FLIGHTPATH | 49After Captain Butler’s death, the Bristol
was stored in a shed for a number of
years. Mrs Butler then sold it to Captain H
C ‘Horrie’ Miller (of MacRobertson-Miller
Airlines) who refurbished it and replaced
the rotary engine with an Gipsy I inline
four-cylinder engine, and also re-profiling
the fuselage with flat sides following the
narrower nose. Painted silver, named
‘Puck’ and registered VH-UQI, it was
raced successfully, and even operated in
an aerial circus, and being given a Gipsy II
and later still a Gipsy III engine.
However the Gipsy refused to behave
in the 1932 Victorian Aerial Derby, and
‘Puck’ withdrew. In 1936 the Aerial Board
refused to renew the Certificate of
Airworthiness, and the aircraft lan-
guished until being flown (on a ferry
permit) from Adelaide to Perth, and after
W.W.II apparently Horrie Miller flew it a
couple more times from Guildford
Airport before dismantling and storing it.
In 1956, Minlaton native Mr C B
Tillbrook, discovered it while looking fora crop-spraying aircraft and, after
speaking with Miller, they recognised
the now-rare and historic machine’s
importance. Miller kindly offered to
donate the Bristol to Butler’s home
town. One last flight was made as
dismantled air cargo, it was overhauled
and reassembled in Parafield, then
transported to Minlaton and into the
newly-erected Captain Harry Butler AFC
Memorial Museum on 11 October 1958,
with the anachronistic VH-UQI registra-
tion and ‘Puck’ name, but painted red.
In 1973 the original engine was
reinstalled in the Bristol, though the
fuselage retained the narrow form. Later
still, the Balaklava (SA) Gliding Club
repaired the damaged fabric and restored
the engine cowl in 1989 to bringing the
aircraft back to how it was configured
when operated by Butler and Kauper.
With a fascinating and unique history, this
Bristol is also notable as the last remain-
ing original Bristol M1C remaining out of
the 130 built. James KightlyFrom a Devil to Puck
with a Gipsy – & back
The Bristol as VH-UQI ‘Puck’ with the Gipsy engine and narrow fuselage.
[CAHS, Allan Betteridge Collection]Harry and his wife, Elsa Birch, nee Gibson.
[State Library of South Australia]spectators at Unley Oval on 23 August 1919,
and a couple of days later he launched the
first Australian Peace Loan by dropping
leaflets over Adelaide. He was often seen to
perform low passes over crowds in Adelaide
and over jetties along the coastal regions,
even on one occasion ‘escorting’ Prime
Minister Billy Hughes’ train. On 8 Septem-
ber 1920 he flew in the first of the post-war
air races, the Peace Loan Aerial Derby, and
won the race.
On 11 January 1922 Harry had a passen-
ger flight to do in the Avro 504K. He had
been concerned about the running condi-
tion of the Avro’s engine. Despite his wor-
ries, Harry, and the passenger, one Mr.
Miles, strapped in and, after an extensive
warm up, the engine seemed fine. However,
just after the aircraft took off and began to
climb out at 1,400 feet, the engine seized
and Harry dived - hoping to recover - but
was too low and the aircraft crashed into a
wheat field and was wrecked. Miraculously,
the passenger walked away unscathed, but
Butler sustained significant head injuries.
Harry took some time to recuperate from
this incident, and contemporary reports
say that he never completely recovered.
However, in October 1922 he founded an-
other business venture, The Harry Butler
Aviation and Motor Engineering Garage
in partnership with Mr. Nicolson, backed
by the Egerton-Warburton family. Butler’s
life was progressing, albeit in an alternate
direction. However, residual effects from
the Avro crash were to be Butler’s demise.
After a pleasant evening at the Minlaton
Returned Soldiers League, on the follow-
ing day, 30 July 1924, Butler suffered a
burst cerebral abscess and he passed
away in a matter of hours, aged only 34.
Following a well-attended and moving fu-
neral ceremony, he was laid to rest in
North Adelaide’s North Road Cemetery.
After his death, a de Havilland DH.53
Humming Bird lightplane was deliveredfrom the UK that he had ordered, and this
was offered for sale by his executors in
September 1924.
Today, the original Monoplane is housed
in a hangar-like building that greets you as
you enter the township of Minlaton from the
north. Soon there will also be a bronze stat-
ue of Butler erected adjacent to the memo-
rial. There is no doubt that Butler signifi-
cantly contributed to South Australian, and
indeed Australian, aviation. To celebrate
the centenary of Butler’s first airmail run
crossing Gulf Saint Vincent as well as But-
ler’s noteworthy life, there are planned cel-
ebrations underway for the year 2019, locals
currently hoping to hold a significant air-
show at Minlanton’s nearby airstrip.
With thanks to Joe Butler for his assistance
and the State Library of South Australia.