This Acme news photo is captioned as follows:

A crowd of 20,000 gathered at the Municipal Airport, Inglewood, Calif., November 4, when the "Lady Southern Cross", Kingsford-Smith's Lockheed plane and its escort of three National Guard planes came down in a perfect landing. An official committee composed of Mayor Frank Shaw and civic leaders welcomed Sir Charles and his co-pilot, Capt. P.G. Taylor, after their spectacular trans-Pacific flight from Australia to California. The intrepid flyers landed first at Oakland, then flew to Los Angeles. Photo shows Kingsford-Smith and Captain Taylor on the running board of their car ready to leave Municipal Airport. The huge crowd cheered the flyers as they left.

Smithy is marked as #1 in the enlargement. At the time of his enlistment in the Army, Smithy was 5 feet 6½ inches (169 cm) tall so it is likely that he was the only person "on the running board of their car". P.G. Taylor can't be far away and it is speculated that he could be #3 in the above enlargement. It is believed that #2 could be Bud Morriss, Smithy's agent in Los Angeles. The photo was evidently taken from the roof of a movie newsreel motor vehicle.

When some latter day historians tend to diminish the significance of this trans-Pacific flight in a single-engined aircraft, it is worth noting the adulation that was accorded Smithy by the American people.

Picture: Tim Kalina Collection
Research: Mick Raftery