Last updated 22 August 2022

DE HAVILLAND DH.94 MOTH MINOR IN AUSTRALIA

A listing compiled by Geoff Goodall

          

DH.94 Moth Minor VH-CZB (formerly RAAF A21-42) completed a five-year restoration in 2008. Seen at Melton Vic in March 2010.       Photo by Phil Vabre

VH-ACS c/n 94047 was a 1939 civil import which did not serve with RAAF. Seen over the Melbourne suburb of Ringwood while inbound from Albury to

an airshow at Berwick in February 1975, flown by its owner Robert Bunn.                                                                   Photo by Geoff Goodall

         The story of the Moth Minor is Australia is unexpectedly complex for such a simple light aircraft, which was in production by the parent De Havilland company at Hatfield. It is not well known that Moth Minors were built in Sydney by De Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd prior to commencement of wartime production of over a thousand DH.82A Tiger Moths in their factory at Mascot Aerodrome, Sydney.

        When the Moth Minor first went into production in England in 1938, there was enthusiasm from Australian flying clubs for the modern monoplane DH.94 with its economic 80 hp DH Gipsy Minor giving a similar performance to the Tiger Moth's 130hp DH Gipsy Major. The Newcastle Aero Club placed an order for eight and Royal Aero Club of WA ordered three new machines.

        The first example to arrive in Australia was VH-AAM shipped out on the Narkunda, which berthed in Sydney on 3 August 1939.  It had been over a year since De Havilland Aircraft had placed their order for this machine.  It was assembled at Mascot aerodrome where it was test-flown on the afternoon of Friday 18 August 1939 in the hands of George Coleman, Chief Instructor of the Kingsford Smith Air Service. Later that same afternoon it was delivered to Newcastle Aero Club, who flew it on demonstration flights on behalf of De Havillands.

       De Havilland's Australian subsidiary De Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd at Sydney (hereafter referred to as DHA) was anxious for a sizeable military order for DH.94s to utilise its factory staff at Mascot Airport, Sydney while setting up for large-scale Australian production of DH.82 Tiger Moths. The order for 50 new Moth Minors for the RAAF was placed on 5th October 1939.

       When Britain declared with Germany in September 1939, De Havilland Aircraft Co was producing Moth Minors at a rate of 8 aircraft a week in the "94 Shop" at their Hatfield plant, and 100 had been completed or construction begun.  Despite a full order book from British flying clubs and private owners, the company closed the DH.94 production line to make way for priority military orders. Private flying in Great Britain was to stop because of wartime regulations and petrol rationing, so future deliveries were doubtful and the RAF had no interest in the type. The RAAF order would be produced by DHA in Sydney using the DH.94 manufacturing plant, jigs, tools and drawings, which were packed up and shipped to Australia. Also shipped were all remaining stocks of completed and uncompleted airframe assemblies and DH Gipsy Minor engines.

       The circumstances of the Australian order for 50 Moth Minors for the RAAF are intriguing, due to the politics and uncoordinated efforts of the Australian Government as it struggled to get itself on to a war footing during 1939/40.  Despite the RAAF ruling that the Moth Minor did not comply with their specifications for a basic trainer (such as no brakes in each cockpit) after political lobbying the order was placed by the Department of Supply and Development in October 1939 for 50 aircraft at £1,000 each. The contract included 10 spare engines and spare parts to 20% of the value of the aircraft order. Surprisingly, the Air Board, the senior arm of the RAAF, was not told of the order until 21st October.

       At this time, the Air Board learnt that an order for 50 DH.82 Tiger Moths previously withheld by Britain had become available for immediate shipping to Australia. The Tiger Moth was the preferred basic trainer for the RAAF.  In a flurry of cables and letters, RAAF HQ attempted to reduce the order for Moth Minors, but succeeded only in reducing the order by four aircraft.

       Moth Minor deliveries in Australia are thus in this sequence:

• Prewar orders, British built and shipped complete from Hatfield
• Second-hand British built aircraft shipped to DHA as sales stock
• Order for 46 for RAAF: constructed by DHA at Mascot using components shipped from Hatfield and locally manufactured parts and woodwork.
  - the first 5 were complete British built aircraft which were diverted to civil flying schools for RAAF cadet pilot training prior to establishment of the   RAAF Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) units.
  - the remainder of RAAF order assembled at Mascot from parts shipped from Hatfield combined with locally manufactured components
• Final four RAAF aircraft (at least) built at Mascot from only Australian manufactured   components and given DHA manufacturer's numbers

        On 16 January 1940 DHA advised DCA that 20 Moth Minors had recently arrived by ship from Great Britain, 14 of these holding British CofAs.  

               This microfilmed page from The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper of 17 January 1940 shows eleven  
               British built fuselages. G-AFOO in the foreground was completed for a sale to the Singapore Flying Club.

               "70" on the next fuselage was 94070 which became A21-10 with RAAF.        Courtesy Roger McDonald

                With the large numbers of dismantled Moth Minor airframes arriving in Sydney in early 1940, DHA were looking for civil sales as well as the RAAF order. During the previous year the Netherlands East Indies Government had approached the Australian Government enquiring about training aircraft being built in Australia for their military pilot training. The response was that Australian aircraft production was fully committed to Australian needs. But the NEI remained interested in Moth Minors, and in June 1940, airline pilots from the KNILM Sydney service, representing the NEI Flying Club, inspected four DH.94s held by DHA after the RAAF order had been delivered. One was testflown at Mascot and found satisfactory except for suspected tendency for wing flutter. DHA requested approval under the wartime National Security Regulations to export DH.94s to NEI. Approval was granted, DCA’s Chief Aeronautical Engineer Gordon Berg’s file note: “The aircraft concerned are four second-hand machines which have not yet been entered on the Australian Register…. it is probable that the Company would desire to have Registration and Airworthiness Certificates issued prior to their sale and the transaction would then be subject to approval under the Regulations.  It is understood further that the RAAF is not interested in aircraft of this type and there appears to be no reason, so far as this Department is concerned, why approval should not be given for the aircraft to be sold to the Club in Netherlands East Indies.”  

However, the NEI Flying Club decided against the purchase of these four machines. Nevertheless six months later the club made a firm offer for the Royal Aero Club of WA’s Moth Minor VH-ADC, which was shipped to Batavia from Perth in February 1941, to become PK-BFC. It was probably lost during the Japanese invasion of Java early the following year and its fate is unknown.

DHA applied their own construction numbers to at least the last four of the Sydney assembled Moth Minors. It is assumed that by this late stage of the RAAF order, the majority of British components had been utilised, and these last airframes were constructed at Mascot from only Australian manufactured components.

RAAF SERVICE:

             Such was the RAAF's lack of interest in the Moth Minors ordered on their behalf, the Air Board diverted the first five aircraft delivered from DHA's plant at Mascot to civil flying schools to replace aircraft impressed earlier by the RAAF.

             In early January 1940 DHA wrote to DCA advising that five of the first shipment of Moth Minors to RAAF order were to be given civil registrations and allocated to aero clubs under a financial arrangement to replace DH.60 Moth aircraft impressed by RAAF. Initial certification was delayed by lengthy correspondence on whether the ownership should be to RAAF or to the allocated clubs.

             At the same time RAAF deliveries began with A21-1 being taken on RAAF charge at RAAF Station Richmond, west of Sydney on 26 January 1940.  Then regular deliveries over the next three months, all being collected from De Havillands at Mascot and flown to No.2 Aircraft Depot, Richmond. There the majority were stored in hangars pending allocation to units from RAAF HQ. The last aircraft of the new Moth Minor order, A21-41, was ferried to Richmond on 12 April 1940.  At the end of the following year, one additional aircraft was taken on charge as A21-42 on 15 November 1941 when VH-ACR was impressed.

              A further indication of RAAF attitude to the Moth Minors is given in a RAAF Minute Paper written on 18 March 1940. It quotes the disposition of the 28 Moth Minors so far delivered by DHA:

5     sold to Aero Clubs

1     No.1 Flying Training School, Point Cook

2     No.1 Engineering School, Ascot Vale

20   No.2 Aircraft Depot, Richmond storage

               The standard instrumentation was considered inadequate for RAAF training, and on 30 October 1939 the Air Board had specified eight additional instruments for front and rear cockpits. However in a series of clerical oversights, the order for extra instrumentation was not despatch to De Havilland until 13 January 1940. The minute records "Acting on his own initiative, the manager of the D.H. company had arranged for the necessary number of extra airspeed indicators and compasses to be delivered with the aircraft. The date for the delivery of the remainder of the extra instruments as list has not been given. The AMS states that it will be some time before the instruments catch up to the aircraft to which they should be fitted."

               The minute continues: "The only record of any decision as to use is contained in AMS's memorandum dated 28th February 1940. He stated that he had "so far avoided" taking any into the Service and, apart from holding them in reserve, at No.2 Aircraft Depot, had hoped not to introduce them at all in view of the fact that 100 Tiger Moth aircraft were available from the UK to fill the gap until local Tiger Moth production gets going. With regard to the use of the Moth Minor aircraft, it is noted that it is 60 lbs overweight for dual aerobatics, allowing 180 lbs per man, therefore the petrol load must be reduced accordingly before doing dual aerobatics."

                In May 1940, RAAF HQ was embarrassed by newspaper reports of the Moth Minors being stored unused at RAAF Richmond. This prompted allocation of Moth Minors to operational units, and a RAAF Minute quotes the following disposition as at 18 October 1940:

1    No.2 Squadron

3    No.4 Squadron

1    No.6 Squadron

3    No.12 Squadron

3    No.22 Squadron

3    No.23 Squadron

3    No.24 Squadron

3    No.25 Squadron

1    No.2 SFTS

1    No.4 EFTS - for communication Central Area

6    Central Flying School

1    No.1 ATS

1    No.1 AOS

1    Survey Flight - for use of Minister

2    No.1 Communications Flight

2    No.2 Aircraft Depot - 1 allotted to GRS, 1 unallotted

1    De Havillands - unallotted

Total: 36

CIVIL DISPOSAL OF RAAF MOTH MINORS:

                Moth Minors were among the first RAAF aircraft types made available for disposal towards the end of the war. On 20 September 1944, the newly formed Commonwealth Disposals Commission enquired of the Department of Air in regard to the types and quantities of aircraft likely to be released in the post-war period.  The reply on 28 October 1944 listed the first aircraft and engines to be released, including 20 Moth Minors and 14 spare Gipsy Minor engines, and these appeared on the first tender document issued by the CDC, with tenders closing on 20 Feb 1945. In correspondence with the CDC concerning the various types being made available for disposal, a letter from Department of Air in November 1944 made the remarkably ignorant statement that the Moth Minors were “not used very much because they were too light, and secondly may have depreciated through lack of use.”

                Following the first CDC tender, Moth Minors began being collected from RAAF stations by their new civil owners. In March 1945, DCA received a number of applications for ferry permits and registration allocations for RAAF disposals Moth Minors. An example was A21-19 purchased by Reg Ouston and four A21-3, -10, -24, -38 by F. H. Edwards of Edwards Aero Services, Melbourne, all aircraft located at 5AD Storage at RAAF Cootamundra.  Fred Edwards advised DCA that he would be ferrying Ouston’s aircraft, and the intended pilots for the four he had purchased were Jack Hodder, A. O. Keillerup, Desmond Cooke and Mrs. Gertrude J. McKenzie.  Mr. J. L. Roche was substituted for Mrs McKenzie at the last moment. DCA agreed to the request with qualifications for each pilot: “You will be required to complete 6 take-offs and landings prior to departure on the ferry flight and to produce a Certification signed by A. Keillerup that he is satisfied that flying of the aircraft is satisfactory.  The time occupied by these landings and the ferry flight will count towards endorsement.” DCA wrote to Ouston giving approval “for the machine to be flown from Cootamundra to Essendon by Mr. F .H. Edwards with yourself as passenger. The joy-stick is to be taken out and stowed in the locker and the rudder pedals disconnected so that interference to the pilot’s controls cannot take place.”

                A total of 19 former RAAF Moth Minors became civil aircraft after WWII, mostly for private flying but a few with charter companies. Queensland Aerial Ambulance and Taxi Services Pty Ltd, and Queensland Flying Services used Moth Minors on Red Cross contracts to deliver urgent blood supplies to country hospitals in southern Queensland. David Gray & Co Ltd, a pioneer aerial agriculture company in Perth used a Moth Minor to ferry pilots and equipment between its Tiger Moth crop sprayers in the field.

POSTWAR CIVIL USE

                Seven pre-war civil Moth Minors continued flying after WWII, and combined with the 19 RAAF disposals aircraft, Moth Minors were a relatively common sight on Australian airfields in the 1950s.  The majority were privately owned, although several were used by charter companies for light work such as Queensland Aerial Ambulance and Taxi Service Pty Ltd at Archerfield who delivered blood supplies from Brisbane to Queensland country hospitals.

                They suffered from the rigours to be expected of a light wooden construction airframe, and some were grounded because the fuselage centre-sections became oil soaked.  By the early 1960s only a few remained airworthy. On 21 September 1962 DCA announced that certain aircraft would have their Certificates of Airworthiness permanently suspended on 31 December 1963, and carriage of passengers was immediately prohibited. This was due to proven severe deterioration of wooden airframe structures using certain synthetic resin glues in Australia's warm climate. The types were:

Miles Messenger, Mercury and Gemini

Mraz Sokol M1C

Percival Proctor 5

DH.94 Moth Minor

               However after inspections of the wood-glue joints of the surviving flying Moth Minors, DCA was satisfied that all had been constructed with casein glue and ruled them exempt from the grounding order. However subsequent Australian DH.94 restorations received close attention from the airworthiness authorities, resulting in at least two rebuild projects having to de-laminate wooden joints and start again.

1. AUSTRALIAN CIVIL DELIVERIES

c/n 94002                                                                                                                                                                                                       VH-AAM

  Moorabbin 1955 with advertising for Aspaxadrene asthma medication.                                                                                         Photo by Eddie Coates

  Moorabbin September 1957, fuselage now repainted silver.                                                                                                           Photo by Jeff Atkinson

  Moorabbin December 1959, retired and dismantled.                                                                                                                 John Hopton Collection

    VH-AAM's centre section at "Wiawera" Station, Olary SA in October 1967.                                                                                          Photo by Geoff Goodall

c/n "94001" really 94006                                                                                                         G-AFRD, (VH-AAQ), ZK-AHI, NZ596, ZK-ALN

  ZK-ALN during the 1950s.                                                                                                                                                        Ed Coates Collection

c/n 94012                                                                                                                                                           G-AFON, ZK-AHK, NZ597, ZK-AKM

  Ardmore Airport, Auckland in May 1973.                                                                                                                                            Tony Arbon collection

  ZK-AKM restored in RNZAF markings.                                                                                                                   Photo: Peter Prince via Ed Coates Collection

c/n 94049                                                                                                                                                                                            VH-ACO

                                                             VH-ACO fuselage at Moorabbin 1960.                                                    Photo by Neil Follett

c/n 94072                                                                                                                                                                               (G-AFNX), VH-ACQ

c/n 94067                                                                                                                                            (G-AFNN), VH-ACR, A21-42, VH-ACR, VH-CZB

  Gilltraps Auto Museum, Coolangatta Qld in February 1964.                                                                                                        Photo by Greg Banfield

  VH-ACR as A21-14 at Caboolture Warplane Museum, August 1999.                                                                                          Photo by Tony Arbon

  Restored Moth Minor VH-CZB at Melton Vic March 2010.                                                                                                                 Photo by Phil Vabre

c/n 94047                                                                                                                                                                                     (G-AFOW), VH-ACS

  Portland Vic January 1968, silver with red undercarriage legs and nose.                                                                                          Photo by Geoff Goodall

  Over the outer suburbs of Melbourne, February 1975.                                                                                                                     Photo by Geoff Goodall

c/n 94028                                                                                                                                                                                     VH-ADA, VH-ADL

  Maylands Aerodrome, Perth February 1940 with aero club insignia on the tail.                                                                Photo attached to CofA form

  Nunyerry Asbestos Mine, Wittenoom WA in 1948 with canopy.                                                                                                  Photo Lang Hancock

  Bankstown in April 1953 with Volunteer Coast Guard emblem on nose.                                                                                 Photo by John Whittaker

  Bankstown 1954 repainted but retaining the unique sliding canopy.                                                                                      Photo by Eddie Coates  

c/n 94077                                                                                                                                                                                              VH-ADB

    
    Maylands Aerodrome, Perth February 1940 with Royal Aero Club of WA emblem on tail.                                                          Photo attached to CofA form

c/n 94073                                                                                                                                                                                     VH-ADC, PK-BFC

   Maylands Aerodrome, Perth in January 1940, just assembled.                                                                                       Photo attached to CofA form

c/n 94053                                                                                                                                                                                        G-AFOV, VH-ADJ

        Aero Club of Broken Hill VH-ADJ & VH-ACO at Broken Hill in 1948.                                                                                         Barrie Colledge collection

c/n 94008                                                                                                                                                              G-AFOM, (VR-SBJ), VH-AED

     VH-AED in a used car yard at Mount Lawley, Perth in 1954.                                                                                                   Geoff Goodall collection

c/n 94033                                                                                                                                                          G-AFOO, VH-AEE , VH-CBE

  Archerfield Qld in 1948 with QAATS emblem on the tail.                                                                                                              Photo by Eddie Coates

2. DELIVERIES TO ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE: A21-1 to A21-42

c/n 94058                                                                                                                                                                              (G-AFNA), A21-1

c/n 94056                                                                                                                                                                                    (G-AFOF), A21-2

c/n 94079                                                                                                                                                                                           A21-3, VH-BKI

c/n 94060                                                                                                                                                                              (G-AFNO), A21-4, VH-AFT

     A21-4 at 1AOS Cootamundra NSW in 1940, trainer yellow scheme.                                                                                               David Vincent collection

   A21-4 later in dark camouflage.                                                                                                                                                      Frank F. Smith collection

c/n 94050                                                                                                                                                                                         (G-AFNZ), A21-5

c/n 94063                                                                                                                                                                                         (G-AFOG), A21-6

    No.1 Engineering School, Melbourne Showgrounds 1942.                                                                                   John Hopton Collection

        A21-6 used for taxy handling training at 1ES Melbourne Showgrounds.                                                                                 Geoff Goodall collection

c/n 94066                                                                                                                                                                                               (G-AFNB), A21-7

     A21-7 with 23 Squadron at Lowood Qld 1943. Note the kangaroo marking.                                                                                   Frank F. Smith collection

c/n 94065                                                                                                                                                                                        (G-AFPA), A21-8

     A21-8 at Strathpine Qld, September 1943 with 83 Squadron.                                                                                                Frank F. Smith collection

c/n 94068                                                                                                                                                                                              (G-AFRJ), A21-9

c/n 94070                                                                                                                                                          (G-AFOS), A21-10, VH-AHJ, VH-KHJ

         At Albury NSW during an airshow in April 1947.                                                                                                           John Hopton Collection

  
Moorabbin 1954.                                                                                                                                                                      Photo by Eddie Coates

  
  Moorabbin, April 1965.                                                                                                                                                  Photo by Lindsay Nothrop

        Re-registered VH-KHJ at Moorabbin May 1966, white and blue with shark’s mouth.                                                                        Photo by Geoff Goodall

      VH-KHJ at Tyabb Vic in May 1967, repainted silver.                                                                                                                       Photo by Geoff Goodall

c/n 94074                                                                                                                                                                                    (G-AFOA), A21-11

c/n 94076                                                                                                                                                                   A21-12, VH-AMI, VH-DDG, VH-THT

       Maylands Aerodrome, Perth in 1946, still in RAAF camouflage.                                                                                                 Geoff Goodall collection

         Maylands October 1956, now reregistered VH-THT.                                                                                                                         Photo by Don Ende

              Dumped on the owner's farm at Willyabrup WA in May 1968.                                                                                              Photo by Geoff Goodall

          Restored and displayed at the Aviation Heritage Museum, Perth June 1988.                                                                               Photo by Ken Tilley

c/n 94078                                                                                                                                                                                          A21-13, VH-AHT

c/n 9404                    DH.94 Cabin Moth Minor                                                                                              G-AFOR, A21-14, VH-AGL, VH-AGO

            VH-AGL in good company at Narrabri NSW 1947.                                                                                                                Geoff Goodall collection

           VH-AGL at West Maitland NSW September 1968, under restoration.                                                                                      Photo by Geoff Goodall

           Re-registered VH-AGO, seen at Griffith NSW in November 1978.                                                                                                    Photo by Nigel Daw

          VH-AGO visiting an airshow at Mangalore Vic in 1990s.                                                                                                         Tony Arbon collection

 c/n 94088                                                                                                                                                                                              A21-15, VH-AFV

           A21-15 in RAAF service.                                                                                                                                                        Fred G. Harris collection

         VH-AFV soon after its was civilianised, in all silver finish.                                                                                                   Frank Walters collection

            Moorabbin, with shark's mouth painted on the cowling.                                                                                                    Photo by Barrie Colledge

        Moorabbin 1955, painted all over yellow with blue trim.                                                                                                           Photo by Barrie Colledge

          Dumped dismantled at Moorabbin in February 1962.                                                                                                                 John Hopton Collection

 c/n 94064                                                                                                                                                                                     (G-AFPW), A21-16

 c/n 94080                                                                                                                                                                        (VT-ALJ), A21-17

 c/n 94081                                                                                                                                                                                          A21-18

         A21-18 at Point Cook Vic in 1940, yellow trainer scheme.                                                                                                  David Vincent collection

 c/n 94075                                                                                                                                                                              A21-19, VH-AGT

          West Maitland NSW 1965.                                                                                                                                                     Ed Coates Collection

  Port Macquarie NSW 1970, VH-AGT's dismantled airframe stored in a hangar.                                                      Photo by Alex Oliver via Stan Fitzgerald

 c/n 94084                                                                                                                                                                               (G-AFUU), A21-20, VH-AGA

          A21-20 civilianised as VH-AGA, on a farm near Nhill Vic 1946.                                                                                               Kevin O'Reilly collection

          Essendon 1948.                                                                                                                                                                 John Hopton Collection

              Derelict fuselage in a shed at West Maitland airfield NSW, July 1967.                                                                                    Photo by Geoff Goodall

          VH-AGA fuselage and discarded wings of VH-AGL, West Maitland October 1968.                                                                        Photo by John Hopton

 c/n 94086                                                                                                                                                                                   (G-AFYS), A21-21

 c/n 94085                                                                                                                                                                                                          A21-22

 c/n 94083                                                                                                                                                                      (G-AFYR), A21-23, VH-AFU

         Queensland Flying Services insignia on the rudder.                                                                                              State Library of Queensland

           VH-AFU visiting an airshow at Casino NSW July 1946.                                                                                              Alan Sheppard collection

 c/n 94087                                                                                                                                                                                    A21-24, VH-AHK

    Nhill Vic 1952, with Wimmera Aero Club Tiger Moth VH-BXS behind.                                                                                   Photo via John Williams

        Newspaper photograph of VH-AHK's crash at Busselton, taken the next morning, 21 November 1963

    VH-AHK's remains still in situ Busselton in December 1963.                                                                                                        Photo by Alistair Coutts

 c/n 94089                                                                                                                                                                         (G-AFSE), A21-25, VH-AEM

 c/n 94090                                                                                                                                                                                              A21-26

 c/n 94092                                                                                                                                                                                                  A21-27

 c/n 94093                                                                                                                                                                                                       A21-28

 c/n 94094                                                                                                                                                                                                A21-29

 c/n 94095                                                                                                                                        (G-AFUV), A21-30, VH-AFQ, (CF-AOO), N16731

            A21-30 fitted with the cowlings of A21-36.                                                                                                                         Frank F. Smith collection

            Naracoorte SA circa 1950.                                                                                                                          Photo: Civil Aviation Historical Society  
      

        Cootamundra NSW in February 1966, silver with red trim.                                                                                                   Photo by Geoff Goodall

 c/n 94096                                                                                                                                                                                         A21-31

     A21-31.                                                                                                                                                                                  Frank F. Smith collection

 c/n 94097                                                                                                                                                                                       A21-32

 c/n 94098                                                                                                                                                                                                   A21-33

 c/n 94099                                                                                                                                                                                    A21-34, VH-AEK

 c/n 94100                                                                                                                                                                                      (G-AFSF), A21-35

 c/n 94091                                                                                                                                                                                              A21-36

 c/n 94082                                                                                                                                                                                    (G-AFYP), A21-37

c/n DHP17                                                                                                                                                                                   A21-38, VH-AIB

           Moorabbin 1955.                                                                                                                                                        Photo by Eddie Coates

       Ballarat Vic February 1965, in yellow and black Miss Canary.                                                                                               Photo by Geoff Goodall

         RAAF Point Cook 1977.                                                                                                                                           Photo by Barrie Colledge

    VH-AIB at Mangalore Vic airshow, April 1984 now as RAAF A21-10.                                                                                       Photo by Geoff Goodall

         VH-AIB at Goolwa SA, September 2010, after complete restoration.                                                                                             Photo by Nigel Daw

 c/n DHP18                                                                                                                                                                              A21-39, VH-AFS

             VH-AFS is in the centre of this gathering at Holbrook NSW in 1948.                                                                                    Ben Dannecker collection

 c/n DHP19                                                                                                                                                     A21-40, VH-AXB, VH-BXB

  VH-BXB at Moorabbin in December 1961.                                                                                                                        Geoff Goodall collection

     VH-BXB's remains in Ryan Equipment's yard, Shepparton Vic, May 1967.                                                                                      Photo by Geoff Goodall

 c/n DHP20                                                                                                                                                               A21-41, VH-AGF

  VH-AGF ended its days as an advertising attraction at Paramatta in western Sydney.

c/n 94067                                                                                                                                                                          VH-ACR, A21-42

3. SHIPPED FROM ENGLAND BUT UNACCOUNTED FOR:

These partially completed airframes had just been commenced when the Hatfield production line was closed. Although they were assigned registrations, when shipped to Australia they were probably just a collection of components, which were absorbed in the construction of the RAAF order:

94104  G-AFYT  Registration reserved 15.8.39

94105  G-AFZM

94106  G-AFZN

MOTH MINOR NOSE ART
Thanks to David Vincent, here is a rare example of artwork on a RAAF Moth Minor. The photograph was taken at Camden NSW in early 1943 while the Moth Minor was with 32 Squadron, most probably A21-19.

References:

Acknowledging the original DH94 research of Melvyn Davis and John Hopton

- Australian Civil Aircraft Register, Department of Civil Aviation and its successors

- DCA Aircraft files, National Archives of Australia, Melbourne

- DCA Annual Survey of Aircraft Accidents 1956-1968

- RAAF Airframe Status Cards, Air Historical Section, Department of Defence, Canberra

- RAAF accident reports, Air Historical Section, Department of Defence, Canberra

- RAAF Airframe Status Card A75-1, Air Historical Section, Department of Defence, Canberra

- National Library of Australia - Trove newspaper archive website

- Aviation Historical Society of Australia Journal, numerous references 1960-1980

- Australian Air Log, monthly, numerous references 1965-1968

- British Civil Aircraft since 1919, A. J. Jackson, Volume 2, Putnam 1973

- De Havilland Aircraft since 1909, A. J. Jackson, Putnam 1978

- Air Britain Archive: quarterly journal: DH.94 development and production: various 1985 & 1986

- Australian-Built Aircraft and the Industry, Keith R. Meggs, Finger Four Publishing, 2009

- The DH.82A Tiger Moth in Australia, Julian Forsyth, Skyline Publications, Melbourne 1995

- Moth Minor Aircraft, RAAF Minute Paper 18 March 1940, National Archives of Australia

- National Library of Australia - Trove newspaper archive website

- Aircraft in Australia series: DH.94, compiled by John Hopton: incomplete draft 16 Nov 1999

- John Hopton, extracts from Department of Air files, National Archives of Australia

- The Air Log magazine, Sydney, September 1939

- Rag & Tube, monthly journal of Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia, 1977 onwards

- Flight Path magazine, Melbourne, various references to restoration projects

- Classic Wings Downunder quarterly magazine, renamed Classic Wing,s various references to DH.94 restoration projects

- Letters to Editor, John Whittaker, Classic Wings Downunder, Jan-March 1997 & April-June 1997