A brief biography of Amy Johnson written by Midge Gillies for the Amy Johnson Arts Trust
Collector plate produced to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Amy Johnson's solo flight
c. 1980Circular, sepia transfer printed porcelain collectors' plate issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the solo flight from England to Australia undertaken by pioneer aviatrix, Amy Johnson in May 1930.
The plate features a central portrait of Amy Johnson wearing her flying helmet and goggles, above her head a partly obscured image of the de Havilland DH.60 Gipsy Moth 'Jason' in which she made her pioneering solo flight. The text 'To Commemorate the 50th Anniversary' is written above and 'of Amy Johnson's solo flight' is below.
Featured around the broad border of the plate are the places covered on her route from England to Australia with the corresponding dates, together with the years spanning the anniversary, '1930' and '1980'.
Detailed drawings of the six aircraft flown by Amy during her brief 12-year flying career (the de Havilland DH 60 Gipsy Moth G-AAAH called 'Jason'; the de Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth G-ACAB 'Desert Cloud' flown in 1932 from London to Cape Town; the Percival Gull Six G-ADZO flown in 1936 from Britain to South Africa; the de Havilland DH.88 Comet Racer G-ACSP called 'Black Magic'; a WWII Airspeed Oxford MkII; and the de Havilland DH.84 Dragon G-ACCV "Seafarer" flown non-stop from Wales to the USA in 1934) are also included.
Two hand-finished 22 carat gold bands decorate the plate around the outside and centre edges.
The underside of the plate has sepia printed information regarding its production. Above the text to the left is the insignia of the Australian Women Pilots' Association, to the right the insignia of The Heritage Collection, and below the mark of the maker, Westminster Fine China Australia.
The limited edition plate was issued with a certificate of authenticity indicating that this plate is number 378 from a production run of 5 000. It also came with a twenty page information booklet about Amy Johnson.
This plate was issued in 1980 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the solo England to Australia flight by the British aviarix, Amy Johnson (1913-1941), the first woman to do so.
The plate was issued in collaboration with the Australian Women Pilots' Association (A.W.P.A.). This organisation was established in 1950 by Nancy Bird Walton (1915-2009) to encourage and assist women in learning to fly and find careers in aviation. Back in 1930, this had also been Amy's aim, to show that women could be equally competent pilots as men.
This limited edition transfer printed porcelain collectors' plate was designed and made in Melbourne by Westminster Fine China and marketed and distributed as part of 'The Heritage Collection' by Bond International Pty Ltd.
A brief biography of Amy Johnson is attached as a supplementary file.
Details
Details
In centre of upper surface of plate:
"To Commemorate the 50th Anniversary
of Amy Johnson's solo flight"
On outer border of plate from top in clockwise direction:
"Left Croydon, U.K.
5th May, 1930
Vienna, Austria
5th May
Puss Moth
Constantinople, Turkey
6th May
Aleppo, Syria
7th May
1980
Baghdad, Iraq
8th May
Bandar Abbas, Iran
9th May
Karachi, India
10th May
Percival
Gull
Jhansi, India
11th May
Calcutta, India
12th May
Comet Racer
Insein
(Rangoon),
Burma
13-15th May
Oxford
Bangkok, Thailand
16th May
Singora, Thailand
17th May
Singapore
18th May
1930
Tjomal, Java
19th May
Sourabaya, Jave
20-21st May
Dragon
Seafarer
Atamboea, Timor
22-23rd May
Arrived
Darwin, Australia
24th May, 1930
Jason"
On base of plate:
"This Commemorative Plate
is issued in association with the
Australian Womens' Pilot Association to
Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the First
Solo Flight from England to Australia by a
Woman. It is one of a limited edition of
5,000 plates worldwide.
Fine China
Westminster
AUSTRALIA"
Related Objects
Related Objects
Other items from Recollections of War
- Sheet music for the song 'Amy' celebrating Amy Johnson's solo flight
- Sheet music for the song 'The Lone-Girl-Flyer' dedicated to Amy Johnson
- Items relating to the Amy Johnson Festival held in Kingston Upon Hull from 3-24 May 1980
- Pressed brass wall plaque featuring the relief portrait of aviatrix Amy Johnson
- Cyril Leyshon-White 'Greetings from France' Xmas 1916 postcard 1
- Cyril Leyshon-White 'Greetings from France' Xmas 1916 postcard 2
- Cyril Leyshon-White 'Greetings from France' Xmas 1916 postcard 3
- Cyril Leyshon-White 'Greetings from France' Xmas 1916 postcard 4
- 'With the Diggers 1914-1918' - cover art by Cyril Leyshon-White
- Art Training Institute advertising catalogue featuring Cyril Leyshon-White
- Walking stick belonging to Cyril Leyshon-White - 1
- Walking stick belonging to Cyril Leyshon-White - 2
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