Maurice Guillaux in Australia 1914 - Photographs and ephemera

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

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

Pioneering French aviator Maurice Guillaux is famous for completing the first official aerial mail (airmail) flight in Australia from Melbourne to Sydney – a distance of 930 kilometres - between Thursday 16 and Saturday 18 July 1914. He was supported in this venture by the the Commonwealth Postmaster General (PMG) Department, precedent to the modern day Australia Post. In this feat, Guillaux carried freight and mail between the two cities solo aboard his Blériot XI monoplane. Guillaux had arrived in the country on 30 March and departed 200 days later on 22 October. During that period he undertook numerous exhibition flights in both his own plane and a seaplane, conducted interviews, crashed once, discussed the military and commercial use of planes with local authorities, and gave joy flights. Despite the fact that he could not speak much English, he made a real impression in turning public opinion on aeroplanes from being a mere novel to a technological innovation of great import. A number of photographs were taken during Guillaux's visit, of him and his plane both on the ground and in flight. Some of these are listed below. [NB: Links to the Tom Lockley Guillaux archive are included throughout.]

Chronology

* Tuesday, 31 March 1914 - Guillaux is interviewed in Perth aboard the Orontes, en route to Sydney.

* 8 April - Guillaux arrives in Sydney on the Orontes.

* Monday, 20 April - test flight of the Blériot XI at Victoria Park racecourse, Zetland, Sydney. Guillaux undertakes a number of flights from Victoria Park over the coming months, and there are likewise a number of photographs taken of him in this vicinity, both during public displays and singularly.

Maurice Guillaux flying his Blériot monoplane over Victoria Park racecourse. No precise date. Gift of S. Dyson, 1982. Source: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Guillaux and public display, unknown location, no date. Photographer: Harold Cazneaux. Source: Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Guillaux flyover, Sydney, 1914. Photographer: Harold Cazneaux. Source: Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Crowd watching Guillaux, ?Sydney, 1914. Source: Rodoni Archive, University of Newcastle (Australia) Library. Three other images from the collection relate to Guillaux.

* 25 April - first public display at Newcastle Showground.

Guillaux at Newcastle, 1914. Source: Newcastle Library.

* 1 May - flies over Sydney.

* Saturday, 2 May - public display at Victoria Park, in front of a crowd of between 10,000 and 60,000. Guillaux carries out a loop the loop.

Guillaux ties a silk French Tricolour flag to the tail of his Blériot aircraft before commencing his first public aviation display in Sydney. Gift of S. Dyson, 1982. Source: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Guillaux performing before a large crowd at Victoria Park Racecourse, during his first public aerobatic display in Sydney on May 2, 1914. Gift of S. Dyson, 1982. Collection: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

* Friday, 8 May - The Australasian, Sydney, includes photographs of Guillaux in his cockpit, and doing a loop de loop.

* Friday, 8 May -  first Australian seaplane flight, on Sydney Harbour.

Guillaux in seaplane on Sydney Harbour, 1914. Source: ...

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

* Saturday, 9 May - second public display at Victoria Park, Sydney.

* 11 May - private flights for paying customers in Sydney.

Guillaux flyover, Sydney, no date. Source: Sydney Morning Herald Archives.

* 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.

* June - Guillaux carried a number of signed postcards from Melbourne to country towns such as Bendigo and Ballarat and presented them to leading figures such as mayors (Eustis 1984).

* Monday, 8 June - public display at Bendigo.

Guillaux at Bendigo, 8 June 1914. Photographer: Dr. Ken Skues. Source: ....

Guillaux in flight, no place, no date. Source:

* Tuesday, 9 June - flies from Bendigo to Ballarat. A special mail was flown by Guillaux on behalf of Bendigo Council, with the following official letter known from the Bendigo mayor: I trust that the introduction of this means of communication will enable us in the near future to be provided with greater facilities for advancing the mutual interests of our two centres. A telegram was sent from Bendigo to Ballarat with the following message: Mayor, Ballarat, Guillaux left ten eight by aeroplane conveys greetings from Bendigo to Ballarat.

* Saturday, 13 June - public display at Ballarat.

Guillaux in his cockpit, possibly taken at Ballarat, 13 June 1914. Source: Searcy Collection, State Library of South Australia.

Guillaux in his cockpit, possibly taken at Ballarat, 13 June 1914. Annotated. Source: Searcy Collection, State Library of New South Wales.

* 16 June - Guillaux autographs a postcard of himself in his cockpit, to the Mayor of Ballarat.

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

* 19 June - flies over Adelaide.

* 20 June - public display at Cheltenham racecourse, Adelaide, attended by around 15,000 people.

* Saturday, 27 June - Adelaide Observer, includes photographs of Guillaux and his plane flying over Adelaide. 

Guillaux taking off, ?Ascot, no date. Source: State Library of South Australia.

* Friday, 3 July - 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.

Maurice Guillaux at Melbourne Showground, circa 9.12am, Thursday 16 July 1914, being handed mail by the Acting Postmaster General of Australia, prior to his flight to Sydney. Source: National Library of Australia.

The mail for Australia’s first airmail flight being loaded into Maurice Guillaux’ XI aircraft. Guillaux is loading the mail and to the left is his translator, M. Maistre. Immediately to the right of the are the acting Postmaster-General, W.B. Crosby, and the Superintendent of Mails. Original image provided by Mr. AC Schaefen, South Devon, UK. Source: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

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

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

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

Maurice Guillaux at Goulburn, Saturday 18 July 1914. Source: Rocky Hill War Memorial and Museum, Goulburn.

Maurice Guillaux and the Governor General with the 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.

Guillaux at Sydney with the Governor General, 18 July 1914. Photographer: A. J. Perier. Source: State Library of New South Wales

Guillaux after landing in Sydney, 18 July 1914. Source: Unknown.

Commemorative blotter, Shell Benzine, The British Imperial Oil Co. Ltd., Melbourne, 1914. Source: University of Melbourne Archives.

* 1 August - public display at Ascot Racecourse, Sydney, during which the Blériot crashes and Guillaux is badly injured. Part of this is captured on film as he walks away from the plane.

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

* 12 September - public display at Bathurst - his "farewell flight in Australia".

* 22 October - departs Australia for Europe.

Maurice Guillaux relaxing on board HMAT Orvieto after departing Australia. This photo was taken by a young R.G. Casey, later to become Governor-General of Australia. Source: National Archives of Australia, M1145, 3B/20.

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Acknowledgement

Much appreciation must go to the work of Tom Lockley in researching Guillaux's time in Australia and locating numerous contemporary resources, including images.

References

Greenwood, Samara, The Many Facets of Ephemera, University of Melbourne Archives, 29 November 2021.

Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, The Story of Australia’s First Airmail – Part 1, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. Available URL: https://www.maas.museum/inside-the-collection/2014/10/29/the-story-of-australias-first-airmail-part-1.

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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: 25 May 2023

Michael Organ

 

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