Aberdeen/Allied Airways

Aberdeen Airways was formed by Eric Gandar-Dower on the 2nd Jan 1934. Unlike Ted Fresson, Gandar-Dower was not a professional pilot. He was an actor turned businessman with a sizeable inheritance and family money supporting him. In 1933 Gandar-Dower along with his brother Kenneth negotiated to build the first airport in Aberdeen – The Dyce Airport. They founded four concerns 1) Aberdeen Airways 2) Aberdeen Aerodrome Fuel Supplies 3) Aberdeen Flying School 4) Aberdeen Flying Club. Its first service on 19th September 1934 from Glasgow to Aberdeen using a Short Scion. There was major rivalry between Aberdeen Airways and Fresson’s Highland Airways. While Highland Airways was independent there was a gentleman’s agreement between Gandar-Dower and Fresson that Aberdeen Airways would not go to the North and Highland Airways would not go to the South. However, when Highland amalgamated with United (who had the Southern routes) this was thrown to the winds. Both Highland and Allied flew to the Shetlands from Aberdeen, Highland from Kintore Airport and Allied from Dyce. Fresson thought he would get the Shetlands mail contract, but he was drastically undercut by Allied. The mail service to the Shetlands had its first flight on 23rd November 1937. On 18th February 1937 ,the company changed its name to Allied Airways. This was because the airline no longer just operated out of Aberdeen Airport, but now offered a service from Newcastle Airport, particularly their novel route to Stavanger in Norway which was not a success. The airline continued to operate during the second world war. On 12th April 1947, the airline was merged into British European Airways. Like Fresson at Highland Airways, Gandar-Dower was extremely critical of Air Nationalization and they both thought their business had been stolen from them. Unlike Fresson who in the end accepted there was nothing he could do, Gandar-Dower, with some degree of success went on fighting successive governments for proper compensation. Although Aberdeen Airways was started in 1934 it had no mail contract. The first mail flown by Aberdeen Airways was an emergency mail on the 29th January 1934. It changed its name in February and the mail contract started in November so all but that one emergency flight was flown as Allied Airways. Most of the collectable mail for Allied is concentrated on the 23rd November. The company issued no souvenir envelopes although plain envelopes mostly registered are found with company cachets and signed by Eric Starling, chief pilot and less commonly Eric Gandar-Dower the founder.

Emergency mail flown by Aberdeen Airways 29th January 1937.

Mail was only flown on one flight as Aberdeen Airways. This was the Emergency flight on the 29th January 1937. By the time they got the mail contract the name had been changed to Allied Airways. Mail had lain stormbound for a fortnight and Aberdeen Airways were contracted to deliver the mail by air to Lerwick and the mail from Lerwick to Aberdeen. 989lb of mail was flown from Aberdeen to Thurso in a De Havilland Dragon piloted by James Gordon Hay. At Thurso, the mail was transferred to another Dragon flown by H. Vallance. The plane arrived at Sumburgh at 4.30 pm. After the mail had been taken off the plane the plane was loaded with a light consignment of mail from Shetland for points South of Kirkwall. Vallance flew to Kirkwall where the mail was transferred to the steamer “St Magnus”. Redgrove says about the covers from the Shetlands “So far as the covers flown from Shetland are concerned, it is doubtful any were preserved”

Emergency mail to Scalloway

Emergency mail to Airth

First Flight of new mail contract. Aberdeen to the Orkneys. 23rd November 1937.

Although there were no official envelopes there were a number of different cachets and a few signatures. The chief pilot Eric Starling, the founder of Allied/Aberdeen Eric Gandar-Dower, the convenor of Zetland and the Provost (Mayor) of Lerwick.

Commercial mail first flight to Bressay

first

First flight to Urafirth plus cachet.

To Aberdeen signed Starling and Gandar-Dower

To Lerwick signed cheif pilot Starling

First flight. Highland Airways Advert cachet!

First flight to Shetlands. Unusual cachets.

Souvenir Envelopes. 23rd November 1937

There are seven known souvenir envelopes produced both by firms and by individuals. Only one of the souvenir envelopes, ‘The Shetland Times’ is an advertising envelope. Two of the envelopes, the Robert Ollason and the C.B. Stout have a variation.

The Shetland Times.

Robert Ollason.

Robert Ollason of the Shetlands had this souvenir cover produced. Along with the Shetland times it appears to be more common than the others, but it is not known how many were produced. There is a variation on the Ollason cover, which is probably a second printing. The right wing of the Aeroplane has a gap between the lines. A couple of the covers shown below are of particular interest. The cover sent to Edinburgh is signed by the Provost of the Shetlands (Mayor) and the Convenor of Zetland. (Council leader. Zetland is the old name for the Shetlands). These are much more unusual than the signatures of the pilot. The other is the cover sent to Charles B Stout, the pharmacist who produced his own souvenir envelope. Redgrove stated that a local printer had created labels to put on the back of envelopes. These are actually inserts. The final image below shows the insert wrongly used and sent to Redgrove.

Charles B Stout, Pharmacist, Lerwick.

Charles B Stout. produced both a post card and an envelope in the direction of Aberdeen to Lerwick only. The two types are sent to different addresses. The first Type A is a postcard has ‘First Flight/Official Air Mail/ABERDEEN/to/SHETLAND’ in five lines. Type B is an envelope and has ‘First Flight/Official /Air Mail/ABERDEEN/to/SHETLAND’ in six lines. Type A is always addressed to ‘Solheim/King Harald Street’ whereas Type B is always addressed to ‘Chemist and Pharmacist/Medical Hall’.

5 Line Stout postcard Aberdeen to Lerwick

6 Line Stout envelope Aberdeen to Lerwick

The Shetland Hosiery Company.

The Shetland Hosiery company was run by a gentleman called Alexander Tulloch who lived in the North of the Island in Urafirth. His company produced two souvenir envelopes, one in each direction. It is not known how many were produced but they are the most easily found after the Ollason and Shetland Times covers.

Shetland Hosiery Cover to Lerwick

James MacMahon

Little is known about James MacMahon and these covers. Due to their scarcity they were probably printed in small quantities. If anyone knows anything about the history of these covers would they please let me know.

MacMahon cover to Shetlands

MacMahon cover to Aberdeen

Williamson covers.

These covers were printed by the Edinburgh Co-operative printing company for J. Williamson of Leith. The accompanying receipt for the printing shows that fifty envelopes were produced. Unless there was a second printing this envelope probably went in one direction only, Aberdeen to Shetlands. Interestingly, itemised on the invoice are twenty postcards with ‘greetings’. It is impossible to tell whether these had anything to do with the Shetlands first flight mail. Although fifty were produced these are very scarce.

Williamson cover to Shetlands

Williamson invoice for covers.

Mainland Covers

These covers are very scarce, and I have only ever seen two. They were both addressed to Francis Mainland in Aberdeen. Mainland is a very unusual surname and is unique to the Shetlands, its origin being locational and referring to the Mainland of the Shetlands (Although there is of course a Mainland on the Orkneys). The cover is more attractive than some of the others having a picture of a plane and using three colours. I have only seen the cover with the Aberdeen to Shetlands leg. Interestingly this goes from Lerwick to Aberdeen, so is there a Aberdeen to Lerwick? Any information about this cover would be gratefully received.

Other mail

24 Nov 37. Airmail from Kirkwall to Lerwick via Aberdeen. Probably flown by Highland to Aberdeen and by Allied to Lerwick. Double pilot signed by both Eric Starling, Allied and Highland pilot. Lerwick arrival stamp of the 25th November.

Francis Mainland cover Shetlands to Aberdeen

24 Nov 1937. Test letter from Lerwick to Thurso. Redgrove desribes it thus - “Test-letters addressed to Thurso and posted in Lerwick in time for the first mail carrying flight, were not received in Thurso until 1.30pm the next day. As this is the normal time of arrival for mail coming from Wick, conveyed there by plane from Inverness, it may be safely concluded that the covers were first flown to Aberdeen by Allied Airways, then sent by rail to Inverness, then flown to Wick by Highland Airways and finally conveyed by surface transport to Thurso, a surely very roundabout route.”

Much scarcer Aberdeen to Shetlands

Shetlands to Aberdeen