Railway Air Services - Teignmouth
Two airports served the Torbay area – Denbury and Haldon. Haldon served the RAS on its one day. It was developed by Mr
Parkhouse of Agra Engineering on rough moorland just North of the golf course at Little Haldon, high above Teignmouth on the
West side of Babbacombe Bay. The first public flying meeting was held there on 21st September 1929. GWR used the airport in
1933 and RAS used it for one day the 20th August 1934.
Teignmouth was a bit of an oddity. Being so close to Plymouth it is not known why it was used at all. In fact, it was put into the
Liverpool to Plymouth service for one day only – the 20th. And even than mail was not taken off the plane at Teignmouth on the
inward journey, it was flown to Plymouth and back by rail. Mail to Teignmouth apart from Plymouth is essentially mail to
Plymouth. Apart from this a full service ran on both the 20th and 21st August. Francis Field gives Bristol as a flown destination on
the 20th but I do not see how that was possible. In the return journey from Plymouth the plane did not land at Cardiff until 05.40
pm, much too late for the Bristol connection. Francis Field also says that the seven connecting destinations were all sent surface.
This is quite possible as the flight back from Plymouth was extremely late and would never have connected with other flights. The
GPO therefore may have decided not to send connecting mail by plane. Unless I hear of convincing arguments otherwise, I will
presume Field is correct.
Flown 20th - Cardiff, Liverpool, Birmingham, Plymouth, Bristol (Redgrove disagrees)
Surface 20th - Southampton, Cowes, Glasgow, Belfast, Isle of Man, Manchester, London.
Flown 21st - Glasgow, Belfast, Isle of Man, Manchester (21st postmarks).
RAS Railway Air Services Covers flown from Teignmourh 20th August 1934
Teignmouth to Plymouth Flown 20th August
Teignmouth to Cardiff Flown 20th August
After the first flight of the 20th, Teignmouth was cut out of the programme. There are no further Teignmouth covers and the other destinations other than
above are of little interest as they all surface carried.
Copyright
© 2022 Robert Farquharson All Rights Reserved
British Internal Airmails of the 1930’s
Teignmouth to Plymouth Flown 20th August
Teignmouth to Cardiff Flown 20th August
Teignmouth to Liverpool Flown 20th August
Teignmouth to Birmingham Flown 20th August
Teignmouth to Cardiff. Pilot signed.
Railway Air Services - Teignmouth
Two airports served the Torbay area – Denbury and Haldon. Haldon served the RAS on its one day. It was developed by Mr
Parkhouse of Agra Engineering on rough moorland just North of the golf course at Little Haldon, high above Teignmouth on the
West side of Babbacombe Bay. The first public flying meeting was held there on 21st September 1929. GWR used the airport in
1933 and RAS used it for one day the 20th August 1934.
Teignmouth was a bit of an oddity. Being so close to Plymouth it is not known why it was used at all. In fact, it was put into the
Liverpool to Plymouth service for one day only – the 20th. And even than mail was not taken off the plane at Teignmouth on the
inward journey, it was flown to Plymouth and back by rail. Mail to Teignmouth apart from Plymouth is essentially mail to
Plymouth. Apart from this a full service ran on both the 20th and 21st August. Francis Field gives Bristol as a flown destination on
the 20th but I do not see how that was possible. In the return journey from Plymouth the plane did not land at Cardiff until 05.40
pm, much too late for the Bristol connection. Francis Field also says that the seven connecting destinations were all sent surface.
This is quite possible as the flight back from Plymouth was extremely late and would never have connected with other flights. The
GPO therefore may have decided not to send connecting mail by plane. Unless I hear of convincing arguments otherwise, I will
presume Field is correct.
Flown 20th - Cardiff, Liverpool, Birmingham, Plymouth, Bristol (Redgrove disagrees)
Surface 20th - Southampton, Cowes, Glasgow, Belfast, Isle of Man, Manchester, London.
Flown 21st - Glasgow, Belfast, Isle of Man, Manchester (21st postmarks).
RAS Railway Air Services Covers flown from Teignmourh 20th August 1934
Teignmouth to Plymouth Flown 20th August
After the first flight of the 20th, Teignmouth was cut out of the programme. There are no further Teignmouth covers and the other destinations other than
above are of little interest as they all surface carried.
Copyright
© 2020 Robert Farquharson All Rights Reserved
British Internal Airmails of the 1930’s
Teignmouth to Plymouth Flown 20th August
Teignmouth to Birmingham Flown 20th August
Teignmouth to Cardiff. Pilot signed.
