A1-8 was one of 18 Demons manufactured by Hawker Aircraft Ltd at their Kingston factory and shipped to Australia in 1935. Repaired after an accident in 1936, it was written off after a further crash in early 1937 in bad weather over Tasmania. Accompanying Demon A1-3 suffered the same fate. Some parts were salvaged but it was not until 1977 that remaining elements of the wreck were recovered using an Iroquois helicopter in the wooded mountainous terrain. On 3rd Feb 1987, 50 years to the day of the crash, a fully restored A1-8 was handed over to the RAAF Museum, the pilot even being present too.