The Airposts of Glasgow James T. Cameron. To coincide with Glasgow's 80 celebrations the third of the Scottish air-letter series was issued on 12th May. 1975. Special handstamps were issued by the Post Office and were used at the Glasgow Postal History Exhibition and the General Post Office. This history of the airposts Of Glasgow consists of details of the items on display at the airmail section at the exhibition. (See AMN No. 87. 1975.)

THE EARLY YEARS

From 1919 there have been various flights unofficial, special commemorative and Post Office contract to and from the City of Glasgow. During the national railway strike of 1919 an official emergency airmail service was operated by Aircraft Transport and Travel using De Havilland aircraft. From 1st to 6th October, 1919 mail was flown between Glasgow and London in both directions. Flown letters had an additional fee of 2/- oz. In 1922 mail was accepted to be flown from London to Southampton by Imperial Airways various on the various routes to the Commonwealth. First acceptance by combined sea and air service for British mail addressed to Canada took place on 9th May. 1931 : Glasgow to Rimouski was by sea on SS _ Duchess of Richmond with air connections to Toronto via Montreal. The inclusive charge was 21d. for the first oz. The service operated during the summer season.

RENFREW'S EXPANDING ROLE

Official internal airmail services commenced under Post Office contract to and from Renfrow Airport, Glasgow on 20th August. 1934. Railway Air Services Ltd., in conjunction with Imperial Airways Ltd., operated on air mail service to the main cities in Great Britain including Isle of Man and Northern Ireland. Mail was flown under the railway letter arrangement with the railway services and the G.P.O. A special fee of 3d in addition to postage. was charged for railway letters not exceeding 2 oz. First flights from Glasgow to Belfast and Manchester took place 20th August. mail being flown. The first flights to and from the other destinations did not take place till the next day due to bad weather. On 21st August. mail was flown between Glasgow and Douglas, Isle of Man. Birmingham, London, Bristol and Cowes, Isle of Wight, and to Glasgow from Belfast. Douglas. Isle of Man, Manchester. Birmingham. London. Bristol, Cardiff. Southampton and Isle of Wight. Railway letters and railex letters had a special RAS. 3d. Paid cachet applied from 23rd examples are on mail and Glasgow (cachet fig. 1). services were discontinued on 29th on the following routes: Cardiff, Bristol. Douglas. Isle of Man. LiverpooI, Plymouth, Birmingham and Cowes, Isle Of Wight. The remaining services in operation were between Glasgow to Croydon, London via Belfast. and Birmingham. A now timetable was introduced on 1st October and the route was changed. The main service was Belfast to via Liverpool connecting the service via Glasgow and Belfast. Covers were flown all stages. The contract with the GPO ended 30th November. 1934. Last flight covers were flown from Glasgow to Belfast, Liverpool and Croydon, London and from Belfast to Glasgow. Hillman Airways. Ltd., took over the Post Office contract from Railway Air Services, Ltd, 1st December. 1934. Special covers were flown to and from Renfrew, Glasgow.

NEW CACHETS

The Postmaster General o' Glasgow, Lt. Col. F. N. Westbury. introduced Glasgow air mail cachets on 2nd February. 1935. The special cachets were applied to incoming mail carried by Hillman Airways. Ltd. Four types of cachet were used: Type 1, was used on a postmarking machine and is the scarce of the one of the four. Type 2. was a handstamp and was applied to registered packets: Type 3. was issued on 1st March, and was used in place of 1. At a later date type 4. was introduced. It was a stamp to be used on bulky mail (cachets fig. 2) The Post Office introduced an accelerated mail service the Shetland Islands and Glasgow. and the South on the 29th March. 1935. This was the first acceptance Lerwick to Inverness, flown by Highland Airways. Ltd., by rail to Glasgow. and was the first official mail service in British Isles using three types of transport: air, sea and rail.

JUBILEE AND EXHIBITION FLIGHTS

First day covers commemorating the Silver Jubilee of King George V. were flown from Glasgow to Stapleford Airport, Essex by Hillman Airways, Ltd, on 7th May. 1935. The post Office contract With Hillman Airways. Ltd, was ended on 30th November of that year. A new contract was granted to Railway Air Services. Ltd, by the Post Office on 2nd December. 1935. First flights took place between Glasgow and Belfast, Liverpool and London. Northern and Scottish Airways Ltd, chartered by the post Office on 12th March. 1937, to fly mail between Renfrew. to Islay and Campbeltown and return. The reason for the emergency flight was that mail had accumulated for three days at Tarbert owing to the mail-boat Pioneer being marooned off Islay. The Empire Exhibition at Bellahouston Park. Glasgow created an interest in Scotland. Railway Air Services. Ltd, introduced an accelerated service of mail to and from Glasgow on 2nd May. 1938. The first airmail flight of the new service took place between Glasgow and London via Liverpool. Twenty souvenir covers were flown with a special Empire Exhibition label and a special postmark. The service ended on 3rd September, 1938. First day covers on the opening day of the Empire Exhibition on the 3rd May 1938 were flown by the newly formed Scottish Airways Ltd from Glasgow to Kirkwall, Orkney Islands via Inverness and Wick. A daily return flight was inaugurated by Scottish Airways Ltd. between Kirkwall, Orkney and Renfrew, Glasgow on 15th May. 1939. A service was inaugurated between Glasgow and Campbeltown by Scottish Airways Ltd., on 2nd 1939. Mail was accepted at Glasgow and flown on first transatlantic air mail by 5th August. 1939.