Imperial Gift
The Imperial Gift was the donation of aircraft from surplus stocks in Britain after World War I to the dominions of the British Empire: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India.
Most were loaned to private aviation companies, but were returned to government control in the mid-1920s and used to establish the New Zealand Permanent Air Force.
Twenty were allocated to the Royal Air Force, while 80 were used by various civil government departments or sold to private operators.
"[3] The British Cabinet approved the proposal on 29 May 1919, though it chose to widen it by offering aircraft to the colonial governments as well as those of the Dominions.
[10] In addition to the aircraft, numerous spares were sent, including engines and ancillary equipment such as cameras and seaplane beaching gear, along with 300 support vehicles consisting of motor transports, trailers and motorcycles.
Rivière du Loup to Winnipeg was flown by Leckie and Major Basil Hobbs in a Felixstowe F.3 and the remainder of the relay was completed using several of the CAF's DH-9As.
[21] By the mid-1920s, all of the private firms involved had collapsed, and surviving aircraft were taken back by the government to constitute the New Zealand Permanent Air Force.
[22] South Africa was the second country after Britain to establish an air force independent from army or naval control on 1 February 1920.
The South African Air Force's (SAAF) share of the Imperial Gift was:[20] The 10 DH-4s were war loss replacements sponsored by the Over-Seas Club of London.
The SAAF's initial fleet was completed by two Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s left over from Allister Miller's wartime recruitment campaign and handed over to the Union Defence Force in October 1919.
[26][27] An offer of four Type Zero airships was turned down due to doubts about their usability above 6,000 ft (1,800 m) and the expense of replacing the envelopes, which were estimated to have a useful life of only three months in the harsh South African sunshine.
[29] A 23.5 morgen (20.1 hectare) piece of land two miles east of Roberts Heights was acquired for an aerodrome and named Zwartkop after a nearby hill.
