Born in Birmingham, England, Lancaster emigrated to Australia prior to World War I. In 1916, he joined first the Australian Army and later the Australian Flying Corps. In 1927, Lancaster transferred to the RAF Reserve.
He made his first long distance flight after he had resigned his commission in April 1930. He was accompanied in the flight made in an Avro Avian named Red Rose by Australian lady Jessie "Chubbie" Miller, who helped finance the flight. It was at the time one of the longest flights made in such a small aircraft and the first England-Australia flight by a woman.
Departing England on April 11 in the Avro Mark VIA Avian Southern Cross, William N. “Bill” Lancaster begins an attempt to set a speed record for a flight to South Africa. Having got lost several times, having not slept for 30 hours and being ten hours behind his intended time, Lancaster departed from Reggane on the evening of 12 April to make a 750 mi (1,210 km) night crossing of the Sahara.
The Avian's engine failed after less than an hour's flying and he crash-landed in the desert far north of his expected flight path. Relatively uninjured and occasionally firing flares, he awaited rescue. Searches by aircraft, however, were too far to the south, and a car searching from Reggane was also unsuccessful. He died eight days later, on 20 April 1933.
His final message, written on a fuel card on the morning of the 20th, was "So the beginning of the eighth day has dawned. It is still cool. I have no water. I am waiting patiently. Come soon please. Fever wracked me last night. Hope you get my full log. Bill"
The crash site was discovered by French troops on 12 February 1962 approximately 170 miles south of Reggane in the Tanezrouft region. Lancaster's body had been mummified and his diary and personal effects had survived intact.
SAAF Museum Pretoria Open Day 02.03.2024 Part 2 Statics and Displays
