: State Library of New South Wales. Note that the underwing writing has disappeared.

The combined flight time was 9 hours and 33 minutes over the three days, covering approximately 582 miles. This compared with dispatch of the mail from Melbourne to Sydney by train which, at the time, took about 10 hours. Details of the flight are included in the numerous contemporary newspaper and magazine reports reproduced below, with an emphasis on those items making reference to the visit to Harden and the difficult flight from there to Goulburn.

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Stopover at Harden 1914

Guillaux arrived at Harden around 4.45 pm on Thursday 16 July and left at 7.15 am on Saturday 18 July 1914. According to one account, which happened to get some of the times and dates wrong:

When he landed at Harden on [Thursday] [afternoon], [16] July 1914, he stepped from his plane with a carton of tea under one arm and a mail bag under the other. He held the carton up so that the crowd rushing to welcome him could clearly see the name ‘Lipton.’ Then he opened a flask and took a long swig of tea. - "This is a good drink to have after a flight," he said. Guillaux was not only Australia's first long distance flier - he was also one of the first ''flying salesmen" seen in the country. 

This event is reflected in the only known photograph of Guillaux at Harden, taken at the time of his arrival on Thursday afternoon. He poses therein with the mailbag in hand and surrounded by a large crowd of onlookers.

'First Aerial Mail, Melbourne to Sydney', Maurice Guillaux and his plane at Harden, 16 July 1914. Photographer: J. Mitchell.

The above photograph was published in the Border Morning Mail, Albury, on Saturday, 3 September 1938, with the following inscription:  

The scene at Harden when the hardy air adventurer landed there. On the left of the pilot is Dr. Heggarton, well known medical practitioner at Murrumburrah, and on the right is Guillaux's mechanic. Photograph supplied by Mr. J.C. King, Albury.

Preparations for Guillaux's arrival at Harden had been been set in place prior, with a large circle of stones placed in a prominent position on the Harden racecourse so that the aviator could see where to land. Usually bonfires were also lit to guide him in. Those stones remain, and at present form part of the garden at Harden High School. This is the only physical remnant of the original flight, apart from the surviving Blériot XI and the various letters and postcards. Following the landing, Guillaux made three unsuccessful attempts to fly to Goulburn, but was turned back by freezing temperatures, wind and rain. 

Lockley's account

The most comprehensive account to date of Guillaux's time in Harden is to be found in Tom Lockley's small booklet Maurice Guillaux - Pioneer French Aviator in Australia (2015). Relevant sections are reproduced below, though the times given vary from those in some contemporary accounts, especially in regard to the travel times between Wagga Wagga and Harden, which are variously given as 36 minutes or just over and hour (the latter being more realistic):

....The weather was fine, and he left [Wagga Wagga] at 3.30 pm, arriving at Harden at 4.06 pm. Guillaux had planned to give an exhibition [flight] at Harden, but with the weather still favourable and a good tail wind he decided to go on to Goulburn, 94 miles away, expecting to land before darkness. Three miles out of Harden, he encountered a strong head wind, and fearing that he would not reach Goulburn before dark he returned to Harden for the night. Guillaux spent the night at the Carrington Hotel. Local identity, Mr R.J. Simpson tells us that the plane appeared ‘to be a mass of wires,’ that townspeople flocked to the racecourse and a police guard was placed on the Blériot overnight. However the Goulburn Post noted that when the aircraft arrived [at Goulburn], there were lots of penciled messages on it from the people of Harden, so the aircraft must have been accessible to them. Friday dawned cold and wet in Harden, but nevertheless Guillaux gave an aerobatic display. He apologised for not looping the loop because he did not have the braces that held him in the machine, but somehow he made room for a passenger, and three Harden residents were taken for flights. Stan Brady, of Harden, won his flight in a raffle and was taken for a flight by Guillaux; fifty years later, aged 75, he was again a passenger in a Victa Airtourer of the re-enactment flight. The following report comes from the Murrumburrah Signal and County of Harden Advocate of Monday, 20 July 1914, provided by the Murrumburrah Historical Society:

The Big Flight

M. Guillaux at Harden.

 

"Did you sec the aeroplane?" as the question on everyone's lips on Thursday, shortly after M. Guillaux had reached town and landed on the racecourse. No one expected his arrival at that time, and those who were out at the doors had their attention attracted by an unusual humming, which came from the machine as it approached town from the direction of Demondrille. The line of flight was directly over Murrumburrah and Harden railway stations at a height of 3,000 feet. He missed the town and passed on to Cunningar, and circling round he landed on the racecourse. His arrival caused a great sensation in town, business being almost entirely suspended, and everyone who could do so went over to see the wonderful machine. The aviator stayed the night at Carrington Hotel, his machine being left in the straight on the racecourse. 

 

M. Guillaux left Melbourne at seven minutes past 9 on Thursday morning, carrying with him a quantity of mail matter, including 1,700 postcards, which were purchased at 2s. each, and which will be delivered to the General Post Office in Sydney. The distance from Melbourne to Sydney is 580 miles, and he made stops at Seymour at 10 a.m., where he stayed 15 mins.; at Wangaratta at 11.40, departing at 12.15; Albury at 12.30, his time from Melbourne at that place being 2 hrs.15 mins. After a stay at Albury of 15 mins. he left for Wagga, arriving there at 2.45 p.m. He left Wagga at 3.30, and arrived at Harden at 4.25 p.m. The flight throughout was very successful and devoid of incident, but the aviator found the atmosphere bitterly cold. He received a great ovation at each place where he stopped, and great interest was evinced in the exhibition which was to be given on Friday. Visitors came from Young, Cootamundra, and all parts of the district to see the first monoplane to visit these parts. Business in Murrumburrah and Harden was entirely suspended all employers giving their hands a couple of hours off. Steady rain commenced to fall shortly after 9am, but in spite of this about 1,000 people went to the racecourse, and stood in the rain for half an hour waiting for the aviator to complete his preparations. Meanwhile they had ample opportunity to examine the wonderful construction the Blériot monoplane, which is capable of carrying a man through the air at the rate of 132 miles an hour. About 10.30 the machine was wheeled out on to the course, and M. Guillaux, who had been standing by, smiled good-humouredly whilst the crowd examined his machine, stepped into the seat of the aeroplane. He was clad in a stout leather jacket, leather gloves, and white cap and muffler, while the French colours were attached to the car. The crowd were then made to stand clear, and after giving the engine a short run the aviator started the machine. After running about 100 yards (95 metres) it rose gracefully and sailed away over Harden, wheeling round over the heads of the spectators and over the grandstand, ascending to the height of about 100 yards as gracefully and as majestically as an eagle. He then slowed his engine down and turned the machine on its side, the wings being perpendicular. After another circle he again ascended and swooped down with a beautiful curve right over the heads of the spectators, rising sharply. He next wheeled round and round, as does an eagle when ascending, turning the machine with wonderful dexterity. Wider and wider grew this circle till at a height of 3,000 feet he wheeled over Murrumburrah; and with a long sweeping curve landed as lightly as a bird on the spot from whence he started. He was greeted with enthusiastic cheers as he landed. M. Guillaux stated that when at a height of 3,000 feet he could not see the crowd on the racecourse, but could see the sun shining above the clouds. Everyone present was delighted with the exhibition, and considered it well worthwhile being wet through to see it. The local arrangements were carried out by Mr. W. Worner. 

 

Arrival at Goulburn

 

Goulburn, Saturday. M. Guillaux arrived at Goulburn at 9.30 this morning, covering the journey from Harden in little over two hours, having a head wind all the way, which worried the aviator a good deal. After leaving Harden he met with fog. 

 

Guillaux Interviewed

 

In an interview after his arrival [in Sydney] M. Guillaux said he left Melbourne at 9.15 on Friday morning, feeling very happy, with the wind at his back. After making three or four circles round the show ground he rose to a height of 1,000 feet.When he arrived over the mountains he was disappointed, because there was a heavy fog. He knew the mountains were very high; so he went higher still, working out his course by means of a compass. The machine was, as usual at such an altitude, rocked a good deal, and he was afraid he would not he able to locate his first stop. There were seven stops, so he bad to fly in a direct line. Over the mountains he reached 2,000 feet in height, "and," he added, "taking a blue hole as a guide, at last I found a landing place, where someone had lighted a fire. I arrived at this stopping place 42 mins. from Melbourne, and was cordially received by the Mayor of Seymour. Afterwards I filled the petrol tanks. The most difficult thing I find in such journeys as this one is to avoid the crowd, who do not seem to realise the danger there is in being near the machine when it is starting or alighting." After stopping at Seymour for 20minutes, the airman left in good weather with plenty of wind. From Seymour to Wangaratta was one of the longest stages of the journey, but the aviator found the country very beautiful. He flew high, following the railway carefully, and having a good view of all stations. At Wangaratta he was received by 6,000 people. The weather continued beautiful after leaving Wangaratta, and he had a fine sight when passing over the mountains, which were covered with snow and reminded him of Mont Blanc. He was again beset.with difficulties owing to the oscillation of the machine. He reached Albury 45 minutes after leaving Wangaratta, and from there on to Wagga everything went smoothly. He readied Wagga two hours ahead of time, the time occupied between Albury and Wagga being 65 mins. From Wagga to Harden he travelled in 35 mins. At Harden he received a telegram from his assistant at Goulburn who said he would be foolish to continue the journey in the wet weather, but regardless of the warning, he left Harden after giving an exhibition. There was one period during this part of the journey when he was attacked with air-sickness. "The trip to Goulburn," continued the airman, "was the worst I have ever experienced in any part of the world. If I had had any motor troubles there was nowhere for me to land," he said, "except on the tops of the eucalyptus trees. It was also impossible to follow the railway, so I had to use my compass." M. Guillaux did not descend at  Moss Vale, because he did not think he would have enough petrol to get on to Sydney. He passed over Moss Vale at a height of 7,000 feet, and at a rate of 100 miles an hour, and alighted at Liverpool, not knowing what town it was. His wrists were aching, owing to the hard work at the controller. Between Moss Vale and Liverpool he travelled at the rate of 116 miles an hour. The rainstorm between Liverpool and Sydney, added Guillaux, took all the pleasure out of the trip, and he had to wait till the rain steadied before he could land at Moore Park. In the interval he went for a cruise round Parramatta, Manly, and other places. 

 

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Lucien Maistre, Guillaux’s representative at Goulburn, telegraphed continuously during the morning, reporting extremely bad weather. Regardless, Guillaux took off at 2 pm. Over Galong, 20 miles from Harden, cold headwinds wind and heavy rain forced him to return and spend another night in Harden. Next morning, the flight to Goulburn (94 miles) took two hours, indicating a strong headwind. Conditions were freezing. The land beneath the aircraft was rugged; it would have been far more heavily timbered than at present. Guillaux rated it among the worst flights he had ever undertaken. Eventually he was able to follow the railway line into Goulburn. The previous day Goulburn people had heard that Guillaux left Harden at 2pm on the Friday; they rushed to the racecourse, the children from Bourke Street School being given a half-holiday for the purpose. However at 4 pm it was announced that Guillaux had been forced to return to Harden because of adverse winds and freezing conditions. The next day Guillaux left Harden at 7.15 am and exactly two hours later reached Goulburn. He battled adverse winds and freezing conditions; when he landed he rushed to get warm at the beacon fire that had been lit on the racecourse. Relatively few people were there to welcome him, but the Post description was ecstatic – ‘with the grace of a bird selecting a resting place M Guillaux issued from the clouds to the west of South Hill shortly before half-past nine this morning, and soaring gracefully over the eminence and descended with a swoop at the southern end of the racecourse and alighted almost in the centre of the ground’. At 9.15 am he landed and hurried to the signal fire to get warm.

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Lockley's account outlined above included original research and reference to contemporary reports. Some of these are reproduced below. Unfortunately, due to his death in 1917, first-hand reports by Guillaux are limited to those few comments published in the Australian media during 1914.

Contemporary accounts of the flight

Guillaux's flight from Sydney to Melbourne received extensive covering in the local and interstate newspapers. Some of these items are reproduced below.

Daily Advertiser, Wagga Wagga, Saturday, 4 July 1914. An early report on the upcoming flight.

Guillaux's Aerial Mail Flight

The date for the aerial mail flight from Melbourne to Sydney has been definitely fixed to commence on Thursday next, July 9. Amongst the stopping places en route will be Wagga. M. Guillaux will come to earth after a direct flight from Albury, on the first stage of the trip. On the second day, Friday, from Wagga he will fly to Harden, and thence to Goulburn. The journey will be completed on Saturday. It may be anticipated that the aviator will be sighted in Wagga shortly after 10 o'clock on Friday morning.

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Daily Advertiser, Wagga Wagga, Friday, 17 July 1914.

Two Miles A Minute

Harden, Thursday. M. Guillaux flew from Junee to Harden (61 miles) in thirty one minutes.

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The Advertiser, Adelaide, Saturday, 18 July 1914

Aviation - Guillaux's Fight

Melbourne, July 17. M. Guillaux gave an exhibition flight at Murrumburrah this morning [Friday] in the presence of 1,000 people. Heavy rain was falling, but he ascended to an altitude of 3,000 ft. M. Guillaux could not see the crowd on the ground, but could see the sun shining above the clouds. He gave a delightful exhibition, and performed some wonderful evolutions. The aviator was heartily cheered, and left at 2 o'clock this afternoon for Goulburn. Rain fell last night, and started again this morning, lasting till noon, the downfall being the heaviest for some time. Against the advice of his manager, M. Guillaux left Harden shortly after 2 p.m., the weather having apparently cleared. However, he met bad weather, and did not feel well on reaching Binalong. He decided to return to Harden. He proposes to make an early start to-morrow [Saturday].

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The Ballarat Courier, Saturday, 18 July 1914.

M. Guillaux at Harden. Delayed by Heavy Rain. 

Goulburn, Friday. M. Guillaux left Harden this afternoon with the intention of flying to Goulburn, but at Binalong decided to turn back, and returned to Harden. He encountered bad weather when he left Harden, and became ill. His manager has telegraphed to him advising him not to continue the flight until the heavy weather has ceased. To-night's report shows that heavy rain is falling between Goulburn and Sydney.

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The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Friday, 17 July 1914. Includes a map of the flight.

The Big Flight. Melbourne to Sydney. M. Guillaux's Undertaking. Arrival at Harden. 

....Goulburn, Thursday. - M. Guillaux arrived at Harden at 4.30 pm, covering the 63 miles between Junee and Harden in 35 minutes. He will remain at Harden tonight, and leave for Goulburn at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. He will land some distance out of Goulburn, and fly to the racecourse, where he is to give an exhibition. His first stage tomorrow will be 94 miles.

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Goulburn Evening Penny Post, Saturday, 18 July 1914. 

The Flying Frenchman.

Melbourne, Thursday. M. Guillaux, the French airman, left Melbourne at 9.12 o'clock this morning for Sydney, on a flight with the first aerial mail. To the accompaniment of hearty cheering from the 250 or 300 people present at the Agricultural Grounds, he soared gracefully into the air, and on reaching a height of about 1000 feet, took his bearings like a carrier pigeon, and set his course northwards. The first Australian aerial mail consisted of 1785 postcards, for each of which some enthusiast had paid two shillings. That represented £178 10/, but the postage on these communications represented an uncertain amount. Many of the cards were addressed via Sydney to the remitters themselves, to be returned by the ordinary mail, and philatelists, recognising the increased value that they would possess in after years by being extra stamped, did not hesitate to invest an extra few pence on the postage. Many of them bore shilling stamps; many more were stamped at sixpence; while the three penny stamp was a common authority for the carriage of the postcard. In addition to the postcards, which weighed a trifle over 40 lb., which M. Guillaux had decided to carry, the airman bore a letter or greeting from the Governor of Victoria (Sir Arthur Stanley) to the Governor of New South Wales (Sir Gerald Strickland), and a letter from the French Vice-Consul in Melbourne (M. Momery) to the French Consul-General at Sydney (M. Chayet). A mayoral greeting from the Lord Mayor of Melbourne (Councillor D. V. Hennessy) to the Lord Mayor of Sydney was to have been carried, but by some mischance it did not arrive at the Show Grounds, so M. Guillaux will convey a verbal greeting to Sydney's Lord Mayor instead. Several persons had prevailed on the airman to carry small packages to relatives or friends in Sydney, and these, with the airman's own valise, made up his "cargo." Complete arrangements had been made for meeting any possible emergency on route. At each of the stopping places, Albury alone excepted, a member of the staff was stationed with a supply of petrol, and it was arranged that, in the event of any mishap to the airman, word would be sent to the nearest of these depots, from which place the attendant could be speedily conveyed by motor car to any place required. At Albury M. Guillaux had already engaged to take luncheon with his personal friend, Mr. Frere, the ex-Mayor of the town, and it was not deemed necessary to have an attendant stationed at this point of the journey. 

Albury, Thursday. - M. Guillaux arrived at Albury at 12.50 o'clock, having covered 100 miles between Melbourne and Albury in 2 hours 15 minutes actual flying time. He reached Seymour at 9.55, staying for half an hour; passed Euroa at 10.55, Benalla ten minutes later, and reached Wangaratta at 11.15 a.m., leaving again at 12.5 p.m. He left Albury for Wagga at 1.37 p.m. M. Guillaux travelled part of the journey at a height of 12,000 feet. Between Melbourne and Seymour he passed through a dense fog, and had to steer by compass. He did not follow the railway line, but kept it in view throughout. At Albury he effected a graceful landing, smiling and waving to the spectators while making the descent. He was heartily cheered as he moved off for Wagga. 

 

Culcairn, Thursday. - M. Guillaux passed over the public school, Culcairn, at 2.15, travelling at about 80 miles an hour. A great crowd of townspeople, including the teachers and pupils of the school, watched the flight.

 

Wagga, Thursday. - The airman arrived at Wagga at 2.50, the journey from Albury occupying one hour and five minutes. The seventeen miles between The Rock and Wagga were covered in nine and a half minutes. M. Guillaux landed on the Wagga Racecourse, and resumed the journey at 3.30 p.m., amidst the cheers of a large crowd.

 

Junee, Thursday. - With railway engines toot tooting, the ringing of the fire-bell, and the shouting of citizens, M. Guillaux passed over head at Junee at a quarter to four o'clock.

 

M. Guillaux arrived at Harden at 4.30 p.m., covering the 63 miles between Junee and Harden in 35 minutes. He remained at Harden for the night.

 

M. Guillaux has to return

 

Harden, Friday, 2.10pm. M. Guillaux left at 2.5. He says he will reach Goulburn at three. The weather has cleared.

 

Later

 

Harden, 3.45 pm. M. Guillaux returned to Harden after reaching Binalong. He met bad weather and became ill. He is leaving early tomorrow morning, if better.

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Goulburn Evening Penny Post, Saturday, 18 July 1914.

Arrival in Goulburn. The City Excited.

With the grace of a bird selecting a resting place M. Guillaux issued from the clouds to the west of North Hill shortly before half-past nine this (Saturday) morning, and soaring gracefully over the eminence descended with a swoop at the southern end of the racecourse and alighted almost in the centre of the ground scarcely five yards from the fire that had been lighted as a signal. A more graceful and facile movement than his descent could not be imagined. Before bringing his machine to a standstill he made a sweep along the ground for a hundred yards and the mark of the wheels could be traced for at least half the distance. As soon as M. Guillaux stepped from his machine he stood near the fire warming his feet and drank a cup of tea from a thermos flask he was carrying with him. Comparatively few spectators were present on the ground, and very few people in the city knew that he had come. It was expected that the airman would fly over Goulburn, but this he did not do.

 

Guillaux, on the right, at Goulburn, 18 July 1914.

 

M. Guillaux left Harden at ten minutes past seven this (Saturday) morning, and reached Goulburn at fifteen minutes past nine, covering the distance (95 miles) in a little over two hours. He was hindered a good deal by having to fly against a head wind, which militated against a fast passage. The Frenchman had a good trip to Goulburn, but complained greatly of the cold. M. Guillaux is not at all fluent in speaking English, and relies on an interpreter to convey his thoughts. When leaving Harden he ran into a thick fog and lost his whereabouts. He flew to an altitude of 13,000 feet, and had to rely on the compass. The wind was blowing very strongly against him, and gave him a good deal of trouble. He passed over a

snow-capped mountain and seven trains. He experienced considerable difficulty when a few miles from Goulburn on account of the rough nature of the country. He was flying at a low altitude to keep below the clouds, and frequently had to soar skywards to escape the hills.

 

The intrepid airman was loudly cheered on his arrival by the few people who were present. Dressed in a leather jacket, with woollen covering over his head and a comforter round his neck, with goggles and gloves, M. Guillaux stepped out of his seat smiling. Before re-ascending he examined every particle of the machine very carefully, and replenished his petrol supply. The machine was the object of great interest, and was carefully examined by the curious spectators. M. Guillaux was very careful to prevent any one from touching the machine and particularly warned smokers from venturing too close. The canvas bore many signatures of Harden residents written in pencil.

 

The airman intended to give an exhibition flight at Goulburn, but by reason of his late arrival was prevented from doing so. He was anxious to reach Sydney at 2 p.m. While he was on his machine filling up the petrol tank two swans flew across the sky and comparisons were drawn between them and the Blériot used by the airman. M. Guillaux gazed at them and joined in the laughter. Before taking his seat to continue his journey, soon after 10 o'clock, the Frenchman fondled a little dog affectionately, and saying "Good-bye" to the crowd soared once more into the sky and encircled the course at an altitude of several hundreds of feet. The sparking plug was misfiring, and the aviator was obliged to return to the ground. His next ascent was made at 11 o'clock, after a thorough test of the engine.Three men held on to the machine, and the wheels were blocked, while the test was made. The suction from the propeller blades was so strong that the men's clothing blew about as if in a gale of wind and their hats were carried

away. 

 

He found some difficulty in New South Wales in identifying the roads as shown on the map which he carries in front of him. M.Guillaux is seated in a small leather contrivance, only his head and shoulders being visible. On his second ascent the airman rose to a height of 1100 feet. He circled the racecourse and then flew in the direction of Murray's Flats, where he altered his course slightly, evidently to give the people at Kenmore Hospital an opportunity of seeing him. He then flew in a north-easterly direction. M. Guillaux, who was carrying on his seat the mail enclosed in a postal bag branded "First Aerial Mail," proposed to alight at Moss Vale and fly right on from there to Sydney. 

When Guillaux rose into the air it was amazing to watch the horses stampede across the paddocks and a number of birds flying for safety. Guillaux makes the birds look trivial when he takes charge of the air.

 

From Capital to Capital.

 

M. Guillaux contemplates a non-stop flight between Sydney and Melbourne, but not with the Blériot machine he is now using. He is getting two more machines of a different type from England, and may then attempt the flight from capital to capital.

 

On Friday afternoon M. Guillaux gave a display at Murrumburrah in the presence of about a thousand people. It has been arranged that Guillaux shall make his descent in Sydney at the sports ground, prior to the commencement of the Rugby Union test match this (Saturday) afternoon. He is due to fly over the ground at five minutes to 3 o'clock, and, after giving a ten minutes exhibition, to alight and deliver a message to the Governor-General from the Governor of Victoria. He will appear at the Tivoli at four o'clock, and again at 8 o'clock, and also on Monday night, and on each occasion will tell his story of the flight.

 

Throughout the journey from Melbourne to Harden on Thursday M. Guillaux averaged a speed of 75 miles an hour, and, as the weather conditions were favourable, he could easily have reached Sydney before dusk, but his Goulburn engagement prevented the run through. He has several times covered over 500 miles in flights on the Continent in one day. On one occasion hie flew over 800 miles, and on another over 900 miles, both in the Pommery Cup competition last year, which he won at the second attempt. It is probable that, after his proposed flight across the Blue Mountains, M. Guillaux will attempt a one-day flight from Melbourne to Sydney, or vice versa.

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The Australasian, Melbourne, Saturday, 25 July 1914.

To Sydney by Air. Guillaux's Flight Finished. First Aerial Post.

M. Guillaux, the French aviator, was early astir on the morning of July 16, when be began his much talked of flight to Sydney, carrying the aerial mail.

 

Guillaux brought his first day's flight to a close at Harden. The last two miles was made at the rate of 120 miles an hour. On the following morning he left Harden with the intention of flying to Goulburn, but at Binalong he decided to turn back, and he returned to Harden. He encountered bad weather after leaving Harden, and became ill. His manager telegraphed to him advising him not to continue the flight until the heavy rain had ceased. When the weather had improved somewhat another start was made, but it was an uneasy voyage, and eventually he had to return to Harden. Early on Saturday (July 18) he was on wing again.

 

"At Goulburn," he said, "a big fire had been lit on the racecourse, which I saw from a great distance, and I was glad to warm my frozen limbs. I gave a short exhibition flight, but just as I was leaving the ground a spark plug blew out, and I returned to have it replaced. I finally left Goulburn at 11.5. Someone told me that I was done with mountains and gullies, but approaching Yass I found them piled up higher than ever, it seemed, and I was forced to ascend to an altitude of 10,000ft. Soon again I was in clouds, steering by the compass. I rarely saw the railway, but mountain peaks were always in view.

 

"I had been forewarned not to arrive in Sydney before 3 o'clock, and I decided to descend. My map did not carry me any nearer to Sydney than 50 miles, but I saw a township in my path, and alighted on some open ground. I found the place was Liverpool, and was very warmly received by Mr. and Mrs. Clarke. With them 1 had lunch. I covered 113 miles from Goulburn in 90 minutes, reaching Liverpool at 25 minutes to 1 o'clock. I started on the last 22 miles of my journey at five minutes past 2. The wind was squally, and I was carried at a tremendous pace. I was soon over Sydney suburbs, but I had a lot of time before making my official landing, and this I employed cruising around above the city. Approaching the crowded football grounds I could hear the people cheering, and I waved my acknowledgments. Then, with a certain amount of trepidation I made my final descent in a blinding storm. I was very cold, but I was very happy. I had delivered the mail."

 

As soon as the aviator touched earth he was besieged with admirers. Amongst the first to greet was Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson. Then he was carried shoulder high to the strains of the "Marseillaise," where he was introduced to the Governor of New South Wales (Sir Gerald Strickland). In the evening he appeared for a few minutes on the stage of the Tivoli Theatre, where the audience accorded the carrier of the first aerial mail a tremendous ovation. M. Guillaux, in addition to carrying the first aerial mail over the route, carried a parcel of merchandise, consisting of O.T. and O.T. Company's pure lemon squash, consigned by the Commercial Travellers' Club, Sydney.

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The Urana Independent and Clear Hills Standard, Friday, 2 November 1917.

Guillaux's Great Feat

The only flight which has so far been made between the two capitals stands to the credit o£ M. Guillaux, the brilliant French airmail, who visited Australia a few years ago. Guillaux left Melbourne on the morning of Thursday, July 16, 1914, and, after having made stoppages at various places en route for the purpose of giving exhibitions, reached Sydney on the following Saturday afternoon. His actual flying time for the journey of approximately 588 miles was eight hours, as against ten hours allowed for Mr. James' trip. The Frenchman, who carried the "first Australian aerial mail" travelled in a single seated monoplane. The weather for the greater part of the journey was bitterly cold, and the conditions were so bad on the Friday that he was obliged to spend the whole day at Harden. Guillaux described the mountainous country between Harden and Goulburn as "treacherous" for aerial work, and said that he often found it necessary to fly at a very high altitude in order to escape the influences of suction. Several times during the trip he ran into cloud bangs, and suffered. severely from cold, and on one occasion had an attack of "aerial sickness."

 

Maurice Guillaux at the controls of the Blériot XI, 1914. Collection: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

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The Sun, Kalgoorlie, Sunday, 26 July 1914.

Aviator Guillaux Triumphs

The most amazing feat yet attempted by the French airman M. Guillaux was successfully performed on Saturday afternoon last. After a journey of 585 miles, accomplished in 9 3/4 hours, M. Guillaux delivered a mail bag which he had carried from Melbourne to the Sydney officials at Moore Park. A large crowd assembled in the park to witness the arrival of the airman, who was first discerned high up in the sky about 3 o'clock. A bonfire was at once lighted to direct the aerial postman, who a few minutes later landed amongst the loud cheering and congratulations of the people present. Among the first to shake hands with him was the Governor General (Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson). The lifting of the mail bag was a sign for fresh cheering, and shoulder high M. Guillaux was carried into the sports ground, where he was introduced to the State Governor (Sir Gerald Strickland). While the band played the "Marseillaise" the Frenchman delivered a special dispatch from the Governor of Victoria. M. Guillaux's account of his experiences is as follow:-

 

"When I left Melbourne," he said, "at 9.15 on Thursday morning the weather was beautiful; but soon I encountered tempest after tempest, and before I arrived in Sydney I had experienced the roughest journey of my career. Once beyond Harden I was tossed about until I was airsick, and on another occasion I was forced to descend to rest my aching wrists from the tugging of the controls. I was beset with perils, but at times the winds were in my favor, and then I raced northward, at speeds well over a hundred miles an hour. At my departure from Melbourne I rose to 10,000ft. I was soon lost in a fog. The mountains were high, and I flew higher and higher. My compass directed me. The first 61 miles were covered in 45 minutes. It was a long stage of 84 miles to Wangaratta; where I stayed for 40 minutes, while my mechanic overhauled my Blériot. I rose higher from Wangaratta to 15,000ft, and the cold was intense. Just as I approached Albury the machine rocked and fell into innumerable air pockets. I alighted 35 minutes after leaving Wangaratta. Then I flew to Wagga in 70 minutes, and arrived at 3.30 o'clock, two hours ahead of scheduled time. When I left Wagga the wind was strong and right astern, and I covered the 84 miles to Harden in 60 minutes, which was, I think, my record speed from place to place for the journey. Three miles beyond Harden I encountered a strong contrary wind, and fearing I would not reach Goulburn before dark I returned to Harden for the night. My manager telegraphed from Goulburn that I would be foolish to start, as there were no signs of the storm abating. However, at 2 o'clock I set out in pelting rain. After flying an hour I had only covered 20 miles. I was being tossed like a cork by the storm, and was violently sick. It was impossible to make any headway, so I turned the machine with the wind. In a few moments I was back at Harden. I left Harden at 7.15 o'clock on Saturday morning, and again I faced head winds and those mountains. Never have I experienced such a journey. A hundred times I was nearly capsized. The railroad was so circuitous that it was impracticable to follow it and keep the Blériot steady against the wind, and I steered across the country by compass. Approaching Yass, I was forced to ascend to an altitude of 10,000ft. Soon again I was in the clouds steering by compass. I had been forewarned not to arrive in Sydney before 3 o'clock, and I decided to descend at Liverpool, and I had covered the 113 miles from Goulburn in 99 minutes. I started on the last 22 miles of my journey at five minutes past 2. The wind was squally and I was carried at a tremendous pace. I made my final descent in a blinding storm. I was very cold, but I was happy that I had delivered the mail."

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Murrumburrah Signal and County of Harden Advocate, Monday, 20 July 1914.

Local and General

An old resident remarked that he had been informed that M. Guillaux went up beyond the clouds and never got a speck of dirt on his boots. "It was," he said, "evidence that he got out of the boundaries of Murrumburrah Municipality."

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Murrumburrah Signal and County of Harden Advocate, Thursday, 24 July 1914.

 

Speaking at the Tivoli on Saturday afternoon M. Guillaux said :— "I like your country, I like your people, and I like your weather— Oh, damn."

 

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Maurice Guillaux's Blériot XI, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Postscript: Austin Byrne of Harden

The following account was published by the National Museum of Australian in 2014 regarding a young man who was working in Harden at the time of Guillaux's visit:

Thousands of people turned out to watch Guillaux land at, take off from, or fly over their towns during his historic airmail flight. Many had never seen an aircraft. Amongst the crowd of spectators in Harden, New South Wales, was 12 year old Austin Byrne. Born in Wickham, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales in 1902, Byrne’s interest in aviation developed through a troubled childhood and early fascination with machines, flight and adventure. At the age of 12, Byrne went to live with his aunt in Harden. Suffering severe depression, separated from his mother, brother and cousin, Byrne left school and started working at the Cohen and Co. store in Harden. By coincidence, or ‘divine providence’ as he would see it in later years, Byrne was in the perfect location to witness Guillaux’s flight and begin his life-long interest in aviation. In 1917, Byrne moved to Sydney and began working at the New South Wales Railways Eveleigh workshops as a labourer. During the following six decades of his life, Byrne lived with family, permanently and temporarily, near Sydney Airport – Mascot Aerodrome as it was then – in Rosebery at his mother’s home or in Mascot at his sister and brother in-law’s residence. As an important centre for Australia’s developing aviation industry, Mascot hosted numerous businesses and aviators, drawing media and public attention with joy flights, aerobatic displays, record attempts and aerial pageants. On 10 June 1928, Byrne was again part of aviation history as he stood amongst the crowd of thousands that greeted the Southern Cross and her crew at Mascot aerodrome after their successful trans-Pacific flight. Pilot Charles Kingsford Smith, co-pilot Charles Ulm and American crew-members, James Warner and Harry Lyon, were greeted as heroes after completing their flight from Oakland, California to Eagle Farm Aerodrome in Brisbane. Like many Australians, Byrne had been caught up in the frenzy surrounding the flight and he decided to make a model of the Southern Cross. Byrne intended to present the model to Kingsford Smith as a gift on his return after another record breaking flight from England to Australia in November 1935. When Kingsford Smith and co-pilot Tommy Pethybridge tragically disappeared in the Lady Southern Cross during that flight, Byrne decided that he would mount his Southern Cross model on a marble pedestal as a tribute to the aircraft and her crews. Encouraged by the success of his model, Byrne began to imagine further tributes in the hope of creating a Southern Cross Memorial to commemorate the lives of Kingsford Smith and Ulm and their journeys in the Southern Cross. With little training in or knowledge of metal work or sculpting techniques, Byrne began to construct a world globe tracing the flights, a shrine and book of the history of the Southern Cross and a ‘book of remembrance’ containing handwritten tributes from famous international aviators. Byrne spent decades collecting and creating the components of his Southern Cross Memorial, which he donated to the Australian government in 1970 and was transferred into the collection of the National Museum of Australia in 1980 – for more information about Byrne’s work view the collection highlight on the Museum’s website (Wilson 2014).

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The flight from Melbourne to Sydney, though physically a trial for the aviator, proved a great success for him, his team and the sponsors. It was reported in detail within newspapers across the country, and closely followed by communities on the route, with Guillaux drawing large crowds wherever he landed. It was also filmed in part. O.T. Cordials, Lipton Tea and Shell subsequently published advertisements which made reference to the flight.

O.T. Cordial advertisement, The Sunday Times, Perth, 26 July 1914.

Unfortunately, the historic flight would also prove to be the climax of Guillaux's Australian visit. Just two weeks later, on 1 August, Guillaux was badly injured during a crash at Ascot Racecourse, Sydney. To further add to his woes and curtail any plans to settle in Australia, during the following week events in Europe took over the headlines as the world moved towards the "war to end all wars" following the Sarajevo assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on 28 June. Germany soon after declared war against Russia and France on 1 and 3 August, and on 4 August Britain joined the fray by declaring war on Germany. With Europe and the British Empire, including Australia, now mobilising for war, thoughts of loop the loop displays and novel air mail services were put on the back burner.

When Guillaux recovered from his injuries, and the Blériot XI was repaired, he gave a farewell display at Bathurst on 12 September and left Australia just over a month later on 22 October aboard a ship carrying Australian soldiers to the war, leaving the Blériot XI behind. Upon his return to France he began working with the French Air Force as a test pilot. Tragically, Guillaux was killed on 21 May 1917 whilst performing this task. He died a national hero and a specially sculptured cenotaph was erected upon his grave in Nanterre. Later that year untrue rumours spread throughout newspapers in Australia that he had been shot as a German spy. These were eventually retracted, but no doubt sullied the reputation of this extraordinary Frenchman.

 

The claim that Guillaux's airmail flight was not the first in Australia

Ron Lee’s article The myth that Guillaux carried the first airmail in Australia published in the Australian Stamps Professional edition of May/June 2022 is full of errors of historical fact, misplaced assumptions on the part of the author, and plainly wrong. As shown above, Guillaux completed the first official airmail flight in Australia from Melbourne to Sydney – a distance of some 930 kilometres - between Thursday 16 and Saturday 18 July 1914, with the support of the Commonwealth Postmaster General’s Department in carrying freight and mail between the two cities.

Lee opens his argument to the contrary by first of all belittling Guillaux’s ‘fragile, primitive and unreliable aircraft’ – the Blériot XI monoplane with a 50 horsepower Gnome engine and 55 litre fuel tank. Far from being the aircraft that Lee describes, the Blériot XI is recognised for its notable achievements in early aviation history, including the first flight across the English Channel in 1909, breaking the flight airspeed record the following year, and military use during World War I (Wikipedia 2022). Lee then states in regards to Guillaux’s Australian flight during 1914 that ‘No one in the world had made a journey by air over such a long distance’. In fact, just the previous year Guillaux had won the Pommery Cup by flying 1,229 kilometres in a single day - 29 April 1913 - between Biarritz and Kollum.

Contemporary newspaper reports of the proposed Melbourne to Sydney flight refer to it being the ‘first aerial mail’ in Australia (Daily Advertiser, Wagga Wagga, 4 July 1914). As a result, there was much excitement and anticipation regarding the French aviator’s departure from Melbourne on 16 July 1914, with movie cameras recording the event. 

Lee goes on to state that Guillaux only carried souvenir postcards and ‘no mail’, arguing that the 1735 postcards could not be classified as such. Yet, the French aviator carried not only the postcards, but also freight such as a box of OT Cordial, and some letters. The postcards and other items were handled by the post office at both ends of the journey. They were appropriately stamped and postmarked, carried in official mail bags and received in Sydney by a senior member of the PMG’s Department and then delivered to the General Post Office for dispersal. To define this process as anything other than the dispatch and delivery of ‘mail’, as Lee seeks to do, is neither correct nor convincing. For example, as the Goulburn Evening Penny Post of Saturday, 18 July reported:

In addition to the postcards, which weighed a trifle over 40 lb., which M. Guillaux had decided to carry, the airman bore a letter or greeting from the Governor of Victoria (Sir Arthur Stanley) to the Governor of New South Wales (Sir Gerald Strickland), and a letter from the French Vice-Consul in Melbourne (M. Momery) to the French Consul-General at Sydney (M. Chayet).

Lee cites the fact that a number of letters were part of Guillaux’s cargo, but then presents a convoluted argument that they were not in fact ‘mail’ and therefore the whole historic flight cannot be referred to as Australia’s first aerial mail flight. 

Letter carried by Guillaux, postmarked Melbourne, 16 July 1914. Source: Stampboards.

Lee even includes an illustration of the letter to the French Consul-General in Sydney that was stamped and carried on the flight, and marked ‘Per Aerial Mail’ in black pen similar to the rest of the text on the envelope. But he then informs the reader that this annotation ‘appears to be added at a later date’, with no evidence to support this statement. Lee eventually concludes that ‘based on the fact that the Post Office did not instigate the operation and no mail was flown, … this could not have been the first airmail in Australia.’

With all due respect to Mr. Lee, in the opinion of this author the statement carries no weight. The question therefore needs to be asked: Why has Ron Lee sought to rewrite history in this manner?

In 1914 Guillaux’s flight was clearly recognised throughout Australia as the first airmail flight, before, during and after it took place. It was supported by the Post Master General’s Department; postcards and letters were stamped and postmarked in both Melbourne and Sydney; and members of the public and officials made use of the opportunity to post material on this historic first airmail flight. The fact that it was instigated by commercial and private interests does not negate its occurrence and historical significance. The further fact that the PMG’s Department publically supported and participated in the flight, and its preparation, puts paid to any suggestion by Lee or others that it was not Australia’s first official airmail flight. This has been recognised on numerous occasions by the PMG’s Department and Australia Post, with special commemorative issues in 1964, 1989 and 2014. The Australian aviation fraternity also recognised the historic significance of this pioneering flight and has participated in a number of re-enactments. Guillaux’s original plane continues to hold pride of place in the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Following Guillaux’s flight in July 1914, the onset of Word War I put paid to any attempts to initiate a regular airmail service. However, moves in that direction commenced shortly before the end of the war. As noted above, on 23 November 1917, R. Graham Carey flew his Blériot 60 from Enfield to the Gawler Racecourse at Evanston, carrying the first official air mail delivery within South Australia. Captain Harry Butler, Chief Flying Instructor of the Royal Australian Flying Corp, flew his 'Red Devil' Bristol M1C monoplane in an air mail flight from Adelaide to Minlaton on 6 August 1919. Also, between November 1919 and February 1920, the first aerial mail flight from England to Australia took place, by Ross and Keith Smith aboard a Vickers Vimy. 

Attempts to claim ownership of Guillaux's achievement were not limited to the Lismore flight, as noted above. The claim by Lee that the airmail flight between Lismore and Tenterfield in June 1920 was ‘the first Australian airmail flight’ should therefore be put to rest, and Guillaux’s achievement celebrated for the pioneering effort that it was, alongside an unalterable right to the title. 

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References

Brown, Simon Leo, Flight marks centenary of first air mail service, ABC Radio Melbourne, 14 July 2014. 

Crouch, Tom D., Blériot XI: The Story of a Classic Aircraft, Series: Famous Aircraft of the National Air and Space Museum, No.5, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982, 144p.

Centenary of First Air Mail (Australia), Postcard Interactive Company of Sydney [website], 9 July 2014.

Debenham, Ian, First Powered Flight in Australia, Parts 1 - 4, Inside the Collection [webpages], Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (Powerhouse Museum), Sydney, 16 November - 9 December 2009.

Dougherty, Kerrie, The story of Australia's first airmail, Parts 1 - 11, Inside the Collection [webpages], Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (Powerhouse Museum), Sydney, 8 April - 29 October 2014. 

Kelly, Maurice, Arthur B. "Wizard" Stone flies his Blériot plane in Australia, 1914, Australian Postal History & Social Philately [website], 2012.

Lee, Ron, The myth that Guillaux carried the first airmail in Australia, Australian Stamps Professional, 16(3), May/June 2022, 4-6, 8.

Lockley, Tom, Maurice Guillaux - France's Forgotten Pioneer Airman in Australia, The French-Australian Review, 56, Winter 2014, 22p.

-----, Maurice Guillaux - Pioneer French Aviator in Australia, manuscript, April 2015, 44p. 

Marciniak, Catherine, Forgotten for a century, Australia's first officially sanctioned air mail flight re-enacted at Lismore, ABC News, 1 July 2020.

Maurice Guillaux, Wikipedia [ webpage], accessed 15 September 2021.

Mcnay, Nigel, Celebration of a trailblazer, The Border Mail, 28 March 2014. 

Middleton, Peter, Australia's First Airmail Flight - Maurice Guillaux - 100 Years of Airmail in Australia, Airtourer Association Newsletter, 139, August 2011.

Simpson, Margaret, Blériot XI Monoplane [webpage], Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (Powerhouse Museum), Sydney, 2021.

von Horcher, Cherie, Flying French Postie's First Aussie Route, ABC News, 14 July 2014.

Wilson, Jennifer, 'Par Avion' - French for 'By Airmail', The People & Environment Blog, National Museum of Australia, 9 July 2014. 

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Maurice Guillaux - 50th Anniversary 1964 | Postcards & Philatelics 1913+ | Flying into Harden 1914 | First Australian Aerial Mail 1914 | Australia - photographs & film 1914

Last updated: 30 May 2022

Michael Organ