G-AUAB  de Havilland DH 50A                                    (c/n 106)

                           
                         
                                The D.H. 50 series was built after WW I by the de Havilland concern as a replacement for the war
                                weary and aging D.H.9Cs which were serving as transport aircraft.  The D.H. 50 had seats for four
                                in the cabin between the wings, plus the pilot behind them in the open. (It was considered infra dig
                                for the pilot not to be exposed to the elements in those days!)     In addition to the 16 production
                                aircraft laid down by the parent company in England, series production (or at least assembly) was
                                undertaken in Australia by QANTAS, West Australian Airways and the Larkin Aircraft Supply
                                Company.  The Australian machines were known as the D.H.50A   G-AUAB was actually built in
                                the U.K. and shipped to Australia in 1924.   The photo above is from the Stephen Barnham coll-
                                ection and was taken by either his father or uncle, probably at Point Cook
                                Originally registered in the Great Britain series as G-AUAB the change to Australia's assigned VH-
                                was made in 1930.        At one point in its career VH-UAB  was owned by the famous Australian
                                aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith followed by a variety of private owners until it was impressed
                                 into the RAAF in 1942 as A10-1.  It did not survive the war, and was struck off the register in
                                1944.   The third and fourth images below are both from the State Library of New South Wales
                                collection, and show -UAB wearing the titling "Southern Cross Midget" at (upper) Jellat Jellat
                                - Bega, NSW and (lower) at Hecker's Paddock, Temora, NSW in 1935, being registered at that
                                time to Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.   
                                Finally, at the foot of the page is a nice photograph from the John Hopton collection showing
                                'Southern Cross Midget' at Essendon, probably somewhat later, and in a "reverse" paint job..
                               
                                For a photograph of this machine as G-AUAB visit the Airways Museum and Civil Aviation Historical
                                Society site at:     http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/DH50%20G-AUAB.htm