Mildenhall to melbourne, the Worlds Greatest Air race

The World's Greatest Air Race The City Fathers of Melbourne, Australia, decided that something special was needed to celebrate the Centenary of their fair city in 1934 which would not only be appropriate and significant, but cause the name of their home and the State of Victoria to be indelibly stamped on the minds of those in the rest of the world.

The result was an air race that would, it was hoped, attract the world's best aeroplanes and crews, starting in London, the hub of the Empire, and transiting by the most practical route to Melbourne. The necessary bait was in the form of large cash prizes and a local confectionery magnate, Sir MacPherson Robertson, was pleased to offer those together with a gold trophy and gold medallions for every crew member who completed the course within a specified number of days.
To increase the interest and potential field, two Races were devised to run concurrently. A Speed Race where the winner was simply the first past the post and a Handicap Race, flown against a complicated formula and different set of rules and routing.

It was hoped the Races would encourage the design and construction of new aeroplanes and the improvement of aerodromes along the route together with their facilities and communications. It certainly achieved all those aims and was a triumph of detailed organisation and logistical planning conducted over great distances.

Twenty one aircraft were ready to start the Races at dawn on Saturday 20 October 1934, each crew armed with the necessary endurance, bravery and skill to see them through 12,000 miles of adventure, half way round the world.

Not for nothing was the MacRobertson International Air Race, Mildenhall to Melbourne, called 'The World's Greatest Air Race'.