An enlarged view of the Christmas card sent to the CAB's CCA Edgar Johnston by A E Rudder, the Imperial Airways-appointed Director on the Board of Qantas Empire Airways (QEA).

This card was flown from England to Australia on the first regular England-Australia air mail service. The caption at the bottom of the illustration reads 'The Empire Air Mail Arrives'.

The illustration shows Imperial Airways' Handley Page H.P.42W G-AAXC Heracles (c/n 42/5) in flight over the terminal building of London's Croydon Airport. The eight H.P.42s built were considered the epitomy of luxury air travel in the 1930s. They were used on the western section of the England-Australia air route.

Heracles was built in 1931 and became the first commercial aircraft to reach 1 million miles flown. It was requisitioned by the RAF in March 1940, but was destroyed in a gale later that year.

(CAHS/Edgar Johnston collection)

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