Consignment added 2009

Containers:

Folio-Box 1 (Smalls), Piece (1 packet - MS Acc09.124)

Component identifier:

Class MS Acc09.124

Content Summary:

Comprises a draft cable written by Charles Ulm on 8 June 1928 from Fiji. The cable is written on the letterhead of HMCS Pioneer, addressed to Q.S.T. Sunflight Sydney (possibly the finance and support team financed by Sun newspapers). It tells them that they (Charles Kingsford-Smith and Ulm) are on their way from Fiji to Brisbane, with plans to depart the day after for Sydney, but would return to Brisbane for a public tour within two weeks. The text includes: "In 19 or 20 hours will be in dear Aussie again... Our landing in Brisbane will be the culmination of 10 months hard work the realization of Smithy's and my ambitions to be first to really cross the Pacific by air". John Ulm notes that the draft was on the HMCS Pioneer letterhead because while Smithy flew the empty plane from Suva to Naselai Beach for their departure from Fiji after refueling, Ulm and others travelled courtesy of the colonial governor on his launch, Pioneer.

Contained in 1 folio packet.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The collection has dual provenance. It consists of papers collected by Charles Ulm, and also items collected about Ulm by his son, John, which have been kept together because of the interrelated nature of their creation. The original instalment was donated to the Library by John Ulm in June 2003 in conjunction with an exhibition held at the National Library of Australia to mark the 75th Anniversary of his father's 1928 Trans-Pacific flight.

Subjects:

Exploration
History
Society and culture

Access and use