PORTSMOUTH -Johannesburg Air Race Sept 1936
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GASU(till 1960),EGHP :Lat/Long 50 50N/01 03W .Grid ref .SU 670035.12 feet ASL.
RUNWAYS Grass:18/36 1061x106 m.07/25 1041x122 m. 12/30 954x79 m.

Entries for the Schlesinger African London-Johannesburg race, with prizes totalling £10,000 presented by Mr. I. W. Schlesinger, were divided into two sections, a speed race and a handicap race.
The two sections were to be flown concurrently, but no competitor could win both first prizes.

The Royal Aero Club announced that the London-Johannesburg Race would start from Portsmouth.The first machine would be sent away from Portsmouth aerodrome at 6.15 a.m. on Tuesday, September 29, the rest to follow at one-minute intervals, the times being adjusted at the Cairo control.

A total of 14 entries were received - see the table below, although eventually there were only 9 starters , these being Nos.1,2,3,4,6,7,8,10,13.


Racing  Reg      Entrant                     Pilot                         Aircraft
Number. Marks    
1.      ZS-AHM   Len Oates                   Capt. A. M. Miller            Percival Mew Gull

2.      ZS-AHO   Capt. S. S. Halse           Capt. S. S. Halse             Percival Mew Gull

3.      G-AELT   Victor Smith                Victor Smith                  Miles Sparrow Hawk 
  
4.      G-AEIN   Henry S. Home               Fit. Lt. T. Rose              B.A.4 Double Eagle
 
5.      G-AEKD   Lt. Misri Chand             Lt.Misri Chand                Percival Vega Gull
                                             Lt. P.Randolph. 

6.      G-AEKE   Sir Connop Guthrie          C W. A. Scott  &              Percival Vega Gull
                                             Giles Guthrie

7.      G-AEAB   D. W. Llewellyn             D. W. Llewellyn,              Percival Vega Gull
                                             C. F.Hughesdon. 
         
8.      G-ADOD   F/O A. E. Clouston and      A. E. Clouston                Miles Hawk VI 
                 F. E. Tasker.

9.      G-AEMX   De Havilland Aircraft Co.   H Buckingham                  D.H.92 Dolphin 
  
10.     G-ADID   C. G. M. Alington           C. G. M. Alington,            B.A. Eagle
                                             Lt. P H.Booth,RN 

11.     G-AEDE   Bateman Scott               Flt.Lt.H.R.A.Edwards,         Miles Peregrine
                                             Sqdn. Ldr. B. S. Thynne.

12.     UP-KEE(sic)John E. Carberry .        John E. Carberry .            Percival Vega Gull               
                 Aircraft was  in fact VP-KCC  used by  Mrs Beryl Markham for her
                 successful East/West transatlantic  flight on 4 Sept 1936

13.     G-AENA   Max H. Findlay              Max H. Findlay                Airspeed Envoy
                 and Kenneth Waller          and Kenneth Waller    
          
14.     G-AEKL   Air Publicity Ltd           T. Campbell Black             Percival Mew Gull

First away 6.30am was the Envoy(13) followed by the Mew Gull of Halse(2) followed by the other seven entrants at 1 minute intervals without incident excepting a delay of approximately 75 seconds for Victor Smith's Sparrow Hawk ,caused by a reluctant engine start. .

The route soon started to weed out the competitors and retirements were inevitable but it is unlikely that the actual number of retirements could have been anticipated.

The eventual winner and sole finisher was the Vega Gull G-AEKE flown by Scott and Guthrie. They arrived at Germiston aerodrome at 11.34 am(31st September.in a total time of 2 Days 4 hours 57 minutes..

A full blow-by blow account of the race may be found in the Flight International Archives here. and here.

The table below summarises the results. 



Racing  Reg      Pilots             Aircraft
Number. Marks    
1.     ZS-AHM   Capt A M Miller     Percival Mew Gull   Forced landing 30 miles NE Belgrade 
                                                        due Fuel feed problems

2.     ZS-AHO   Capt. S. S. Halse   Percival Mew Gull   crashed landing at Bomboshawa,N Rhodesia

3.     G-AELT   Victor Smith        Miles Sparrow Hawk. Retired at Khartoum due Oil tank problems

  
4.     G-AEIN   Flt. Lt. T. Rose    B.A.4 Double Eagle  Retired at Cairo  u/c collapsed while taxying

5.     G-AEKD   Non-starter.

6.     G-AEKE   Giles Guthrie       Percival Vega Gull  Race Winner/sole finisher in 2 Days 4 hours 57 minutes
                 C W. A. Scott .             

7.     G-AEAB   D. W. Llewellyn,    Percival Vega Gull  Forced landing  due weather  nr Lake Tanganyika
                 C. F.Hughesdon.
          
8.     G-ADOD   A. E. Clouston      Miles Hawk VI       Forced landing 150 miles S of Salisbury(Rhodesia) 
        
9.     G-AEMX   Non-starter

10.    G-ADID   C. G. M. Alington,  B.A. Eagle          Forced landing near Regensburg, Bavaria                    
                 Lt. P H.Booth,RN                       damaged undercarriage 

11.    G-AEDE   Non-starter

12.    UP-KEE   Non-starter         See "Entries" table above.

13.    G-AENA   Max H. Findlay      Airspeed Envoy      Crashed on t/off Abrercorn, N Rhodesia 
                and Kenneth Waller                      Findlay and Morgan (Radio op)  killed.

14.    G-AEKL   Non-starter