Trophy

Description
A large silver plated trophy, from the New Plymouth Aero Club. The trophy is the Arthur Smith Memorial Trophy, and was donated in memory of Arthur Smith and James Hamill. The trophy is large and urn shaped, with curved slender handles and a fluted base. The trophy is securely mounted on a wooden base, painted black. The front of the trophy is engraved with the following: " NEW PLYMOUTH AERO CLUB / THE / ARTHUR SMITH / MEMORIAL / CUP / IN MEMORY OF / ARTHUR SMITH AND JAMES HAMILL / Z.K.-A.C.Z. / 23-3-37 ". The rear of the trophy is engraved with the names of the winners of the trophy, with the first year of competition in 1938. The trophy was last awarded in 2010.
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Object detail

Classification
Ceremonial Artifact/Societal Artefacts
Credit line
This elegant trophy was commissioned to commemorate a tragic event - the deaths of Arthur Smith and James Hamil from Pungarehu in a plane crash off the Wellington coast. Arthur and James were travelling back from the South Island Aero Pageant in Nelson on the 23 March 1937, when their Gipsy Moth ZK-ACZ hit a bank of thick cloud off the coast of Wellington, and crashed off Ohau Bay. Arthur Smith was a member of the New Plymouth Aero Club, and aged 25 when he died.

The New Plymouth Aero Club was one of the earliest aero clubs to form in the country, being formed in 1928. Due to financial difficulties it closed in 2013.
Accession number
PA2014.036
Collection type
Social History
Material
Silver-plated
Metal

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