Early aviation in PNG – with photos from Derek Crisp

by Roy · 04/09/2020

Pre-war New Guinea Pilot – Derek (Jos) Elwyn Crisp

Jos flew for WR Carpenter’s & Co. Salamaua from the early 1930’s and died February 1942 when flying evacuees out of Papua New Guinea as a result of the invasion of New Guinea by the Japanese during World War ll. At that time he had been commissioned as a pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force. David Montgomery received Jos’ photo album, log books, press cuttings and a copy of the” New Guinea Diary” from his Mother who was Jos’ sister.

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David originally compiled this series as a Powerpoint presentation and has kindly agreed to allow PNGAA to publish the series as separate slides on its web site. The captions to the photos are, in the main, those recorded by Jos Crisp. Some of the slides contain explanatory notations or minor editorial corrections – these are encased in square brackets or shown in italics.

This and the following five slides introduce Derek (Jos) Elwyn Crisp and give a background to early aviation in Papua new Guinea.

This introduces Derek (Jos) Elwyn Crisp and gives a background to early aviation in Papua new Guinea.

This gives a background to early aviation in Papua new Guinea.

Note that 'any other notations are encased in square brackets, not italics.

FIRST DAY COVER POSTMARKED LAE 30 JL 34 FIRST OFFICIAL AIRMAIL

JOS AT FLYING SCHOOL HARGRAVE SOUTH AUSTRALIA 1931 [AIRCRAFT - HEMING]

JOS’S Log books Only two books were with his N.G. effects from 17-1-39 to 15-8-41

Jos’s Log Book

Airplanes and Airstrips

June 1935 Taken from inside W.R.Carpenters Airline hangar Salamaua. The hills in the background are about 750ft high but don’t look it

June 1935 Fokker F9 taking off from Salamaua This bus is piloted by Geoff Hemsworth one of my old pals who was at the Aero club when I was there. He was with Ray Parer in the England-Aust. air-race and came last by 3 months. Highest peak in the background is 10,000 ft . Mt Wellington [Hobart] is 4000ft odd.

June 1935 A daily scene outside WRC’s hangar at Loqui Salamaua

Oct 1935 Dick Mant taking off from Salamauau

[Undated - DH 86 at Rabaul, Jos in foreground ]

May 1936 Taking off from Salamaua after a nights rain

May 1936 A view for the top of Wau ‘drome A JUNKERS G31

May 1936 WRC’s fleet unloading at Wau

May 1936 WRC’s fleet outside the hangar ready for work

June 1936 Stinson landing at “Slate Creek”

Jan 1936 P.A.T’s [Papua Air Transport] 50 taking off in front of mess

Oct1937 E.D.C [Jos] Leaving Wewak ‘drome for the interior

[Talasea Airstrip West New Britain A graveyard of wartime bombers. Photo 1962. Jos’s logbook records a landing here flying a DH-80 registration VH-URW on 7 May 1939 en route from Finschhafen to Rabaul]

People and Planes

Sept 1935 Salamaua Yours truly beside one of W.R.C.’s Dragons. This machine was flown up from Sydney last Feb. Note the water on the ‘drome. 30/9/35 Pilot Colin R Ferguson was killed when this Dragon ‘plane crashed at Black Cat between Salamaua and Wau

Natives loading 400lbs. casks of cement into the Dragon. We have 100 casks to freight to Wau at about 3d lb. Figure that out

Lae Sept 1935 A 3 engined Junkers. My Fox is under the wing to the right. Under the other wing in the background can be seen a 3 engined Ford being assembled. On the extreme left is the port engine of another 3 engined Junkers

July 1936 A group of Ramu natives

Jan 1936 At Ramu

N.G. March 1936 Bill Gray & Co at Nadzab after forced landing in Avian

Salamaua June 1936 Sticky beaks criticising one of Guinea Airways new Stinson’s

G-ACRK or VH-UBB This is the Fox Moth that flew the North Atlantic as a sea-plane piloted by Capt. Guerson. It is doing pioneering work in New Guinea. Nobby Clark in the foreground. Salamaua Jan 1936

Oct 1936 First class Saloon passengers travelling from Lae to Wau

At Wau Nov 1937 Left to Right Todd, Fader, Crisp, Pyke, Callaghan & Bates

Aug 1940 Cap. Jackson Brisbane

Just Places

July 1934 Salamaua

April 1936 Port of Salamaua water front

April 1936 Salamaua hospital etc. from the water

[Salamaua prior to the Japanese occupation March 1942 This and the next photo extracted from the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces report “Salamaua Siege” ]

[All that remained of Salamaua when it was occupied by 5th Australian Division on 11 September 1942]

June 1935 The “boys” houses at the rear of our hangar. The house in the fore ground was built by my very personal ‘haus-boi’. Not a bad effort, note the entrance steps. Hills in the background 2000 ft high – very deceiving

July 1936 Ramu police post Reference to this place is made in my letters

April 1936 House Paper, Ramu Station. Note Aust flag on the left

April1936 Lake Wannon with Markham River in background

31/8/37 Salamaua aerodrome

Just Planes

VH-URH of Rabaul Airways Rabaul July 1934

Lae Sept 1935 My Fox Moth taken along side a Guinea Airways Junker

Jack Chapman flying Q.P. to Ramu. Note the nature of the country down below. March 1936

J.Chapman in Q.P. flying up the Markham river

Mt.Suprise Ck. N.G Jan 1936 Note the platform carved out of the bank where plane is standing

July 1937 Atureble [Atemble] on the Ramu River

Some of the fleet taken in Wau. Jos flys TX

[No location – possibly Wau. UXD flights are recorded in Jos’s logbooks]

People and Places

Dec. 1934 Some of the star artists complete with modern stream-lined faces

Dec 1934 Two natives in fancy dress, they are prominent members of the annual sing-sing

Dec 1934 Ancient and Modern. Note the height of the head-dress

Jan 1936 Bunny Goeman and another refreshing themselves on Hotel Salamaua verandah. (Not a bad piece of photography eh.)

Jan 1936 Bunny Goeman along side my dinghy “Limlimbu” on Salamaua beach

Jan 1936 “Jeni” my personal servant – often called “Smithy” on account of his likeness to a well known aviator

Salamaua Jan 1936. “Ngamu” Cook – boy to the Mess. What he can’t cook he ruins and he can cook nothing.

Salamaua Jan 1936 Vi Svelson

Setting out for a Sundays’ picnic. J.Pyke. Vi. J.Chapman and “Smithy”

Salamaua March 1936 Vi being ferried over a creek in New Guinea fashion. Jock Chapman on bank.

March 1936 Mrs Taylor and Richard taken in their Salamaua home. Wife of Joe Taylor

April 1936 Joe and Richard Taylor in Salamaua baths

Salamaua March 1936 “Maliarki” dressed up for a Sing-sing. His short trousers look suspiciously like a pair of mine

Salamaua March 1936 A Sunday picnic to Bobdoobie – crossing a native bridge

.G. March 1936 Natives making a raft on which we travelled down the ‘Frisco River (Never again thank you)

Salamaua May 1936 Waiting for the weather to clear. Chapman, Barbara Lindeman, Helen Mant, Joe Taylor and Dick Mant

May 1936 Having a few quickies at the Salamaua Hotel

July 1936 A “luluai” and some of his boy friends at Ramu.

July 1936 A Ramu native in full battle dress.

October 1936 Mrs Bosso and friend at Salamaua

Oct 1936 Hemsworth, Allen and Mant taken at Viv’s house Samarai. [Jos’s brother, Viv Crisp, commenced his career, at Samarai, with Steamships Trading Company andd served with “Steamies” in Port Moresby for a number of years as Managing Director]

Francisco river Salamaua Oct 1936 Mike Mathie cleaning up some empties

Nov 1936 Allen, Mant and Hemsworth on “Macdhui”

December 1938 This native runs the boat- the Roamer- Very fine type, good looking, clever, good mechanic.

9.12.38 Badminton – Ian, John, Glen, “Petals”, Peter and Harold standing, Bob and Maureen Watson and Magaret.

Crashes and Crises

Salamaua Aug 1935 [This and the next photo were of a series taken on the airstrip at WRCarpenter‘s Airways. The aircraft is thought to be a DH 50.]

Salamaua Aug 1935 locals to the rescue. They lifted the whole ‘plane up bodily and carried it into the hanger. Note the propeller was not broken.

May 1935 Fairchild amphibian belonging to the Archibald expedition blew over at moorings at Port Moresby.

Salamaua Jan 1936 Some of the apprentices sewing up a wing

Slate Creek May 1936 A Guinea Airways Junker that swayed off the aerodrome when landing

Mariabrian N.G. Oct 1936

Oct 1936 Marabrian N.G

Oct 1936 A DH 50 undergoing repairs at Salamaua

Wau Feb 1940 Ron Doyle’s Crash

[Precision parking-out on a limb and 40 feet up – JOS’s VH UQQ ]

Jan 1935 Half way across the Bulolo. Note the fast running waters. The weight of the engine - VH-UQQ – is actually helping the natives to keep their feet.

[The Loss of VH- VQQ [Pt 1] This and the following 8 'slides' recount the story of the loss of VH-UQQ - a transcript of this account is contained in the PNGAA Library, Transport Section, titled "The Loss of VH-UQQ, New Guinea, 16 December 1934", Derek (Jos) Elwyn Crisp - Ed. David Montgomery]

The Loss of VH- VQQ [Pt 2]

The Loss of VH- VQQ [Pt 3]

The Loss of VH- VQQ [Pt 4]

[Flight from Cairns to Salamau Pt 4]

The Loss of VH- VQQ [Pt 5]

The Loss of VH- VQQ [Pt 6]

The Loss of VH- VQQ [Pt 7]

The Loss of VH- VQQ [Pt 8]

The Loss of VH- VQQ [Pt 9]

The Loss of VH- VQQ [Press Cutting from the Daily Telegraph]

Feb 1938 - 12 days delay on route from Cairns to Salamaua S.S. Scalaria in background [torpedoed 19th October 1942 at Ras Gharib, Egypt) [See report - following 6 slides - on the flight from Cairns to Salamaua. An unedited transcript of this report is also contained in the PNGAA Library under the reference From Cairns to Salamaua

[Flight from Cairns to Salamau Pt 1 - a transcript of this account is contained in the PNGAA Library, Transport Section, titled "Copy of E D Crisps Report on Flight from Cairns to Salamaua 16th February to 2nd March 1938 - Ed. David Montgomery]