Railway Air Services - Cowes

The RAS service ran out of Somerton (Cowes West). In 1916 Samuel White & Co bought 60 acres of Somerton farm on which to test airplanes built by the company. Flying began on the site in April 1916 and from Autumn 1918 the RAF used it as Wight Aerodrome. There was limited, if any, use in the 1920’s until used by Sanders-Roe for test flying in 1929. It was a private airfield and ‘The Air Pilot’ warned of stock grazing on the landing area. From April to October 1933 Spartan Air Lines operated a regular service here from Heston. It was used by the RAS from 30th July 1934. It closed in 1952. Cowes was the last leg of the Liverpool-Bristol-Southampton-Cowes journey. The story of RAS mail to Cowes on the 20th is simple – there was not any. The plane stopped at Bristol and returned to Birmingham. All mail was held over and a full service resumed on the 21st. All mail dated from Cowes on the 20th was fully flown on the 21st. Flown 21st. - Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Southampton, Glasgow, Belfast, Isle of Man, Manchester.(20th and 21st postmarks) Surface - Teignmouth, Plymouth, London. The two covers below are of interest. They both flew on the 21st. The first cover is a Francis Field envelope which is quite common on the 21st, but seldom seen on the 20th. These covers were printed before it was realised there would be official first flight covers. The same applies to the second which is not a commemorative envelope but a commemorative label. It was produced by Pitman for placing on plain envelopes. There were nine different routes in all and this is an example.

RAS Railway Air Services Covers flown from Cowes 21st August 1934

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Cowes to Birmingham. Flown 21st

Cowes to Bristol. Flown 21st. Pitman label.

The next two covers are also of interest. The first cover has been sent from Cowes to Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands. This would have gone by two different airlines and by train. It would have been flown from Cowes to Glasgow by RAS, where it would have been taken to Inverness by train. It would then have gone on a Highland Airways plane from Inverness to Kirkwall. The second envelope is a business reply envelope which is unusual on the 20th.