The MacRobertson Air Race: 92 Years On
Today marks 92 years since the de Havilland DH.88 Comet G-ACSS Grosvenor House made aviation history in the famous MacRobertson Air Race from England to Australia.
The race was devised by Sir Harold Gengoult Smith as the Lord Mayor of Melbourne to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Australian State of Victoria. The Lord Mayor approached Sir Macpherson Robertson, a wealthy confectionary manufacturer, to sponsor the race. Robertson accepted and provided the prize money of £15,000 (roughly £900,000 in today’s money) on the conditions that the race be named after his confectionary company, and that it was organised as safe as possible.
The race began on 20 October 1934, from RAF Mildenhall in England to Melbourne in Australia, over a distance of approximately 11,300 miles, and a total of 20 aircraft took part in the race. de Havilland designed the Comet to meet the specific requirements of the race, and three Comets, including, G-ACSP Black Magic, G-ACSR and the Shuttleworth Collection's G-ACSS Grosvenor House were entered.
Arthur Edwards, a property developer, was the owner of G-ACSS and named his red Comet after the Grosvenor House Hotel, of which he was the managing director. He engaged C. W. A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black to fly it in the race. After an incredible 70 hours, 54 minutes and 18 seconds, Grosvenor House touched down in Melbourne, crossing the finish line as the winner of this legendary air race.
Following an incident this year, a fundraising campaign has been launched to support a comprehensive programme of restoration and preservation work on Grosvenor House. The work is part of efforts to ensure the aircraft is ready in time for the 100th anniversary of the race. To find out more and donate, click below.
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