JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018 127
Sid Marshall’s Nakajima
Ki-43-1 Hayabusa (Allied code
name Oscar) on display in the
Roselands shopping centre
carpark on January 7 1967. The
Oscar was on show with several
other aircraft including Sid’s
Spitfire. It is now on display with
the Flying Heritage & Combat
Armor Museum, Seattle,
Washington.ERIC ALLENI
f you visited Bankstown Airport
in the era of the post-World
War 2 general aviation boom
it was an exciting time. While
imports of British-built light aircraft
were declining, a growing stream of
aircraft from the USA was starting
to arrive. Relaxation of restrictions
which had previously applied to US
dollar imports, and the emergence of
new modern, popularly priced types,
particularly from Cessna and Piper,
saw deliveries accelerating. One
shipment of Cessna single-engine
types alone consisted of 37 aircraft
with their shipping crates stacked
around local agent Rex Aviation
awaiting assembly.
In the midst of this activity, one
focal point for aviation enthusiasts at
Bankstown was Hangar 273, home to
Marshall Airways, operated by Sidney
David Marshall (1902-1975). After
training as an aircraft maintenance
engineer with Interstate Flying
Services operated jointly by Anderson,
Kingsford Smith and Ulm in 1927, Sid
later gained further experience in New
Guinea as an engineer and pilot. After
his wartime experience maintaining
aircraft throughout the Pacific he
took up the lease of Hangar 273 on
December 16 1946 where he operated,
maintained, sold and stored a variety
of aircraft.
It was the amazing variety of
aircraft in and around the hangar
which achieved fame worldwide. They
included aircraft such as Avro 643
Mk.II Cadet VH-AGH, Avro 652A
Ansons Is VH-ASM and -AGX plus
W2599 still in its original service
colours, DH.80 Puss Moth VH-UQB,
DH.84 Dragon VH-AQU, Douglas
DC-2 VH-CDZ, Lockheed 10-B
Electra VH-ASM, Short Scion IVH-UUP, and the military combat trio
of Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 163824,
Nakajima Ki-43 Army Type 1b
Fighter Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon),
Allied Code Name System ‘Oscar’,
and Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIIIc
MV154.
To add to this array, parked in a
compound on the airport boundary
were other DC-2 major items with
one fuselage showing the Great Silver
Fleet title still visible, confirming its
original Eastern Air Lines heritage.
Marshall had obtained three ex
RAAF DC-2s, A30-11, -12 and -14
through the Commonwealth Disposals
Commission in 1946/47 for a price
as low as £52. The origins of these
aircraft was their acquisition by the
British Purchasing Commission of 10
former Eastern Air Lines DC-2s on
behalf of the RAAF and these were
allocated serials A30-5 to -14 and
served with a variety of RAAF units
during World War 2.
The Marshall collection attracted
so much attention that periodically in
the 1960s aircraft were sourced and
displayed around Sydney. The Spitfire
appeared in the lobby of the Philips
Industries building in the city while at
the Roselands shopping centre during
January 1967, the Spitfire and Oscar
joined other aircraft on show in the
carpark.
Marshall was happy for enthusiasts
to photograph his aircraft. This writer
remembers joining other enthusiasts
in washing his Spitfire to have it
spruced up for photography.
A willing conversationalist about all
aviation matters, Sid had an extensive
and detailed knowledge of events
in our region going back decades.
In an address to the NSW Branch
of the Aviation Historical Societyof Australia in Sydney he showed
his rare movie film footage he took
of the departure of Amelia Earhart
and navigator Fred Noonan in their
Lockheed 10-E Electra NR16020 from
Lae on July 2 1937. It was to be their
ill-fated final flight which saw them
vanish in the central Pacific Ocean,
believed to be near Howland Island.
This historic artefact, now preserved
at the National Library of Australia,
was the last photographic account of
Earhart and Noonan, filmed when
Marshall was a pilot for Guinea
Airways.
However, it was Sundays which
provided the greatest activity
around Hangar 273 when joy flights
were available. In the 1950s it was
possible to even get a nostalgic flight
on DC-2 VH-CDZ before it was
withdrawn from use after suffering an
undercarriage collapse while landing
at Bankstown on November 10 1957.
Undaunted by the unavailability
of the DC-2, Marshall had several
other aircraft on hand to continue
the joy flights. The nostalgic line-up
comprised the Cadet, Puss Moth,
Dragon and Electra. Marshall
sometimes flew the aircraft but
the Puss Moth, Cadet and Dragon
were mostly flown by Ron Gower,
with another pilot enlisted to fly the
Electra.
For a reasonable fare of a few
pounds you could get a local flight or
a longer version including a sight-
seeing tour around Sydney. This writer
had numerous flights in the Dragon
and Electra and they were delightful
experiences. One flight in December
1965 took in the sights of the Sydney
CBD with a panoramic vista available
through the Dragon’s large window
area.
Where are all Sid’s aircraft today?
Some remained in Australia while
others were exported. The most visible
aircraft in Australia and seen by so
many visitors is the Bf 109 now at the
Australian War Memorial in Canberra,
part of the impressive and stirring
night mission display.
For all those who enjoyed the fun of
flying in some vintage aircraft and saw
Sid’s collection it was an enjoyable and
memorable experience. Hangar 273
still stands as a nostalgic reminder to
all its former classic aircraft.‘For a
reasonable
fare of a few
pounds you
could get a
local flight.’
Sundays at Sid’s
The amazing treasure trove that was the Sid Marshall collection
YESTERYEAR
ERIC ALLEN