VH-UII de Havilland D.H.60 Moth
(c/n unknown)
Photos of this odd Moth have been difficult to glean. The above
very contrasty shot is from the
Frank Walters collection
and was taken at Archerfierld, date unknown. This Moth
was built
and owned by Harold Cheesewright, of
Petersham, NSW from the engine of VH-UIS (which
had crashed and destroyed by
fire at Urunga, NSW on 12 December 1929) and fuselage and
wings presumably obtained from de
Havillands. Odd that they didn't give him a c/n for it. It was
registered in July 1931. On 12 March 1933 Harold
had engine failure and crashed it at Henson
Park, Marrickville, NSW. He and his passenger were unhurt and,
in, fact, -UII was rebuilt again.
Graeme Parsons culled the photo below from the Sydney Morning Herald of
the
following day.
Graeme indicates that, coincidentally, his father used to race
bicycles in the velodrome in the
centre of that park at about that
time! Upon rebuild it was sold to
O.F.Y.Thomas of Hillston,
NSW and in July 1934 sold again to the Victorian Flying School and Taxi
Service Pty Ltd of
Essendon.
Dogged by mishaps, it struck the top of
another aircraft whilst landing at Essendon
on 2 February 1936,
(pilot
H. Bond) with minor
damage. It was then acquired by Holyman
Airways Pty
Ltd (presumably for training) in April 1936.
Finally, it crashed into a house after
hitting telephone wires and a chimney, caught fire
and was damaged beyond repair at East Oak-
leigh/Mt Waverly
(where I used to
live in the early 1950s) on 16 May 1936 (trainee pilot N.K.
Field).
