Papers of Charles and John Ulm, 1803-2015 [manuscript]
- Bib ID:
- 1109719
- Format:
- Manuscript
- Author:
- Ulm, C. T. P. (Charles Thomas Phillippe), 1897-1934
- Related Online Resources:
- Finding aid at National Library of Australia
- Access Conditions:
- Available for research. Not for loan.
- Description:
-
- [1803-2015]
- 2.97 m. (8 boxes) + 2 fol. boxes + 1 fol. packet + 3 folders + 1 packet.
- Summary:
-
MS 9923 comprises papers collected by Charles Ulm as well as those collected by his son, John. The papers comprise newspaper cuttings, stamps, commemorative envelopes, correspondence, brochures, research notes, articles, reviews, certificates, talks, handwritten notes, photocopies of government records, business papers, photographs, maps and ephemera. The largest series in the collection is the commemorative and philatelic material, comprising stamps, commemorative envelopes, tribute albums, newspaper cuttings, articles and reviews relating to the 50th anniversary of the first trans-Pacific flight. The 1928 flight saw Charles Ulm fly with Charles Kingsford-Smith on the Southern Cross from Oakland, California to Brisbane, Australia (8 boxes, 1 fol. box).
The Acc09.124 instalment comprises a draft cable written by Charles Ulm on 8 June 1928 from Fiji. The cable is written on the letterhead of HMCS Pioneer, addressed to Q.S.T. Sunflight Sydney (possibly the finance and support team financed by Sun newspapers). It tells them that they (Charles Kingsford-Smith and Ulm) are on their way from Fiji to Brisbane, with plans to depart the day after for Sydney, but would return to Brisbane for a public tour within two weeks. The text includes: "In 19 or 20 hours will be in dear Aussie again... Our landing in Brisbane will be the culmination of 10 months hard work the realization of Smithy's and my ambitions to be first to really cross the Pacific by air". John Ulm notes that the draft was on the HMCS Pioneer letterhead because while Smithy flew the empty plane from Suva to Naselai Beach for their departure from Fiji after refueling, Ulm and others travelled courtesy of the colonial governor on his launch, Pioneer (1 fol. packet).
The Acc10.077 instalment comprises a group of miscellaneous papers relating to Charles and John Ulm. Included is a typescript of John Ulm's address at the 27th Annual Arthur Butler Memorial Lecture, Powerhouse Museum, 2009, titled "Places, planes and politics", biographical information about John Ulm and reminiscences of his father, photocopies of National Archives of Australia documents and extracts from publications and articles that relate to Charles Ulm, and a copy of the Ulm family tree (2 folders).
The Acc12.060 instalment comprises three wallets of broad ranging material including press identification, US military currency, and papers and articles discussing the Korean War. It also includes a speech and recollections of John Ulm on his service in the Second World War (1 packet).
The Acc13.204 comprises photographs, documents and other ephemera mostly relating to Charles Ulm's trans-pacific flight with Charles Kingsford Smith. Included are bound illuminated addresses from the Municipalities of Mascot and Marrickville, a bound presentation book signed by young fans from Burwood, Einfield and Strathfield; a framed memorandum from the New Zealand Military Forces notifying Ulm of his appointment as a Captain to the New Zealand Air Force; framed certificate of Membership to the Adventurers' of the World Club. Most items are captioned with notes made by John Ulm during his research of his father's flying career (1 folio box).
The Acc16.061 instalment comprises papers dating from 1928 to 2015, featuring correspondence, including discussions with Dick Smith AM regarding his request to the Prime Minister's office to confer a posthumous knighthood upon Charles Ulm; newspaper clippings; handwritten notes; material drafted by John Ulm for various publications; photocopied report on the QANTAS Bangkok accident on 23 September 1999 (1 folder).
- Biography/History:
-
Charles Ulm was a pioneer Australian aviator. He is best known for his partnership with Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, and was Kingsford-Smith's co-pilot on many of his famous flights, including the 1928 first crossing of the Pacific. Ulm brought his entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen to the partnership, acquiring the funding necessary for the journey. Ulm was also Kingsford-Smith's partner in the establishment of Australian National Airways, which subsequently failed. He bought one of the airline's Avro 618 X aircraft in which he went on to set the speed record for the trip from England to Australia. Ulm also undertook several trans-Tasman flights. Ulm died at sea in 1934 when his plane, the Stella Australis, went down in the Pacific Ocean.
John Anthony Ulm was born in June 1921, the only child of Charles Ulm and his first wife, Isabel (née Winter). He was only 13 years old when his father died at sea when his plane, the Stella Australis, went down in the Pacific Ocean. Ulm was educated at Sydney Grammar, following which he took up a position as a copy boy with the Sydney Sun newspaper. He served as a pilot in the RAAF during the Second World War. He resumed his career as a journalist with the Sun after the war, in 1946 travelling to Japan to report on the Occupation, and in 1952 covering the Korean War as a Reuter correspondent.
After this time, Ulm began a long career with Qantas, where he held several positions, and played a major role in founding the company's Press and Information Department. Following his retirement in 1977, at which time he was manager of the Wellington office in New Zealand, he spent six years developing the Financial Review Information Service. For a number of years Ulm has played an active role in researching and commemorating the life of his late father.
- Notes:
-
- Manuscript reference no.: MS 9923, MS Acc09.124, MS Acc10.077, MS Acc12.060, MS Acc13.204, MS Acc16.061.
- Associated materials: Papers of Charles Ulm, 1920-1984 MS 10064.
- Related Material:
-
- Charles Ulm national aviation collection; Located at; National Library of Australia Pictures collection PIC/8392.
- John Ulm interviewed by Rob Linn; Located at; National Library of Australia Oral History collection ORAL TRC 6411.
- Source of Acquisition:
- The papers in MS 9923 were donated by John Ulm in June 2003 in conjunction with an exhibition at the National Library to mark the 75th anniversary of the trans-Pacific flight.
- Reproduction:
- In part, photocopies. [S.l.]
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Finding aid available in the Special Collections Reading Room and online at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.ms-ms9923
- Subject:
- Time Coverage:
- 1803-2015
- Occupation:
- Aviators
- Other authors/contributors:
- Ulm, John, 1921-
- Terms of Use:
- Copying of Charles Ulm's and John Ulm's copyright material permitted for research purposes.
- Copyright:
-
Copyright Undetermined
If you wish to copy or order copies, contact us. For access conditions return to the record display above.
- Reason for copyright status:
- A Manuscript Collection may have a range of formats and dates.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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