nzcarnerd Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 A couple of photos from Gisborne, New Zealand. dated as circa 1915 but I think it is a little later. Gisborne was relatively isolated and there was a desire to have an air service there from the early days but it wasn't until 1931 that a service began. 3rd Level New Zealand: Gisborne Air Transport - "The Pioneer Air Service" (3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com) The plane is an AIRCO DH6 that was owned at the time by the Walsh brothers' New Zealand Flying School. The relevant wiki article says the plane was damaged beyond repair in August 1920. The car looks to me to be a Wills Sainte Claire - But as far as I know the first of them was not built until some time in 1921. In one shot the car is wearing a sign from Fairlie's Motor Service. They dealt with the some poor roads in the day. Pictures From The Past - Gisborne Photo News - No 81 : March 23, 1961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted February 2, 2022 Author Share Posted February 2, 2022 So far I have found only one reference to Wills St Claire in the old papers but there is little information - from 1926 - Papers Past | Newspapers | Wanganui Chronicle | 16 October 1926 | COLOURS AND MODES (natlib.govt.nz) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagefinds Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 It looks a little like a Winton,they were made until 1924. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted February 3, 2022 Author Share Posted February 3, 2022 56 minutes ago, sagefinds said: It looks a little like a Winton,they were made until 1924. Thanks for the lead. An answer on the local facebook pages suggested that it may have bene run by Wilkinson's - and from a quick look on paperspast found this reference - Papers Past | Newspapers | Poverty Bay Herald | 11 September 1920 | Page 1 Advertisements Column 2 (natlib.govt.nz) I think the curved tops on the fenders, rather than flat, suggests a late teens date? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 I expect it is immediately after WWI, around 1920. The airplane is too sophisticated for 1915 and how many planes were in civilian use before or during the war? After the war there was a flood of ex-military airplanes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 (edited) nice picture.... keep digging and you will likely determine who the men are in the picture. Al Edited February 3, 2022 by alsfarms spelling (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted February 4, 2022 Author Share Posted February 4, 2022 11 hours ago, JV Puleo said: I expect it is immediately after WWI, around 1920. The airplane is too sophisticated for 1915 and how many planes were in civilian use before or during the war? After the war there was a flood of ex-military airplanes. The plane is an Airco DH6 - a 1916 design - Airco DH.6 - Wikipedia The New Zealand Flying School's sole example was damaged beyond repair in a gale in August 1920 - New Zealand Flying School - Wikipedia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtech Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 Going by the lights I Think Wills St.Claire is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted February 4, 2022 Author Share Posted February 4, 2022 6 hours ago, Oldtech said: Going by the lights I Think Wills St.Claire is correct. It is a Winton. See this link I posted above - Papers Past | Newspapers | Poverty Bay Herald | 11 September 1920 | Page 1 Advertisements Column 2 (natlib.govt.nz) More here about the aircraft - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtech Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 Ok Winton. Admittedly Wills and Winton look very much alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now