We will briefly have a look at the other Ford Trimotor airframe that was impressed by the RAAF from Guinea Airways. There is little known about this one because of it's brief life before being destroyed in Mar 1942 when straffed by Japanese Navy Zeros at Port Moresby and scarcity of photos. Note that this page has been amended in June 2021 with the discovery of extra photos by my U.K compatriot Nick Dixon.

A45-2, Ford 4-AT-61, registered VH-UDY 07/10/35 to 06/10/36 and 12/04/37 to 06/02/42 with Guinea Airways, impressed into RAAF service from Guinea Airways on 06/02/42. At 24 Sqn 16/02/42 (Parafield S.A.), destroyed in a Japanese strafing attack on 13/03/42. As can be seen above, while with Guinea Airways the airframe was in Nat Metal with the Rego VH-UDY painted on the fuselage and under the wings in Black.

Ford Trimotor A45-2 Wreck at 7 mile drome, Port Moresby where it was straffed on 13/3/1942. Photo: David Vincent collection on Geoff Goodall's website.

The above is the only photo that I have seen of VH-UDY after it entered RAAF service being of the wreck at 7 mile drome, Port Moresby. As can be seen it is camouflaged and probably looked similar to the photo of A45-1 in camouflage at Parafield on page 1. RAAF roundels and serial A45-2 had probably been added similar to A45-1, but no Ambulance markings as this airframe was written off long before any conversion was done, thanks to Nick for locating this image. For those interested a copy of the Aircraft History Card as a PDF can be loaded by clicking here to load the PDF.

Modelling A45-2

To model the Ford 4-AT-C Trimotor, the only kit is I believe the venerable 1/77th scale Monogram one (as venerable as the Airfix 5-AT kit). A good model can still be made from such and a detailed build report by Brian Baker (very useful) can be found online at https://modelingmadness.com/review/civil/bakerford.htm. No 1/48th joy that I know of.

VH-USX

So what is the story of the photo of a wrecked Ford Trimotor in Natural Metal (above) which has been regularly claimed to be the wreck of A45-2 (if we now know that A45-2 was camouflaged when it was written off ?). Well Nick Dixon and I now believe that this is the remains of VH-USX (a Holden's Air Transport Services 4-AT-E Trimotor) which was destroyed on the ground at Lae airstrip while evacuating civilians on 21/1/1942. Never having survived long enough to be impressed by the RAAF, it was still in Natural Metal with Black VH-USX registration when destroyed.

The 2 images above show VH-USX as it was after the strip at Lae was re-occupied by the Allies in Sept 1943. At that stage the wreck was still relatively in one piece. We believe that the 1st photo shows it after being bulldozed off the strip area by the Allies, breaking the back of the airframe in the process. Thus it was VH-USX that is in very wrecked condition and NOT A45-2 as regularly claimed.

Credits: thanks to Dick Hourigan and Nick Dixon for their assistance with this article.

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