Railway Air Services - Bristol

RAS used Whitchurch airport to land their planes. It is said the arrival of the Aviation Tours ‘Tour of Britain’ fleet on the 31st May 1931 marked the official opening of this Municipal Airport for Bristol although it is plainly shown as an aerodrome as opposed to just a landing ground on a Ordnance Survey Aviation Map of 1931. Norman Edgar & Co from Bristol started an air ferry service from Bristol to Cardiff on the 26th September 1932. Nearly a year later, on the 7th September 1933, the company name was changed to Norman Edgar (Western Airways) Ltd. In the first year of operation, (1931), the ‘airport’ handled just 915 passengers, but this had risen to 4,000 by the next year. Railway Air Services began flying a service from Bristol on July 29th 1934. Norman Edgar provided the feeder service to Cardiff. As well as being on the Birmingham – Bristol – Southampton – Cowes route, the RAS also used a feeder service run by Norman Edgar (Western Airways) Ltd. that went from Cardiff to Bristol. This feeder service allowed West country mail to have a more direct route to Southern England. On the 20th August the plane from Birmingham arrived safely, but with forecast of gales to Southampton the rest of the journey was abandoned. The pilot J. H. Sender loaded the Bristol to Birmingham mail and flew safely back to Birmingham. On the 21st August a full service was provided. It is not clear what happened with the Cardiff-Bristol shuttle. Redgrove is adamant that the service flew only one way from Cardiff to Bristol. While this could well be correct it is not very logical. Western Airways flew 4 passenger flights a day and the first left Bristol at 09.40 getting to Cardiff at 10.00 am. A quick turnaround and it was leaving Cardiff at 10.05 am. If Bristol mail was loaded on the first flight it would connect with the flight down to Plymouth. As it was flying there anyway why would you not want to do this? Field in his list of flown covers has Cardiff, Plymouth and Liverpool as flown on the 20th and this could only be based on mail being flown from Bristol to Cardiff on the feeder service. Any help with this will be welcome. Flown 20th - Birmingham. Or according to Field Cardiff, Plymouth, Liverpool, Teignmouth (incorrect) Flown 21st - Glasgow, Belfast, Manchester, Isle of Man, Southampton and Cowes (21st postmarks) Surface 20th - Southampton, Cowes, Glasgow, Belfast, Manchester, Isle of Man, London (Redgrove says Cardiff, Plymouth )

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