MS 4911
Papers of George Urquhart 'Scotty' Allan (1900- )
Scope and Content Note
- Papers
- 1905-1993
- 56 cm. (4 boxes)
- Available for reference
Correspondence, personal documents, notebook, diary, newspaper
cuttings, invitations and other papers relating to Allan's career
including his work as a pilot for the Royal Air Force and Australian
National Airways and as an employee of Qantas.
Also includes papers relating to Catalina flying boats and their
use by the RAAF
in World War II and writings by various authors on aviation in
Australia.
George Urquhart Allan was born on 2 February 1900 in Bellshill,
Scotland. In 1917 he joined the Royal Flying Corps and served
on the Western Front. Allan continued his service with the RAF
after the war and served in the Middle East. In 1929 he was recruited
by Charles Ulm as a pilot with Australian National Airways where
he flew on the first airmail flights from Sydney to Brisbane with
Charles Kingsford-Smith and from Sydney to Melbourne with Pat
Hall. After ANA was disbanded in 1931, Allan continued to fly,
and in 1933 flew with Ulm and P.G. Taylor on the record-breaking
flight from England to Australia in Faith in Australia.
In 1934 Allan joined Qantas to fly DH86 aircraft on the Brisbane
to Singapore route. In 1938 he went to England to study flying-boat
techniques and returned to Sydney in the flying boat Coolangatta.
In 1941 Allan was a member of the Qantas crew which brought flying
boats from San Diego to Sydney for the RAAF. During 1941 Allan
was seconded to the RAAF as Wing-Commander and was C.O. of various
stations including Rathmines on Lake Macquarie, where he trained
Catalina crews, and No. 1 Flying Boat Repair Depot at Lake Boga.
After the war, Allan rejoined Qantas as London Manager, then as
Controller of Technical Developments, where he was chief adviser
on aircraft types. Allan retired from Qantas in 1961 as Deputy
Chief Executive and Deputy General Manager. After his retirement
he held positions on many boards including Fiji Airways, Air Pacific,
Polynesian Airlines and Malayan Airways.
Allan married Ailsa Lee Brown in 1935 and Barbara Millbourne in
1944. He was made a Commander of the British Empire for his services
to aviation in 1957.
Folder
1 Correspondence, 1922-83. Relates to employment with RAF, Australian
National Airways and Qantas and his association with Air Pacific,
Malayan Airways, Fiji Airways and Polynesian Airlines. Correspondents
include Charles Ulm, Dick Smith and Sir Hudson Fysh. Also includes an
agreement between Ulm and Allan relating to the 1933 world flight.
2 Correspondence and papers, 1927-91. Correspondents include Athol
Townley, Harold Holt, Harry Kirkhouse and E.A. Crome. Includes a
typescript on Jim Mollison by Ern Aldis; cuttings; typescript by Perc
Haslam; typescript of speech by Allan; manuscript biographical
narrative and photocopies of photographs.
3 Correspondence, 1931-86. Includes a letter by Ron Yates and
postcards by E.A. Crome.
4 Letters, 1964 and correspondence, 1961-74. Correspondents include
John McEwen and Sir William Hudson. Also includes an itinerary, 1964;
speech by Sir Hudson Fysh, 1963; and copies of correspondence between
Qantas and the Minister for Transport, C.K. Jones, 1974.
5 Correspondence, 1961-87. Mainly contains letters, telegrams and a
card received by Allan on his retirement from Qantas, 1961. Also
includes press release, 1987 and notes.
6 Correspondence, 1979-87. Correspondents include Cameron Hazelhurst,
E.A. Crome, Dick Smith and Shelia Lacey (J.A. Lyons' daughter). Also
includes a typescript on Catalinas.
7-9 Personal documents, 1905-1967. Includes school certificates,
1905-15; RAF certificates of service and discharge, 1918-29 and
Training Transfer Card; marriage certificate, 1935; memorandum on Allan's
retirement, 1961; passports and other papers. (See also folio items).
10 Notebook, 1938.
11 Diary, 1973. Includes correspondence by Bert Button, 1974; J. Prothero
Thomas, 1973; Adrian Verran, 1973; and Shelia Cohen, 1973.
12 Transcripts of three interviews of Allan by Eric Watson, Peter
Macgregor, Gordon Wansbrough-White and a fourth recorded in 1971.
13 Qantas papers 1935, 1970-85. Includes a news release; a typescript
entitled "The Qantas story"; a letter, 1935; a dossier of Qantas
historical documents (1970 facsimiles); and printed material.
14 Papers relating to flying boats, c.1938-92. Includes photocopies
of newspaper cuttings; a photograph; material on Catalina aircrews;
"Our famed Catalina squadrons" by J.C. Waters; "Anzac Address" by
Padre Rundle at Lake Boga, 1944 and printed material.
15 Papers on aerophilately, 1981-89. Newsletters, media releases and
other printed material.
16 Aviation Historical Society of Australia papers, 1978-83. Includes
a summary of address given to NSW Branch, 1978; printed material and
certificate, 1980.
17-19 Writings on aviation in Australia, 1964-85. David A. Hall
"Wagon trains in the sky : the beginnings of civil aviation in
Australia" (script of television documentary), 1985; Meredith Hooper
The Kangaroo route, 1985; "Charles Thomas Phillipe Ulm : his work for
Australian aviation" (possibly written by Allan's former secretary);
Charles Morris Catt The history of aviation in the Hastings Valley
from 1910 to 1990; Charles Morris Catt "She is bonney"; E.A. Crome
"Chronology of aviation in Australia" (Address to Newtown Rotary Club,
2 Jan. 1964); and "Memo notes made during the flight in The Southern
Cloud from Sydney to Melbourne, July 1930".
20 Invitations, 1972 and 1982.
21 Research materials on pioneer aviators including Kingsford-Smith, Ulm
and Allan. Includes correspondence by Ian Mackersey, 1992; extracts
from My flying life by Kingsford-Smith; typescripts by Ernest Aldis;
extracts from Charles Ulm's unpublished memoirs, 1934; extracts from
unpublished biography of Rex Boyden and photocopies from The sky
beyond and The old bus.
22 Miscellaneous papers, 1925-88. Includes Dept. of Defence air route
sheet, Cootamundra - Melbourne 1925; a list of aircraft, presumably
flown by Allan, 1917-61; a list of competitors in the MacRobertson
International Air Races and a copy of the program and menu for the
dinner held for Kingsford-Smith and Ulm, at the Hotel Australia, 1929.
23-28 Newspaper cuttings, 1920-93. Subjects include Charles Ulm; Allan's
early flying career including the 1933 England-Australia flight with
Ulm and Taylor; Lake Boga Flying Boat Repair Depot; Allan's career
with, and retirement from, Qantas; Fiji Airways; and aviation in
Australia. (See also folio items).
29 Publications, 1952-93
Folio items
1 Certificate making Allan Associate Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical
Society, 1946.
2 Newspaper cutting relating to Catalinas at Lake Boga, 1944
Box Folders
1 1-8
2 9-15
3 16-22
4 23-29
Folio box Folios
1 1-2
Guide compiled December 1994. Last revised July 1996
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