Series 01: Recording of Memorial Service to Sir Hudson Fysh held at St Andrews Cathedral, Sydney

MLOH 28

series

11 April 1974

411616

Digitised

1 audiotape reel (47 min.) - 18 cm, 13 mm tape

Wilmot Hudson Fysh (1895-1974), airline director, was born at Launceston, Tasmania, son of Frederick Wilmot Fysh and his wife Mary, nee Reed. He was educated at Launceston Grammar School and Geelong Church of England Grammar School, Victoria. He enlisted in the 1st Australian Light Horse Brigade on the outbreak of World War 1 and served in Egypt and Palestine before transferring to the Australian Flying Corps. He won the Distinguished Flying Cross.
In November 1920 Fysh, along with an ex-service airman Pat McGinness, and three western Queensland graziers, Fergus McMaster, Ainslie Templeton and Alan Campbell, formed the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd (QANTAS). The QANTAS head office moved from Winton to Longreach, Queensland, in 1921. In 1923 Fysh became managing director of QANTAS and remained a regular pilot until 1930, when the company moved its head office to Brisbane. In 1934, QANTAS in partnership with Imperial Airways, founded Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, with Fysh as managing director. On the opening of the England to Australia flying boat service in 1938 the head office moved to Sydney.
Fysh was appointed K.B.E. in 1953 and retired as managing director of Qantas Empire Airlines in 1955. He remained chairman of the board of QEA until 1966. In his retirement Fysh published a number of books including an autobiographical trilogy, Qantas rising (1965), Qantas at war (1968) and Wings to the world (1970). Fysh died at Sydney on 6 April 1974.

MLOH 28/1 Side A (47 min.): No summary available

In copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder

The description of this material has been supplied from the Oral History Digitisation Program, undertaken 2014 to 2017, of the Library's oral history collections.

The recording accompanies papers of Sir Hudson Fysh located at MLMSS 2413 ADD-ON 1654.
MLOH 28/1 Side A: Recorded at St Andrews Cathedral in Sydney on 11 April 1974
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MLOH 28/1 Side A:
Tape not auditioned; estimated duration from ACMS record. Reel box says '7 1/2 ips, 45-mins'.

Other creator: MLOH 28/1 Side A: Fysh, John: speaker