Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Lot 3527    Session 12 (11:30am Thursday)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Estimate $7,500
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $12,500

GROUP OF FIVE TO AVIATION PIONEER: Air Force Cross (GVI GRI); 1939-45 Star; Pacific Star; War Medal 1939-45; Australia Service Medal 1939-45. The year 1943 on reverse, lower arm of first medal, 260446 G H Purvis on remaining medals. The first medal engraved, the rest impressed. Extremely fine.

Together with;

1. AFC case.

2. Hardcover book titled Outback Airman by Harry Purvis with Joan Priest by Rigby Ltd, 1979, pp228 with forward by Air Chief Marshall Sir Frederick Scherger KBE, CB, DSO, AFC - the self-told story of pioneer airman, Harry Purvis.

3. Personal diary of Harry's flying experiences during 1931-1934 particularly on the Kingsford Smith barnstorming tour throughout Australia and New Zealand.

4. Four log books from 1 October 1935 through to 1 April 1963. Two show the employer as Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.

5. 'Diary of the Doings of O.T.U. No.1' at Bairnsdale, Victoria, mostly handwritten and featuring drawings, stories and poems by staff and students passing through the training unit during the period December 1941 to 1945.

6. Three large photo albums containing photos and newspaper reports of Harry's flying experiences including various wartime photos, others with famous aviators such as Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, one of these a single of 'Smithy' with Charles Ulm and signed by both, local village life in New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies during the 1930s, various aerial photos of Canberra during the same period, wartime flyers as issued to airmen by the RAAF, and a variety of photos from Harry's historic survey flight to Chile. Also includes copies of various articles written by Harry and published in Walkabout magazine 1953-1959.

7. A personal letter from the legendary pilot, Captain P.G.Taylor, in which he recalls their historic survey flight to Chile.

8. Newspaper reports of Captain Purvis, ANA pilot, giving evidence of a desperate landing at Sydney's Mascot airport in October 1938 and various other follow-up news accounts into the lack of adequate equipment at Mascot for night landings.

9. Telegram from Kingsford Smith.

10. Menu, profusely autographed, of the dinner given in Chile to honour Capt P.G.Taylor and the crew of Frigate Bird II following the Chile Survey Flight in 1951. Also includes Harry's invitation.

11. Framed print of the aircraft, Southern Cross, after arrival at Mascot airport on 10 June 1928 after completing the 'First Pacific Air Crossing', with images above of James Warner (Radio Operator), Charles T.Ulm (Co-pilot), Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (Pilot) and Harry Lyon (Navigator) with their signatures, frame size 420x490mm.

AFC: LG 19/10/1943, p4621, posn 24; CAG 21/10/1943, p2312, posn 43.

Citation: Distinguished service as a flying instructor. Recommendation dated 9th July 1943 and classified as MOST SECRET: 'Formerly an outstanding civil airline pilot, Squadron Leader Purvis was transferred from the Reserve to the Active List of the Royal Australian Air Force on 4th March, 1940. Since then he has shown exemplary loyalty, courage and devotion to duty in his many appointments. Posted to No.6 Squadron on 4th March, 1940, he was responsible for practically all the initial conversion of R.A.A.F. pilots to Hudson aircraft, rendering outstanding service in this respect. This posting was followed by period of service with No.13 Squadron at Darwin, a year as a Flying Instructor at Central Flying School and duty with the Aircraft Production Commission as a test pilot in the early stages of production of Beaufort Aircraft.

In January, 1942, he was posted to No.1 Operational Training Unit as a Flying Instructor on Hudson Aircraft and displayed such qualities of training ability and leadership that he was shortly appointed Officer Commanding a Beaufort Training Squadron of 34 aircraft at that Unit.

On 9 November, 1942, Squadron Leader Purvis was appointed to command No.36 (Transport) Squadron. The work of this Squadron since he assumed command has been outstanding and has played no small part in the successes of the New Guinea campaign, operating as it does between the mainland and New Guinea.

Since the Squadron come within the Command of North Eastern Area 6501 hours have been flown, 8615 personnel transported by Air, the total loading, which includes Jeeps and 25 pounder Guns, being in excess of 4,800,000lbs of freight. This achievement has been possible only through the ability and leadership of Squadron Leader Purvis. He has himself flown 198 hours as Captain including missions to the forward area necessitating fighter cover. He has been largely responsible for the training of transport pilots for his own and other transport Squadrons during this period, and has converted 33 pilots as Captains of D.C.3 Aircraft, and 9 as Captains of D.C.2's.

In his 8265 flying hours he has rendered distinguished service in the science of aviation, and to the Royal Australian Air Force in particular.'

George Henry 'Harry' Purvis was born on 6 May 1909 at Cobar and raised at Carrathool, a town on the Murrumbidgee River in the Riverina District of New South Wales. His father was an engineer at the Great Cobar copper mine and later licensee of the Carrathool Hotel. When Howard Jolly, a World War I early bird, an insurance salesman who gave free flights with every insurance policy sold, came to town Harry's father took up the offer and gave the flight to young Harry, then eleven years old although some reports state nine. After the bi-plane flight Harry was hooked and in his words, 'it was those few shaky minutes in the sky that set me on my course and a lifelong devotion to aviation'. Harry's schooling was conducted as a boarder at Newington College in Sydney and then at Collingwood Technical College in Melbourne where he studied engineering.

Prior to completing his course, Harry's father died and he returned home which was now at Hillston where his mother ran the hotel. The aviation bug was still with him so he moved to a larger town, Griffith, to look for opportunities. He tried for a job with the local Ford dealer to no avail but co-incidentally while there the owner of another business walked through the door and offered him a job with his engineering firm. He later moved on from there and by the time he was twenty he had his own business doing motor and general engineering. Then in May 1931 his life was due to change. Kingsford Smith and a several other notable pilots were visiting town on a barnstorming tour. Harry got an opportunity to talk to Smithy and his chief engineer Tommy Pethybridge and offered him the use of his workshop while they were in town.

He had the chance to talk at length to Tommy and expressed his enthusiasm for flying. Tommy then told him that a plane which would suit him was an Avro Avian which Charles Ulm owned and wanted to sell for five hundred pounds to raise cash for another England-Australia record attempt.

After much soul searching, Harry sold his business and moved to Sydney to live as a boarder with Tommy Pethybridge's family at Marrickville then joined Tommy at Mascot and purchased Charles Ulm's aircraft. He now had an airplane but no licence. Fortunately, Smithy and Ulm had a small flying school and the instructor was G.U. 'Scotty' Allan, destined to become a senior figure in Australian aviation. When he qualified for his pilot's licence, he and Tommy, who was free for a time while Smithy was on one of his periodic flights to England, went on barnstorming tours along the north coast of New South Wales in his aircraft, named Southern Cross Pup with Smithy's permission.

In 1932 Smithy formed Kingsford Smith Air Service and gave Harry a job on his proposed barnstorming tour around Australia and New Zealand. He also had a spot of dual flying with Smithy in the Southern Cross and flew it over from Hastings, New Zealand in January 1933. By now he was Smithy's chief mechanic and co-pilot for two years.

Another interesting experience of Harry's life was the sale of his plane, a Fokker Universal, to Reg Ansett for one thousand pounds so he could start his fledgling Ansett airline. This plane is portrayed on the front cover of his book, 'Outbook Airman'. Some other of his experiences includes the following; May1934 sold his Avro Avian to N.G.A.Mendham to begin operations as Salamaua Aerial Transport Coy (MT NG) in July 1934.

5Mar1935 flew WASP Airlines inaugural tri-weekly service, Narromine to Sydney.

1935 he was a pilot with 2UWs Surf Patrol.

5Mar1936 tested Wackett Gannet VH-UVU (the 3rd made) at Mascot and then delivered to WASP Airlines.

16Nov1936 Sydney-Broken Hill service provided by Motor Development Ltd was recommenced and flown by Harry.

1938 chief pilot of ANA air liner, Loila, that left Essendon for Central Australia with passengers to a location thought to be the legendary Lasseters Reef.

May1939 G.H.Purvis and H.Cameron accepted as pilots with KNILM (Royal Netherlands Indies Airways). Captain Purvis who had been senior pilot at Sydney for Australian National Airways was appointed as a captain of Douglas and Lockheed types over its various routes.

Feb1940 Harry was one of six civil pilots licensed to fly Hudson model 14s and who held commissions in the RAAF and who were allocated to instruct service pilots in this aircraft type.

14Feb1947 Manager and Chief Pilot for the Herald Flying Services led the flight for large scale country deliveries of the Sydney Morning Herald to northern New South Wales and on 5May1947 Harry flew the first delivery service with VH-SMH (Sydney Morning Herald) to Tamworth, Coffs Harbour and Evans Head, New South Wales.

8Mar1951 Co-pilot on Frigate Bird II (Catalina VH-ASA) Australia to Chile return survey flight.

Following his recruitment into the RAAF Harry's talents were put to good use training transport pilots for the air force. Such were his achievements that he was recognized with an award of the Air Force Cross with recognition that his efforts had been instrumental in achieving a victorious outcome in the war in New Guinea.

An interesting chapter in Harry's life occurred during WWII after he had flown a RAAF Dakota into the island of Bali in 1945. The Japanese surrender at Tokyo was known but armed troops were still walking around and in control at Bali. Wing Commander Harry Purvis and his four-man crew were all armed but there were 10,000 armed Japanese troops. The flight crew were picked up at the airport and delivered to the Hotel Denpasar where Harry learned that the Japanese General was at his headquarters in the city. Harry sent a message to the General demanding his presence at the hotel as he was acting on the authority of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander, South-West Pacific Area to demand his surrender and in token he must hand over his sword and all Australian prisoners on the island must me released. He also demanded a suite at the hotel for each Australian officer and ten thousand rupees for their use while on the island and further that he would hold the General responsible for their safety. Not knowing what would happen about his bluff, Harry was pleased, and relieved, when the General's aide and eight officers arrived and with much bowing and ceremony handed over the General's sword. When it came to signing an official document, Harry realised none of the Japanese understood English so cheekily he signed his name as Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Harry's other demands were all met including the payment of ten thousand rupees for each officer, this being in the form of Japanese Invasion Money (JIM) which Harry stated in his book was to continue in use as currency for several months after the surrender.

During the war Harry had been CO of the first RAAF transport squadron and later he became Deputy Director of all RAAF transport. Post war he remained with Transport Command to organize a courier service from Morotai to Japan. As part of this he spent time in Japan and saw the devastation caused by the atom bomb and also by the bombing raids on Tokyo. Then he was part of the RAAF flights to Chungking on mainland China to secure a large consignment of pig bristles much needed in Australia to make paint brushes. This was potentially dangerous duty as by now China was in the grip of communism and the hostility towards westerners was obvious.

One of Harry's highlights in 1945 revolved around the making of the film, 'Smithy'. Smithy's famous aircraft, 'Southern Cross', that had been dismantled and put into storage in Canberra was reassembled and the test flight flown out of Duntroon was crewed by Wing Commander H.Purvis (test pilot) with his co-pilot being Wing Commander John Kingsford Smith, nephew of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. After the flight Harry said, 'I think the old bus is running better than ever it did despite the passage of the years. I am very proud and happy to have flown her once again. I could almost feel the shade of 'Smithy' standing in front of me.'

Harry Purvis discharged from the RAAF on 6 August 1946 and after this, probably one of the most memorable experiences of Harry's flying career would have to be the 1951 Inaugural Survey South Pacific Flight - Australia to Chile and return undertaken in a Catalina flying boat, Frigate Bird II, under the captaincy of P.G.Taylor. The Catalina was a stock RAAF machine taken from those stored at Rathmines flying boat base, New South Wales. This historic flight was the first crossing of the South Pacific to South America and was crewed by P.G.Taylor (Commander and Pilot), G.H.Purvis (Co-pilot), A.Allison (Radio Operator), J.Percival (Executive Officer) and E.L'Huillier (Flight Engineer). It was a 15,000 miles survey flight undertaken on behalf of the Australian Commonwealth Government and was to fly over many areas where no aircraft had flown before and where there were no ground facilities to provide navigational aids or servicing and repair facilities. It departed from Sydney's Rose Bay flying boat base and made numerous stops on route finally arriving at Valparaiso, Chile on 27 March.

After much celebrating and official functions in Chile, the return flight departed Valparaiso on 6 April arriving at Brisbane on 20 April and flown to Sydney the next day. Awaiting the flight was a large crowd including Prime Minister Robert Menzies who greeted and congratulated the crew. The aircraft used was returned to Rathmines and eventually withdrawn from use in 1954. It now is on permanent display in Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. While in Chile President Videla, on behalf of the people of Chile, decorated Captain Taylor with the Order of Bernardo O'Higgins (Commander grade). He said 'This is the highest distinction which can be awarded a foreigner, but we consider you and the members of your crew citizens of Chile.' General Aurelio Caledon, Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Air Force awarded Captain Taylor the honorary title of 'Chilean War Pilot'. Then General Caledon and General Jorge Gana Eastman, Director of Civil Aeronautics, also presented the whole crew of the Frigate Bird II with citations and Chilean Air Force wings and made them honorary members of the Chilean Air Force. Captain Purvis, first officer of the flight, was presented with a Chilean flag by the Santiago Rotary Club to deliver to the Rotary Club at Camden, Sydney.

Harry finished his career flying tourists to the Pacific islands and Ayers Rock. During his fifty years of flying Harry Purvis flew over 25,000 miles and was one of Australia's greatest adventurers in aviation. He died in Cairns, North Queensland in 1980 at the age of 71.