THE G.W.R. AIR MAIL

By A. PHILLIPS.

Four years ago, powers were granted to the Railways to run air services. On April 12th the Great Western Railway availed themselves of this privilege and inaugurated a service between South Wales and Devon. Realizing the great importance of this event—- the first Rail-Air Service in Great Britain—we prepared a mail, but practically at the last moment, information reached us that none could be officially carried though the G. W.R. have powers to do so on their trains and steamers. Mr. Phillips therefore decided to take the mail and carried it as a passenger, bearing the first ticket issued, No. 0000. The plane left the Cardiff Airport at 9.15 a.m. arriving Haldon Aerodrome 10.5 a.m. Here our agents posted covers at Teignmouth, which bear the 10.30 a.m. postmark, and at Torquay, postmarked 11.30 a.m. Roborough Aerodrome was made at 10.35 a.m. and Newport-Plymouth and Cardiff-Plymouth covers bear the 12.30 p.m. postmark. On the return flight mail was carried by Mr. Phillips from Plymouth for Cardiff and Newport. We anticipated covers from Teignmouth and Torquay (Haldon), but owing to the short notice they were not ready. The plane left at 1125 a.m., arriving Cardiff Airport 12.50 p.m. Cardiff covers are postmarked 1.15 p.m. and Newport covers 2.30 p.m. Cardiff, Newport, Torquay, Teignmouth and Plymouth are the towns mentioned on the G. W.R. folder as possessing booking facilities and covers are in existence of all five places, but as the Plymouth-Newport mail only comprised 12 letters, no more than 12 sets can be completed. Captain Gordon P. Olley was the pilot. The machine was a Westland Wessex six-seater three-engine aeroplane, supplied by the Imperial Airways. Largely as an outcome of the protests of aero philatelists the G. W.R. approached the Postmaster-General and obtained sanction to carry mails, and on May 15th the 1st Rail-Air Mail was inaugurated. The G.W,R. provided a 3d. Air Stamp, which is the 1st British air stamp in existence. (There is an air stamp issued by Sinclair of Newcastle in 1913 for their delivery of tobacco parcels, but these of course were not available to the public). Very short notice of this flight was given, but we prepared a mail only to find that a most limited number of stamps were available. The majority of these we secured, the remainder being largely used for official purposes. The stamps were in sheets of 20, the first sheet was retained in London, and we had nos. 20 onwards. The journey was the same as the April 12th flight, and our mail comprised Cardiff-Plymouth (20), Cardiff-Teignmouth (20), Cardiff- Torquay (20), 'Torquay- Cardiff (45), Plymouth-Newport (35), Plymouth-Cardiff (35), and Round Trip (25), 200 in all. – We believe that at the most another 100 exist, chiefly from Plymouth-Cardiff and' Cardiff-Plymouth and mostly official mail, viz, to the Postmaster-General, etc.

22ND.

On May 22nd the service was extended to Birmingham and there is mail as follows : Birmingham-Cardiff, Birmingham-Torquay, Birmingham-Plymouth, Plymouth-Birmingham, Torquay-Birmingham. Cardiff- Birmingham. All covers bore the new G. W.R. air stamp. The pilot on this and on the May 15th Eight was Capt. F. Dismore. The saving in time as compared to rail is remarkable and letters can be delivered the same day, showing a gain of at least 24 hours. We were fortunate in obtaining a Round Trip cover of April 12th, signed by Capt. Olley, and a set of May 13th and May 22nd, signed by Capt. Dismore.

G.W.R AIR MAIL EXTENSION.

By Courtesy of Dr. J. Wortley-Talbot of Churston Ferrers we have received a cover carried on the first flight over the extension of the Cardiff—Plymouth—Torquay line to ABBOT, which took place on July 17th- Letters are carried by motor-bus on the final stage from Torquay to Newton Abbot and, as only short notice of the extension was given, the number dispatched on the First day was very small indeed. The cover before us bears, in addition to the G. W .R. air mail label with the usual rhomboid cancellation, two Violet cachets reading "CARDIFF—NEWTON ABBOT" and 'SPECIAL TRIP GWR RLY.—-AIR SERVICE"

Great Western Railway Airways

By A. Phillips. March 1935

A map of the air routes of the world drawn before 12th April1 933 would show that not a single Air Line operated Inland, though magnificent services started from Great Britain. A 1935 map would show developments that embrace the whole country, and there is no doubt that in the near future all the principle cities will be connected by Air Services comparable to the finest in any land. It is only natural that aero philatelists should have watched this growth with keen interest. The alert collector has already the nucleus of a series that promises to be one of the most interesting of any country. That the fascination of the covers carried on the various routes is fully appreciated is shown further by the interest taken in the display at the April Meeting of the Air Mail Society, to whom this booklet is respectfully submitted. By referring to the priced check list of the Inland Airmails it will be seen that the early covers have already reached high prices. In 1933 they were available for a few shillings each. The enhanced value is easily understood when it is realised how few were the number carried on some of the stages and how great was the historical importance of the flights. Collectors should remember however that new services continue to develop. They should secure First Airmails before they are absorbed by the ever increasing market. A sound policy is to obtain one each of the eleven inlands already flown, adding as many stages of the new routes as inclination prompts. Jn this way a comprehensive and delightful collection can be made, which will not only be of outstanding historical interest but a very sound investment. As indicated above the first Commercial Airmail was flown on April 12th, 1933. The promoters were the Great Western Railway, who thereby availed themselves of the powers to run Airways granted to them four years earlier. Before this date Great Britain had its balloon flights (1903, etc) ; such experimental flights as Grahame-White's attempted Blackpool-Southport of 1910, the Daily Mail flights of 1912, and Cobham's Atlantic Liner flight of 1923 ; the charity mails for the Coronation Celebrations of 1911; propaganda mails during the Great Way; emergency flights during the Railway Strike of 1919 and the General Strike of 1926; and various flights in connection with special events such as the 'Liverpool Civic Week and the Lympne Glider Week, etc. None of these can be regarded as a serious attempt to operate a regular Inland Airmail such as other countries have had for years. The inauguration, therefore, by the G.W.R., Official Mail Carriers, of a Commercial Air Service between South Wales and Devon was the Dawn of the Inland Airmail. The service was between Cardiff' and Newport (City Airport) and Teignmouth and Torquay (Haldon Aerodrome) and Plymouth (Roborough Aerodrome) . A Westland Wessex six-seater three-engined aeroplane and pilot were supplied by Imperial Airways Ltd. There were two services daily (Sundays included), in each direction— 9.15 am and 1.45 pm from South Wales arriving Roborough 10.35 am and 3.05 pm, and from Devon at 11.20 am and 3.50 pm arriving South Wales at 12.50 pm and 5.20 pm. The journey took 80 minutes as against 4} hours by train and it was possible to send a letter on the service and have a reply the same morning—a great saving of time. Covers carried from South Wales to Devon on this first Rail-Air Service bear the G.W.R. Bd. stamp, black in green, showing the Arms of the Company and inscribed 'Great Western Railway—3d—Prepaid Newspaper Parcel.' They were cancelled with a double lined square cachet in violet, reading ' Cardiff (General) —Apr 12 1933—G.W.R.' (at Cardiff) and with a double lined oval cachet in violet, reading Parcels Dept—12 Apr 1933—Newport High Street G.W.R.' (at Newport). Devon and South Wales covers do not bear the special stamp as none was available. boar a similar oval cachet to Newport inscribed ' Parcels department—12 Apr 1933—G.W.R. Plymouth (North Road).' No actual figures are available as to the total number carried but in no case was the mail large. Plymouth to Newport had the smallest, twelve only. Plymouth to Cardiff had the largest due to the fact that covers intended for transport from Haldon were taken aboard at Roborough. Newport to Devon stages are rarer than Cardiff to Devon, and covers to Teignmouth and Torquay scarcer than to Plymouth. One cover only exists flown on the round flight and this is signed by the pilot ' Cardiff to Plymouth and Plymouth to Cardiff Gordon P. Olley (Pilot) 12-4-33 First Flight and Service '—a rarity indeed. On May 15th 1933 the G. W.R. issued with the sanction of the Postmaster-General, a special Airstamp for the South Wales-Devon Service. This is in oblong format depicting a monoplane, alongside of which is the value 3d., below in one line ' G. W.R. Air Mail ' and above, in the left hand corner, the serial number. This perforated, unwatermarked stamp is the largest Airstamp in the world and the The Robert Sinclair 1913 British semi-official airstamp. vignettes, used for their tobacco parcels, were not available to the public. As with railway letters they were affixed and cancelled by the G.W.R. officials, the envelope being posted at its destination.This was the manner in which the first five Inlands were handled, and the obliteration of the Company can therefore be regarded as the departure mark and the postmark as an arrival mark. Officially no G.W.R. mint Airstamps exist. A limited number only of these stamps was available on the Saturday afternoon (May 13th) prior to the flight with the result that first day covers are scarce. Twenty each were flown from Cardiff to Plymouth, Teignmouth and Torquay, 35 each from Plymouth to Cardiff and Newport, 45 from Torquay to Cardiff, and 25, bearing a stamp on the reverse as well as on the front of the cover, on the Round Flight. In addition to this 200, a few covers were carried for G. W.R. officials and a small number from Plymouth to Cardiff for a Penarth address. On these the Air Stamp is affixed adjoining the postage stamp with the result that the obliterations clash and the covers do not bear the neat appearance of the other 200 on which the Airstamp is placed at the botton left hand corner. On May 22nd, 1933, the service was extended to Birmingham, Castle Bromwich Aerodrome. The Pilot was Captain F. Dismore, who also flew the May 15th First Day Covers. The same machine was used as on the opening day, and its G. W.R. colours of chocolate and cream was a familiar sight to the people of Cardiff and Newport and along the route, and was noted for its regularity. The new folder announcing the extension drew attention to Air Mails in the following terms " Letters will be conveyed by Air and posted at destination for delivery if handed in at any of the Air Booking Offices shown. They should bear the ordinary postage stamp (according to weight) and will, in addition, be charged an Air Mail fee of 3d., which sum will be collected by the Air Booking Office." The booking offices were shown to be at Birmingham, Cardiff, Newport, Torquay, Teignmouth and Plymouth. The twice daily service of the South Wales-Devon route was superseded by a once daily, Sundays included. The machine left Birmingham at 9-30 a.m. arriving Plymouth 12-20 p.m. and left Plymouth at 4 p.m. arriving Birmingham at 6-50 p.m. The new Airstamp was in use, cancelled by the same double lined square cachet at Birmingham, Cardiff, Torquay and Plymouth, as used on May 15th and at Cardiff on April 12th. On July 17th, 1933, a mail was carried from Cardiff to Haldon for Newton Abbot. Covers bear the air stamp cancelled with the diamond shaped obliteration and two cachets—" Cardiff—Newton Abbot " and " Special Trip— G.W.Rly.—Air Service." On September 30th, 1933, the service ended and the last G.W.R. Airmail was flown. Only 15 sets exist. 35 covers were flown from Plymouth-Newport and 15 each on the other stages. Birmingham cancelled with a single lined round cachet ' Birmingham—Great Western Railway—Sep 30 1933 " (in centre). Cardiff with a diamond shaped cachet " Air Mail —Cardiff—30 Sep 1933-—Great Western Railway." Plymouth used the original square cachet. The mail fog bound. Birmingham-Cardiff stage was the only one postmarked 30 Sep 1933, the other stages receiving Oct 1st and 2nd dates.All covers bore the G.W.R. airstarnps and it is assumed 9000 were issued since May 15th. The first sheet of twenty was retained at Paddington. No. 020 was the first starnp available to the public. Covers bearing numbers 6000 odd were used on May 22nd at Birmingham, 7,000 odd at Cardiff, and 8,000 odd at Plymouth; 8,970 is believed to be the highest number obtainable. Thus, concluded the first attempt in this country to operate a commercial air service. Financially it was a failure, but the experience gained was greater than any monetary loss. From this beginning has sprung the many companies row running. G.W.R. covers must always stand as a fitting souvenir of one of the outstanding events in aerophilately and no collection is complete without a specimen.