The Uivercrew from left to right: Van Brugge (wireless operator), Parmentier (Captain), Moll (First Officer), Prins (Mechanic)

 

The passengers, from left to right: P.M.J. Gilissen, Roelof Jan Domenie, Thea Rasche

Our trip from Brazil to Hamburg, Germany was made aboard the "S.S. Cap Arcona". A train trip brought the family to The Hague.

On October l2th Mother and Dad went to the KLM office in The Hague where for Fl 4,500 Dad was issued two tickets:
Ticket #2257 from London to Melbourne departing London on October 20, 1934; and ticket #2258 for the return trip Melbourne to London - with an open return date.

A week later he checked into the same office and was given a baggage receipt for two suitcases weighing 30 kilos. Dad's weight (in those days every passenger who stepped on a plane was weighed and the total passenger weight was entered into the manifest) was listed as 82 Kilograms (180 pounds). At 1:00 PM October l9th Mother and Dad bade each other farewell at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, as Dad and Mr. Gilissen (one of the two other passengers) boarded another KLM plane, the "Snip". By coincidence a picture of the "Snip" a Fokker Tri-Motor appears on the back cover of KLM's invitation.

Dad was also given Pass #583 issued by the Royal Aero Club authorizing him to be at Mildenhall Airport. 
Prior to boarding he delivered an airmail letter addressed to himself in Sydney to be carried by the "Uiver", which has become a truly valuable memento.

Schiphol, Uiver and Panderjager

Departure from Schiphol

Mildenhall, Uiver and Boeing

7:15 - I can already see the French Coast. According to the flight engineer we are averaging about 330 KPH (Kilometers per hour). We continue our ascent - now 3,600 meters. Far below us we see the land pass us by. 

7:30 - we are far above the clouds below us. Below it appears to be a huge snowfield. Every so often we see land through a break in the clouds. We must really be going fast.

8:00 AM - we are starting to feel at home. The flight engineer is also the cook and steward. He has just offered us some smoked eal (a real Dutch delicacy). We get to know each other better. Fraulein Rasche is busy writing her reports, which she will send home from Rome. And G. (Mr. Gillissen) is also busy for the N.R.C. (No idea of what that is).

"We remain at 3,400 meters. All around us as far as I can see a great white snowfield of clouds. The cook cleans up the kitchen. We have in the meantime already attacked the fresh fruit in the galley and have also put a dent in Rasche's "Haagse Hopjes". The faster we finish all these sweets the better - less dead weight! At 8:00 we are flying over Reims. Weather remains unchanged. The flight engineer has prepared himself a bed and is asleep. No doubt the poor fellow is dead tired from all the last minute preparations the last few days. Sleep well. If we get hungry we will give you a call.

"8:45 - We pass Dijon and are approaching Switzerland. Moll has just informed us that we are climbing to 4,000 metersto get over the Alps. (remember that this plane was not pressurized, and by today's standards you would not be permitted to remain above 10,000 feet without pressurization or oxygen longer than 20 mitnutes!).
We will try to reach Rome in one leg - unless we are forced to land in Milan to refuel. We can see some of the mountain tops ahead of us sticking their dark noses above the white clouds. Speed remains at 330 KPH. Exellent! We are getting nearer and nearer to the mountains. I can not describe the beauty. A row of peaks straight ahead. They stick out far above the clouds below us. Where will we find a pass to go between these peaks! We are now down to 3,500 meters again - and are being served tea and beschuit (a delicious Dutch cracker) with cheese. 3,600 meters. The Douglas finds some rough air. Hola! It appears we are dancing closer to the mountains. To our right appears the Mont Blanc (Europe's highest peak). In the cockpit every one is paying sharp attention. The door is open and Moll and Parmentier are studying the charts intently.
How will we cross the Alps - where? Is it possible that we are now 2,000 meters above the cloud layer below us? Now 4,000 meters and the mountains are still nearer. 

9:10 - I can't describe the beauty. If I could only paint the view I am seeing now. Easy Douglas we will get there. 4,200 meters, my nose is glued to the window.

9:30 - 4,500 meters. One more jump and we are over the mountains. Far below us we can from time to time see valleys with small vilages. Those people just cannot believe that now 4,600 meters (15,000 feet) above them a group of Hollanders are on their way. Far below us a glacier. Straight ahead the mountains disappear.

"We are descending. We are entering Italy. 10:00 AM a beautiful view of the Italian lakes. Everywhere we see small villages surrounded by tilled land. It looks like a puzzle. Yes, we are going to fly non-stop to Rome! Is it possible to believe that in such a few hours I have come this far? Below us the clouds start to form again. Only to our right do I see signs of land from time to time. 

10:10 - it is getting lighter again. How beautiful is this Italian countryside under us. To our right the Apennine mountains. They must have had little rain as the rivers appear to be low.

"10:15 - We receive word that we should be in Rome in one hour and fifteen minutes. Average speed since our departure is 320 KPH - roughly 200 MPH. At 10:30 we are at 3,600 meters thus high above the terrain below us. It is getting warmer in the cabin. Coats have been removed and are in the nets overhead. At 11:10 we are at 2,000 meters. 
"In Rome we fill up and have 20 minutes to eat some spaghetti and wash it down with a bottle of Chianti - we must keep up our courage! I am closing this part in order to get it in the mail here in Rome.

A drawing of the start of the Uiver. Also the Comet Grosvenor House, and the Boeing 247

Over the Alps

Rome, where the Uiver landed first. Their flight started of so good, they decided not to land in Marseille, but fly to Rome without an extra stop.

While Parmentier eats a peach, Moll signs the Logbook

"2:55 PM. We have just received news that our fellow Dutchman -the "Panderjager" - is somewhere in the South of Yugoslavia. Has he had mechanical problems? He should be ahead of us. He took of ahead of us and was gomg to fly non-stop to Athens. Well, we will find out more about that when we get to Athens. No doubt other competitors have landed there ahead of us in the meantime.

Refueling in Aleppo was done by hand

"Just at sunset we got our first glance of the Turkish Coast, and from 6:00 PM we started flying in the dark. Above us a nearly full moon bathed our Douglas now flying at 3,000 meters. Far under us we could see the lights of various small islands as they appeared to slide to the rear. And now it really started to dawn on us what an extraordinary experience we were undertaking.

"In the meantime the Flight Engineer had changed three of the passenger seats into "beds" and soon we were asleep as the Douglas proceeded over Turkish terrain.

"What an experience. Far from home at 3,000 meters three passengers are enjoying a deep rest in a marvel of modern technology. As can be expected my eyes open every so often as we hit airpockets, but soon we settle down again with the drumming of the engines. Come on boy, let the airplane do its thing - you deserve a rest after a day filled with so much emotion.

"I must have slept quite some time, but low voices wake me. It is the Radio Operator who has just received a message that the Mollisons (in a Comet) arrived in Bagdad at 7:45 PM. Thus they arrived there safely in spite of some earlier set back."After a four hour flight we see the lights of Aleppo. In spite of his many trips to the Far East, Parmentier has never been here. So now, especially at night he will have to pay extra attention. Luckily there are enough light signals so that after a few turns we land safely on Syrian Soil.

"Again the same Game. French officials demonstrating their importance. A throng of curious onlookers, gesticulating fellows on the fuel truck - and we then let them drag us to a tent which has been set up for the occasion. Here they shower us with coffee and sandwiches but fellows, we need to get on our way again. We are not participants in this World Race for our pleasure - we have a time table which we must obey. In 30 minutes we again climb aboard the "Uiver" and are soon over the heads of the French and Syrians on our way to Bagdad.

"No rest for the weary. We must push on. For us passengers we are heading into the unknown. Although Frauelein Rasche is a well known pilot she has already gone aft two times looking ratber pale. For a woman such a trip must be extremely tiring.

"But, we can't pay attention to that. We must continue to press towards our final destination: Melbourne. Another sign of the lack of popularity of the Mollisons (why?) was seen in Aleppo. An Englishman approached me and placed his hands on my shoulder asking if we had heard anything about the Mollisons. When I responded that we had heard that they had already landed in Bagdad he answered: " I'm very glad they did not land here. Nobody likes them". (However, again, no reason is given for this feeling)

"We have just received news that the Comet flown by Scott and Campbell landed in Bagdad at 8:55 PM. There must be quite an activity there - the first official control point for the racers. We expect to arrive in Bagdad in half an hour or 11:50 PM. This will be mailed from Bagdad and I will tell you more about the flight later.

Camels in the Syrian desert

Ancient ruins in Iraq

Baghdad

Refuel at Baghdad

In Baghdad, The Uiver landed in the night, third after the two Comets of the Mollissons, and Scott and Campbell Black.

Refueling in Bagdad

Bushir

Gulfcoast

Jask

Karachi

Karachi

Alahabad aerodrome

FIFTH SEGMENT: ALLAHABAD - SINGAPORE

"It is Monday morning 8:15 local time (India). 3,500 meters. We are flying between Rangoon and Alorstar over the Indian Ocean. Beautiful view. Below us the sea is blue dotted with hundreds of island and volcanic outcroppings.

"Last night we were very well received in Allahabad. In the tent which had been set up for the occasion a table was set for a "Quick Dinner" very well served by Indians in colorful headgear. We had planned to take a moment to shave but there was no time or place as we were constantly surrounded by strangers staring and asking millions of questions. We did meet two young Dutch fellows who had made a twenty four hour tram trip to see us land and greet us.

"We heard that the "Panderjager" was expected within the hour whereas the next airplane - that flown by Turner has just passed Karachi. So forward, no time to waste. At 8:45 PM we were again airborne, destination: Calcutta.

"It was 9:45 PM when we heard on the radio that the "Panderjager" was having difficulties locating Allahabad. They kept trying to get radio bearings but were not being successful. What anxious moments. Those fellows high up in the air like us and lost.

"A little later we picked up another radio message from Allahabad which said "Dutch plane crashed" without further details. You can imagine how we felt at that moment and how we felt about our fellow Dutchmen.. What happened to the crew? Were they saved?
When we arrived in Calcutta at 10:45 we beard that the "Panderjager" had damaged its landing gear but that the crew was unharmed. Truly the "Panderjager" was born with a hex on it.

"This airport in Calcutta is very small and difficult to find and difficult to land. The captain tells us to put on our safety belts. Then we made our touchdown - a hard bounce then heavy breaking and we were stopped in front of the restaurant. Very well done Captain! Congratulations!.

"Here at the airport a large Dutch group had gathered which received us loudly and with prolonged shouting. Funny, I met a certain Mr. Calcoen who years ago worked for me at the bank. Pleasure to see him again, but, 25 minutes later we received our instruction to get back aboard. People loaded our arms with gifts including a homemade krentebrood (raisin bread) which we are now enjoying. A lady told me that she had just arrived from Holland in Calcutta 26 days by sea! And here we are - yesterday morning we were stil in England.

"After our departure from Calcutta at 11:15 PM our beds were prepared and while the three passengers slept we flew high across the Bay of Bengal.

"I woke from a deep sleep as we were warned to put on our belts again - why? We are approaching Rangoon and will be landing soon. It was already 4:30 AM! This airport is also very small and it is a truly difficult job to land such a big machine in the middle of the night. Well, everything went well and within a few minutes we are on the ground enjoying a warm cup of coffee. Again, every one went out of their way for us. But, then rush. We have to get going. We stil have a long way to go to our destination. At exactly 5:00 AM we were airborne. Dawn is breaking - gorgeous.

"9:00 AM - we should arrive in Alorstar within the hour. We are now flying over Malasia. Nothing but tropical rainforest with only an occasional hut or group of huts. Fantastic how these rivers appear as snakes winding their way down the hils.

"A few minutes ago we heard that Turner also had problems finding Allahabad but was now safely on the ground after wasting much precious time. By this time he must be more than 12 hours behind us. We wonder how Scott & Campbell are doing. Apparently they have already left Singapore - very tired. No doubt by now they have the best chance of winning the speed race. Keep up the good work boys.

"10:30 AM - we expect to land in ten minutes. Everywhere we look we see rice paddies. This trip is becoming very interesting and educational. We are descending.

"11:10 AM - back in the air. But our hearts were in our throats for a moment. The airfield was extremely wet and when we landed water shot up all around us. But the take off fully loaded on a wet grass runway would be more difficult The captain looked for the driest part and then gunned the engines. Slowly the plane picked up speed but we kept rolling through the puddles - every one of us was tense. But the bumps get less as the wings catch the air and then we are away - turn sharply as our right wing skims a littie house which sits next to a rice paddy at the end of the runway.

"Fifteen minutes later we are again at 4,000 meters. In Alorstar I was able to take some movies. A huge crowd of colorfully dressed people swarmed around us - a fine shot for the camera.

"2:50 PM - we have just departed Singapore. What a great reception we had there. Loud shouting as the door opened and we stepped out of the plane. A large Dutch colony was there to greet us too. Every where we go the people are deeply following this race and to some extent they are more nervous than we are (no doubt maybe we are very calm and don't realize what is happening!). We are all tense as we approach the last legs of the race. As is always the case "It is the last straw that broke the camel's back". Tonight we will have to cross the Timor Sea sea and we have heard that weather there can be spooky.

"Parmentier informs us that we should reach Batavia at 5:30 PM and it is expected that we may encounter some bad weather along the way. Is it possible that we will soon be seeing the coast of the island of Sumatra ? On the third day since our departure from Mildenhall? As I look out of the window I see a small fleet of fishing boats. No doubt they are waiving at us. 'What a view from 4,000 meters. I am finishing this segment and will post it from Batavia.

"If all goes well we should be in Melbourne tomorrow night! Is this possible? Well let's wait and see what the future has in store for us. We better clean up the cabin a bit before we land.

The leading Comet is refueled in Alahabad

After Karachi, they went to Jodhpur and Allahabad, where the Mollisons in the Black Magic had to abandon the race with a wrecked engine. In the back the Panderjager, landing gear damaged.

The other Dutch competitor, the Panderjager, was wrecked in a crash. All three crewmembers survived.

"Thirty minutes later we were up in the air again racing for Koepang on the island of Timor, before the big jump to Australia. This leg will be about four hours. Most of the time we will be flying over water, with land in the distance.
"We arrived on Timor at 2:30 AM and again there was a large welcome from the Dutch colony. Some had been at the airfield since noon awaiting our arrival, always listening over radios for the latest news. You should have seen how happy they were when we gave them today's newspaper from Batavia - normally they catch up with the news nine days later when the boat comes in. The Dutchmen send us on our way over the dangerous Timor sea with destination Darwin. From 3:15 AM to 6:15 AM we flew towards Darwin over the dangerous Timor sea, where sharks abound. We had considerable headwind and high up in the sky we danced through air pockets, sometimes in clouds, sometimes in the moonlight heading for
Australia.

"I was awake a long time. I saw the clouds skip by my window and when the moon broke through it was a beautiful scene. Far below us the sea looked calm from 2,500 meters. I shall never forget this impression. And the idea that high in the sky we were distancing us from Holland at a speed in excess of 280 KPH. At the same time you in Holland are probably just climbing into your beds dreaming of distant adventurers. (Adventurers in your eyes - but just passengers!).

"At 6:00 AM we saw the Australian coast for the first time. We have made it! Twenty minutes later we are on the ground at Port Darwin. Pressing heat. And what a sad and deserted place. In a small tent we were offered tea and bread with "dug" (never heard that expression). Then thirty minutes later fully loaded back into the sky.

"We heard that Scott & Campbell arrived during the night with only one engine - one having failed over the dreaded Timor sea. What an experience for those fellows. Although they made quick repairs the failed engine was stil low on oil pressure but they decided to press on. They were very scared that we might still catch them. No one could give us any information on any of the other contestants.

"9:00 AM for the last two hours we have been flying over the deserted Northern Territory. Flat with only an occasional tree or vegetation. No houses nor signs of life. Our immediate destination is Cloncurry. We continue to dodge clouds and Parmentier opts to hug the coast line to ease navigation.

"11:30 - I am back in my seat after having spent over an hour in the cockpit in the captain's seat while Moll was flying. What a sight. Can you imagine sitting in the nose of a huge speeding bullet at 4,500 meters dashing in and out of huge clouds. As you exit you see land far below you and a blue sky up above - marvelous.

"It was not an easy stretch for the navigator. Just flat land with no recognizable geographic features. Also difficult to measure our drift. No radio contact either. But we arrived in Cloncurry as predicted at 12:30 PM. Naturally no Hollander in this God forsaken place, but the enthusiasm for us was just as great. We did hear that Scott & Campbell had landed safely in Melbourne so that they have won the first place in the speed category.
"After a rousing three cheers for Scott & Campbell some one yelled "And what about the Dutchmen" - and then we were treated with the same cheers. Nice guys.

"In the meantime we have had to reset our watches again so that the time diference with Holland is now eight hours. It is 4:00 PM and we are on the way to our last interrnediate stop: Charlevile. And then Melbourne. I can not believe it. This means that we will arrive in Melbourne just after midnight. But we will do it.
"The captain and co-pilot have switched over to oxygen as we are now at 5,000 meters trying to avoid the ever growing clouds and storms. The first officer explains that if we were to fly lower we would bounce a lot and would have to slow down. In addition it would make the navigation more difficult. We do not see any land.

"But, at 7:00 PM we are over Charleville. It is still light, and as we make our final approach a red flare arcs the air; engines are gunned and we start to circle the field again. We circle the field a couple of times and Parmentier is angry at this delay. Finally some barrels with gasoline are lit and a green flare is shot up. We land in the indicated direction and end up in a muddy pit. We need help to get out. The explanation for the delay in the air is that they were not ready for us altbough they knew already 1 1/2 hours ago when we were expected. Everythiflg here is badly organized - I would grade it below "0".

"We are happy to be on our way again in about 45 minutes, one of the longest delays. It is 8:30 and we are high in the sky. The last leg bas begun and we expect to arrive Melbourne at 12:30 AM. Let us get ready and pack up our things.

1000 islands

The DC2 landed in Batavia, within three days, which was a new record for the KLM, on their famous Amsterdam-Batavia line. Reception was great, by thousands of spectators. The crew had to adress Holland by radio, and they were afraid they would lose time in the race.

Refueling in Batavia

Rambang

Over the Timor sea, or Shark Sea, aproaching Darwin. 

Scott took a pistol with him. In case of a crash in the sea, he could shoot himself, he later said. Scott did have a dark moment when one engine stopped, and he had to reach Darwin on the second engine.

Scott in the Comet reached Darwin first, Uiver second, and Turner and Pangborn in their  Boeing 247D third.

The young Australian Melrose reached Darwin with a shut off engine, due to empty fuel tanks, after being lost above the sea. 'The end', was a note in his log. He was flying a single engine DeHavilland Puss Moth. After all he won the third price in the Handicap Race

Cloncurry

Victorious reception on Schiphol aerodrome, Amsterdam, Holland