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Collection

A8184 Game, 'The Sir Ross Smith Aeroplane Race Game, for two or more players' commemorating a record flight between London and Australia, 1919, printed in Sydney. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 2, A8184 Game, 'The Sir Ross Smith Aeroplane Race Game, for two or more players' commemorating a record flight between London and Australia, 1919, printed in Sydney. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 2, A8184 Game, 'The Sir Ross Smith Aeroplane Race Game, for two or more players' commemorating a record flight between London and Australia, 1919, printed in Sydney. Click to enlarge

Game, ‘The Sir Ross Smith Aeroplane Race Game, for two or more players’ commemorating a record flight between London and Australia, 1919, printed in Sydney

Made
  • 1919
The 1919 air race from England to Australia won by Australians, Ross and Keith Smith, is illustrated in this children's board game of the time. The Smith brothers flew in a twin-engine Vickers Vimy heavy bomber, repaired enroute with chewing gum and pieces of fruit crates. The aircraft had the registration G-EAOU, which Smith's crew jokingly referred to as 'God 'Elp All Of Us'. The race was meant to demonstrate the feasibility of long-distance air travel, and prize money of £10,000 was offered by the Commonwealth Government of Australia for the first aircraft to arrive in 30 days consecutive days or less. Six planes competed, with 16 contestants, four died in crashes, two were arrested as spies in Yugoslavia and two others, after a forced landing in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), had to fend off local tribesmen with hand grenades. The trip took just under 28 days and the Vickers Vimy arrived at Darwin on 10 Dec 1919, with the only crew to reach Australia.

Margaret Simpson, 2 October 2007

Simpson, Margaret "On the Move: a history of transport in Australia", Powerhouse Publishing, Sydney, 2004

Summary

Object No.

A8184

Object Statement

Game, 'The Sir Ross Smith Aeroplane Race Game, for two or more players' commemorating a record flight between London and Australia, 1919, printed in Sydney

Physical Description

Game, 'The Sir Ross Smith Aeroplane Race Game, for two or more players' commemorating a record flight between London and Australia, 1919, printed in Sydney

Short URL

https://ma.as/196074

Dimensions

Height

5 mm

Width

60 mm

Depth

60 mm

Production

Made

  • 1919

Source

Credit Line

Gift of Mr & Mrs E A & V I Crome, 1982

Acquisition Date

24 March 1982

Cite this Object

Harvard

Game, 'The Sir Ross Smith Aeroplane Race Game, for two or more players' commemorating a record flight between London and Australia, 1919, printed in Sydney 2020, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 26 September 2020, <https://ma.as/196074>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/196074 |title=Game, 'The Sir Ross Smith Aeroplane Race Game, for two or more players' commemorating a record flight between London and Australia, 1919, printed in Sydney |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=26 September 2020 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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