The G-AUDK Story

G-AUDK was one of the six Bristol Tourer aircraft imported from the Bristol Company in England. These aircraft were selected by Major Norman Brearley to establish the North West Air Mail service in West Australia in the 1920s.

Their rudders were modified by West Australian Airways (WAA)  to provide some balanced load with extended surface area.

Perh-Derby was a two-week trip by sea, but only a 3-day trip by air. The planes on this route had little cargo space, so when there wasn’t enough room for the cargo in the plane, any excess cargo was slung between the wheels.

When G-AUDK crashed at Port Hedland in January 1923, its pilot and a passenger survived, but Civil Aviation Inspector Stanley Harper was fatally injured and died that night.

Captain Harper was buried in the Port Hedland cemetery. His grave site was restored in the 1980s.

The crashed G-AUDK was disassembled and the assemblies shipped back to Fremantle for repair.

Ownership of G-AUDK was later transferred to Charles Kingsford Smith and Keith Anderson. In 1927, Charles Kingsford Smith flew G-AUDK in his failed attempt to set a new record time for flying from Perth to Sydney.

G-AUDK was later registered as VH-AUDK.

From our Frank Colquhoun Collection

Our Frank Colquhoun collection includes:

  • FC_009. B&W photograph. 1923. WAA Bristol Tourer G-AUDK crashed at Port Hedland. Civil Aviation Inspector Stanley Harper sustained fatal injury. Pilot R. Cockran survived.This image also appears on page 9 of Frank Colquhoun’s 2001 book Cockpit and Spanner
  • Frank Colquhoun 1920s Album page 2 (4 images)
    Image 2. B&W photograph. 1921 G-AUDK photographed from G-AUDJ (L.E. Taplin) which in company of third Bristol with N. Brearley, pilot were initial outward flight from Perth by air mail contract to Fed. Govt. G-AUDI ill-fated to crash at Murchison House Station next day with loss of lives of the pilot and mechanic, 5 Dec 1921
  • Frank Colquhoun Album 1920s (4 images)
    Image 1. B&W photograph. 1923. WAA Bristol Tourer G-AUDK crashed at Port Hedland. Civil Aviation Inspector Stanley Harper sustained fatal injury. Pilot R. Cockran survived.
    Image 2. B&W photograph. 1923. Port Hedland. G-AUDK being disassembled following accident. Assemblies shipped back to Fremantle for rebuilding and repair. Port Hedland. Jan 1923.

For more information

See our G-AUDK Flickr Album for digitised images and other digitised information.

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