VH-UKP Westland Widgeon
III
(c/n WA.1774)
First registered in
April 1929 to E.G. Eager and Sons of Brisbane, it was later owned and
flown by
J.A. Marsh in the 1936 Brisbane to Adelaide air race, which was won by
the late Sir Reginald Ansett
in his Porterfield 35-70 VH-UVH.
The diminutive fin of the Widgeon can be clearly seen in the
above
photo from the Frank Walters collection taken at Archerfield. The
inscription 'Romeo' appears
under
the
starboard wing. In the photo below from the Civil Aviation
Historical Society of South Australia
it is seen with its Race No 8 and 'Juliet' under the
port. (Not sure of the significance of all this).
-UKP
can also be seen in a newspaper photograph under my
entry for VH-UTG in a line up of aircraft
awai-
ting the start of the race,
whilst another earlier Brisbane shot of -UKP is seen at the foot of the
page
from the John Oxley Library, State
Library of Queensland. Anyway, Marsh sold the
Widgeon in
April
1937 to J.E. Price of Geelong, who was possibly a broker, since a month
later it was registered
again to A. Carter of Werribee,
Victoria. It was stricken from the register in 1938.