Chichester Probus Club members learn about Southampton's forgotten aviation pioneer

However, little was known about the Australian flier in the English city where he lived for many years, Chichester Probus club members were told at their monthly lunch meeting at Crouchers recently (Jan 9).

The speaker was Martin Radford, a retired Southampton consultant. He said that the first he heard about the aviator was from his son who lived in Australia. He had come across the house and wondered if his father knew about him. Some research followed.

Martin said that Hinkler was born in Bundaberg, Queensland, in 1892. On leaving school he worked in a bicycle shop, His fascination with the ibis and how they flew led to a great interest in flight and built his own glider on a nearby beach. His supportive mother gave him her ironing board so he could lie flat on his stomach to fly it.

The arrival of American Arthur Burr Stone in his Bleriot monoplane there in 1912 captured Hinkler’s interest in powered flight. The plane had developed a mechanical problem which Hinkler fixed and became Stone’s mechanic while he was there. The following year Hinkler worked his passage to England and got a job at the Sopwith factory, then joined the Royal Navy Flying Corps.

After many successful sorties in the First World War, he worked on aircraft development. Within a couple of years he was a De Havilland bomber training flight pilot, then a fighter pilot on missions to Italy. Martin went on to say that, come peace time, machines were stripped down and used privately. Hinkler bought one and flew from London to Turin over the Alps and won the Britannia Trophy.

He shipped the plane back to Australia and flew from Sydney to Bundaberg, and taxied home to surprise his mother. On return to England he set out to raise funds to make a solo flight to Australia. His skills included being a good pilot, navigator and organiser, but PR was not among them.

The press became aware of his challenge only when he reached India and it became an international event. However, Australian officialdom did not want a crazy man on a crazy venture but the public went wild when he arrived. It had taken him 15 days. At that point the Australian Government awarded him £2,000, made him an honorary squadron leader and gave him the Air Force Cross.

Sadly his achievement was eclipsed by the arrival of American crew arriving from the other direction and so he returned to England to pursue aircraft design and build. A busy international career followed, a time when he amassed several trophies and medals for his prowess.

Although was considered in the industry to be Britain’s leading aviator he little known by the public. In 1932 he planned to go for a new record in flying back to Australia. On the day of departure his flight in his De Havilland Puss Moth was delayed by mechanical problems and fog. He left at 4am and was never seen again. He was found several weeks later, lying by his plane on an Italian mountain, having died of exposure.

Hinkler was buried in Florence on January 7, 1933. He was 40.