MS 7936
Papers of Freda Thompson (1906-1980)



Scope and content note

  • Papers
  • 1918-85
  • 56 cm (4 boxes) + 2 folio boxes
  • Available for reference

These papers were donated to the Library in 1990 by Freda Thompson's sister Mrs Claire Embling.

The papers contain diaries, log books, correspondence, newspaper cuttings, citations, certificates, invitations, air schedules, aircraft manuals, pilot's certificates and licences, passports, aircraft account cards, flight maps, radio scripts and other papers, medals, a slide rule, Thompson's cap and goggles and a photograph of Thompson beside her aircraft.

Biographical note

1906         Born 5th April, elder daughter of Frederick and Martha      
             Thompson, Melbourne.                                        

1911-23      Educated Toorak College, Melbourne.  Gained Leaving         
             Honours, Proficiency Certificates Pianoforte and Ice        
             Skating.  Very early member of Girl Guide movement at       
             school, and later an official for many years.  Proficient   
             at golf, tennis, riding and swimming.  Over the years, a    
             member of the Royal Victorian Aero Club (Honorary Life      
             Member), 99's America Women's Pilots Association, Royal     
             South Yarra Tennis Club, Kingston Heath and Metropolitan    
             golf clubs, Royal Victorian Automobile Association, Quamby  
             and Alexandra clubs.  All her life, travelled extensively   
             in Australia and overseas.                                  

1926         To Europe by ship.  Made first flight with British Airways  
             from Paris to London.                                       

1930         28th May, first flight as pilot.  Obtained A licence.       

1931         Studied night and instrument flying and navigation.         

1932         Won Adelaide Aerial Derby for Victoria.  Over the years     
             won 47 trophies and was three times winner of R.V.A.C.      
             championship in open competition.  Obtained commercial      
             licence.                                                    

1933         Obtained instructor's licence.  First woman in British      
             Empire to do so.                                            

1934         Flew own Moth Major solo from England to Australia.  First  
             Australian woman to do this.  Trip took 39 days, actual     
             flying time 19 days, 20 days spent at Athens waiting for    
             spare part for damaged wing.  Record five and a half hour   
             flight made from Koepang to Darwin over the Timor Sea,      
             still unbroken for a biplane.                               

1937         Awarded George VI Coronation Medal.                         

1940         Appointed Commandant of Victorian branch of Women's Air     
             Training Corps, forerunner of Women's Australian Air        
             Force.                                                      

1942         Joined Australian Women's Army Service as ambulance         
             driver.                                                     

1945         Ferried ex-R.A.A.F wartime planes interstate to Geelong.    
             As her Moth Major had been taken over for wartime           
             training, bought a De Havilland Hornet Moth from fellow     
             pilot, Nancy Lyle, and flew around Australia.               

1947         First woman elected to R.V.A.C. committee.                  

1948         First woman elected as R.V.A.C. President.                  

1952         Flew Hornet to New Guinea.  Did three trips with Sepik      
             Airways as co-pilot, in a Norseman.                         

1953         Awarded Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.                      

1972         Awarded O.B.E.                                              

1973         Presented perpetual trophy, together with individual        
             replicas, for Freda Thompson Aerial Derby, a race around    
             Port Phillip Bay for women, flown annually.  After her      
             death and in her memory, Graham Mortimer of WA presented    
             another trophy in the form of a replica of her Moth Major   
             for a similar race, open to both men and women.  These      
             races were flown for the last time on 20th. February,       
             1988.                                                       

1980         4th May, made last flight as co-pilot in Tiger Moth,        
             having held a pilot's licence for 50 years and flown 3330   
             hours.  Licence endorsed to fly D.H. 60, D.H. 82, D.H.      
             87B, Ryan Stinson, Miles Messenger, Fairchild, Percival     
             Proctor V, Cessna 182, P.A. 22, Miles Whitney Straight,     
             Moth Minor, Beechcraft, P.A. 23.                            

             Died 11th December from cancer, after a short period in     
             hospital.                                                   

Goggles and God help you : pioneer airwoman Freda Thompson  
OBE and some of her contemporaries, by Joan Palmer, was published in 1986.

Series list

1     Diaries, 1926-67                                                   
2     Log books, 1930-80                                                 
3     Correspondence, 1935-72                                            
4     Newspaper cuttings, 1933-86                                        
5     Citations, certificates, invitations, 1918-72                      
6     Flight charts                                                      
7     Air schedules, 1934-37                                             
8     Aircraft manuals                                                   
9     Pilot's certificates and licences, 1930-79                         
10    Passports, 1926-74                                                 
11    Aircraft account cards, 1938-60                                    
12    Miscellaneous                                                      
13    Photograph                                                         
14    Objects                                                            

Series description

Series 1: Diaries, 1926-67

Detailed diaries describing travel by Thompson, including two of her own flights.

Items                                                                    

1.         Trip to Europe by ship and time spent in England, 2 Jan - 10  
           Aug 1926.                                                     

2.         New Zealand (written on loose pages), 18 March - 26 Apr       
           1937.                                                         

3.         Round Australia flight, May - June 1950.                      

4-5.       New Guinea flight, 21 Apr - 1 Aug 1952.  Annotated map        
           inserted.                                                     

6.         Tour of North and South America, 19 Feb - 19 Oct 1963.        

7.         "Expo 67" England - Australia tour, 1 June - 2 Dec 1967.      
           Diary covers visit to U.S.A., Canada, India, Asia.            

8.         Travel in South Africa, India, Penang, Singapore, 22 Apr -    
           15 Sept.  No year given.                                      


Series 2: Log books, 1930-80

Four pilot's log books, including past experience summary, and record of flights.

Items                                                                    

1.         1930-40.                                                      

2.         1940-65.                                                      

3.         1966-80.                                                      

4.         Journey log-book, England - Australia flight, 1934.           


Series 3: Correspondence, 1935-72

  • U.K. Foreign Office receipts for telegrams sent, 1934, 1935.
  • Letter from Reginald Ansett, concerning 1964 Air Race, with photo of Ansett and Thompson, 10 Apr 1964.
  • Congratulatory letters, telegrams and cuttings received on award of O.B.E., from E. Connellan, Rohan Delacombe and others, 1972.

Series 4: Newspaper cuttings, 1933-86

Items                                                                    

1.         Scrapbook, ca 1933-34.                                        

2.         Newspaper cuttings, ca 1936-86.                               


Series 5: Citations, certificates, invitations, 1918-72

1. Folder including certificates from Toorak College, 1918, the National Ice Skating Association, 1937, the award of the Coronation Medal, 1937 and 1953, the Women's Driving Tour, 1939, the Ansett Air Race, 1964.

2. Pianoforte Grade III, 1921 (rolled).; Winner, Aerial Derby Handicap, Parafield SA, 1932; OBE citation, 1972.

Series 6: Flight charts

Published aeronautical charts of locations in Australia.

Items                                                                    

1.         Cootamundra- Melbourne, 1925.                                 
2.         Melbourne-Adelaide, 1926.                                     
3.         Melbourne-Hay, 1930.                                          
4.         Sydney-Brisbane, 1934.                                        
5.         Thursday Island-Bowen, n.d.                                   
6.         Melbourne, 1961.                                              
7-8.       Hamilton, 1963 (two copies).                                  
9.         Adelaide, 1964.                                               
10.        Canberra, 1965.                                               
11.        Melbourne, 1966.                                              
12.        Hamilton, 1974.                                               
13.        Victoria, n.d.                                                

Series 7: Air schedules, 1934-37

Booklets produced by the Shell Aviation Department, giving information on aerodromes, including sketches, classification, situation, description, facilities, remarks, magnetic course and distance.

Items                                                                    

1.         Calcutta - Rangoon - Bangkok - Singapore - Batavia - Darwin,  
           Aug 1934.                                                     

2.         Darwin - Charleville - Melbourne, Aug 1934.                   

3.         Cairo - Damascus - Aleppo - Baghdad - Jask - Karachi -        
           Calcutta, Sept 1934.                                          

4.         London - Paris - Rome - (Athens) - Tunis - (Algiers) -        
           Cairo, Sept 1937.                                             

5.         Aerodrome information: Brindisi, Athens, Nicosia (foolscap    
           typescript), Sept 1934.                                       


Series 8: Aircraft manuals

Items                                                                    

1.         Manual of instructions of the Gipsy Moth, ca 1931.            
2.         Care and maintenance of the D.H. Gipsy Major, 1934.           
3.         Handling notes, Cessna 172.                                   
4.         Flight radio operator's manual, 1963.                         
5.         Amplification - daily inspection schedule Gipsy Major         
           engine.                                                       

Series 9: Pilot's certificates and licences, 1930-79

Items                                                                    

1.         Private pilot's certificate and licence, Australia, 1930.     

2.         Pilot's certificate and licence (passenger, mail or goods),   
           Australia, 1932.                                              

3.         Private pilot's certificate and licence, Great Britain,       
           1934.                                                         

4.         Flight Crew Licences, 1962, 1970, 1979.                       

5.         Sporting licence, Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of           
           Australia, 1973.                                              

6.         Licence in Arabic script.                                     


Series 10: Passports, 1926-74

Items                                                                    

1.         1926                                                          
2.         1955                                                          
3.         1962                                                          
4.         1967                                                          
5.         1974                                                          

Series 11: Aircraft account cards, 1938-60

Cards issued by fuel suppliers authorising the purchase of aircraft fuel on credit.

Items                                                                    

1.         1938                                                          
2.         1959                                                          
3.         1960                                                          

Series 12: Miscellaneous

  • Two radio broadcast typescripts 29 Dec 1934, 22 March 1941.
  • Indian Women Pilots' Association: minutes of meeting and list of members, 1979.
  • Results sheet, Freda Thompson Aerial Derby, 1983.
  • Typescript account by Thompson of her England - Australia trip.
  • Typescript article on Thompson by Margaret Keatley, annotated.
  • Typescript tribute by Thompson to aviatrix Nancy Lyle.
  • Extract from The North-west aerial frontier, 1919-1934, by Edward Wixted, 1985.
  • Copy of Pixie O'Harris sketch of Thompson (original in Pictorial Section).
  • Copies of envelopes from E.A. Crome aviation collection, 1934.

Series 13: Photograph

Item                                                                     

1.         Large photograph of Thompson in flight gear, holding cap and  
           goggles.                                                      

Series 14: Objects

Items                                                                    

1.         Slide rule and manual, 1925.                                  
2.         Coronation and war medals.                                    
3.         O.B.E. medallion.                                             
4.         R.A.C. medallion and two others.                              
5.         Thompson's cap and goggles.                                   

Box list

Series       Items        Box          

1            1-8          1            
2            1-4          1            
3                         1            
4            1-2          2            
5            1            2            
6            1-2          2            
7            1-5          3            
8            1-5          3            
9            1-6          4            
10           1-5          4            
11           1-3          4            
12                        4            
13           1            4            
14           1-4          4            

Folios

Series       Items        Folio Box      

5            2            1              
13           1            1              
14           5            2              
Guide prepared April 1996. Last updated 13 August 1996