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1926 (10 Apr.) first survey flight by the Royal Air Force, envelope to Cape Province, franked 1913 1d. with Bloemfontein cancellation, endorsed "By the courtesy of Wing Com. Pulford R.A.F./O/C Cape Flight" and "Livingstone 29.3.26/To be carried by Machine/S1104 Cape Flight R.A.F./as far as Bloemfontein" and signed "C. Pulford/Wing Cds O/C/Cape Flight/29/3/26"; a few small stain spots, otherwise fine and scarce. Photo £600-700
| Mittellholzer's Africa Flight - Zurich to Cape Town | |
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1926 (28 Sept.) envelope registered from Zurich to Cape Town, franked Air 45c., 75c. with Zurich/Flugpost cancellation, special boxed "1926 november/
schweizer/afrikaflug" cachet, Alexandria (13.12) transit d.s.; a few small stains, otherwise fine and scarce £100-150
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1926 (28 Oct.) envelope registered to Florence, redirected to Rome, franked Air 35c., 45c. and 50c. with Zurich/Flugpost cancellations, special boxed "1926 november/
schweizer/afrikaflug" cachet; fine £75-100
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1928 (28 Mar.) envelope registered to California franked 1926 4d. 1927-30 3d. and United States 1927-28 Air Lindbergh 10c., all cancelled Cape Town, violet handstruck registration markings, transit and arrival markings on reverse; fine. A rare cover carried by ship to New York and with the United States 10c. (supplied from a special office in South Africa) for the internal Air Mail. One of only two items recorded using this scheme from South Africa. Photo £200-250
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1929 (24 Feb.) Verneuk Pan-Cape Town flight, crashed at Clanwilliam, 1/2d. postal stationery card, additionally franked 2d. and 3d., registered to Mowbray, signed on the reverse by all the people who were at Verneuk Pan, including the postmaster G.N. Grey and Malcolm Campbell who was there in connection with his attempted "Blue Bird" record attempt. Rare with twelve items, including two registered, recovered. Photo £750-1,000
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1929 first regular Air Mail Service between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth: 1929
(8 Aug.) souvenir envelope registered from Didsbury to Port Elizabeth franked Great Britain 1924-36 2 1/2d. "I28" control block of four, signed by Allister Miller at lower left, on reverse Port Elizabeth arrival (26.8), also envelope from Cape Town to East London franked Great Britain 1929 P.U.C. 1/2d., 1 1/2d. and 2 1/2d. with Cape Town cancellations and East London arrival on reverse (both 26.8); scarce £80-100
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1929 (Aug.-Sept) covers/cards (12), mostly internal though including items addressed to Paris and England (2, one franked Air 4d. and 1/- only, contrary to regulations), another to Cape Town franked Air Mail 4d. and 1/- taxed by 2d. postage due on arrival, etc., fine £150-200
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1930 (Oct.) London to Cape Town flight by Captain R.F. Caspareuthus: envelope franked Great Britain 1 1/2d. with London machine cancellation (4.10), "air post./special" cachet and signed by the pilot, on reverse Cape Two arrival (13.10); fine. Twenty personal letters and two semi-official letters carried. Scarce. Photo £650-750
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1930 (22 Dec.) envelope carried on the attempted Calcutta - Cape Town flight by Abul M. Murad, crashed at Shaibah, envelope franked India 1a. with Calcutta cancellation (22.12), green "calcutta - cape town flight/first flight/dum dum/21st dec. 1930/gipsy moth/"sunita"/v.t.-abm" cachet (another on reverse), signed by the pilot; fine. Photo £300-400
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1931 (Aug.) Provisional Internal Air Services for South West Africa: covers (5) all with South West Africa frankings, including first Northern and Southern services, fine £100-120
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1931 (13 Nov.) attempted Port Elizabeth to Cape Town flight by Captain W.F. Davenport, crashed at Sir Lowry's Pass after being caught in a gale: charred envelope registered to Cape Town, franked 6d. and Air 4d. with Durban cancellations (12.11), complete with Post Office explanatory slip. Extremely rare. Davenport, his two passengers and practically all the mail were incinerated. Photo £750-1,000
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a further charred envelope from this crash, registered from Durban to London franked 6d., Air 4d., complete with Post Office explanatory slip (mounted on board). Rare. Photo £600-700
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1931 (Dec.) Imperial Airways Christmas Mail to South Africa: two envelopes (one a souvenir type) from Croydon to Cape Town, each franked 1/-, also covers from Khartoum and Kisumu to Cape Town, Salisbury to Mariental and Bulawayo to Port Elizabeth; fine £150-200
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1931 (19 Dec.) envelope registered from Mariental to Cape Town, franked South West Africa 1931 Air 3d. and 10d. bi-lingual pairs, also envelope of the same date registered from Johannesburg to Grootfontain franked 4d., Air 4d. pair; fine £60-80
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1932-33 group of six envelopes or cards, including 1932 (18 May) De Aar special mail flight signed by the pilot Capt. Elliott-Wilson, 1933 (1 May) 1d. postal stationery card to Russia franked 1933 Voortrekker set in bi-lingual pairs (not officially issued until 3 May), 1933 (8 Dec.) "Faith in Australia" Souvenir envelope to Johannesburg franked New Zealand Air 4d., etc., chiefly fine £120-150
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1932 (c.) black on orange passenger ticket, from Sir Alan Cobham's Great Air Display; scarce £75-100
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1932 (Jan.) first regular service from London to Cape Town by Imperial Airways, two souvenir envelopes from London to Cape Town and Durban, each franked 1/-, also envelopes or cards from New Delhi to Johannesburg (registered), Valletta, Dodoma, Mbeya, Mpika to Cape Town and Lusaka to Pretoria, good to fine £150-200
| 1932 (Jan.) First Cape - London Flight, "Lost" Mail | |
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22-28 Jan. souvenir envelopes (5, different types) comprising Lobatsi to Salisbury, Pietersburg to Luxor, Cape Town and Kimberley to England and Cape Town to Germiston; chiefly fine £100-120
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23 Jan. envelope to Switzerland franked 1929 Air 4d. strip of three with East Rand cancellations, Gare du Nord and Lutry transit and arrival markings on reverse; fine £60-80
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25 Jan. souvenir envelope from Johannesburg to Leopoldville franked 1/-, also 27 Jan. souvenir envelope from Cape Town to Irumu franked 1929 Air 4d. (2); a variety of transit and arrival datestamps, fine £80-100
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25 Jan. South African Travel Bureau souvenir envelopes (2) from Port Elizabeth to Liverpool and Nairobi, the first franked Dromedaris 1d. (pair), booklet pane of six and 1926 4d., the second franked Dromedaris Official 1d. corner block of six; some stains £80-100
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26 Jan. souvenir envelope registered to Australia, franked 1926 4d., 1929 Air 4d., Official 1d. and 6d. b-lingual pairs, transit markings of Cairo (12.2), Perth (8.3), Melbourne D.L.O. (8.4) and Cape Town Returned D.L.O (9.5) on reverse; fine £60-80
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26 Jan. envelopes (2) registered from Cape Town to Delhi franked 1929 Air 4d. block of six (3x2) or 1/- strip of three, Cairo transit (12.2) on reverse, each signed by the pilot R.F. Caspareuthus; fine £100-120
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26 Jan. envelope from Windhoek, franked South West Africa 1931 1d. bi-lingual pair and 3d., also 1 Jan. envelope from Kimberley, franked 1913 1 1/2d. and 1929 Air 4d., both addressed to Broken Hill and with arrival datestamps of 4th. or 5th. Feb.; fine £80-100
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27 Jan. envelopes (2) registered from Upington to England, the first franked 1929 Air 4d. block of six (3x2), the other with 1/- strip of three, both signed by the pilots; fine £80-100
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1932 (21 Apr.) Oscar Garden attempted Cape Town to London flight, crashed at Abercorn: envelope to London franked Dromedaris 1d. with Cape Town cancellation, Abercorn (22.4) d.s., "accident at abercorn/22 april 1932/Flight Abandoned" and bi-lingual "found without contents" cachets, signed by the pilot; fine and scarce with only twenty covers carried. Photo £600-700
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1933 (2 Jan.) Durban - Germiston flight by C.W. Bellin: envelope franked 1929 Air 4d. with Durban cancellation, signed by the pilot; a trifle stained, otherwise fine £100-120
| 1933 (6 Feb.), Cranwell to Cape Town attempted non-stop flight by Gayford and | Nicholetts, forced to land at Walvis Bay
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Envelope franked Great Britain 1 1/2d. with Cranwell cancellation (6.2) and Walvis Bay arrival; fine and scarce. Photo £600-700
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Envelope franked Great Britain 2d., cancelled Cranwell 10 Nov. 1932, addressed to Gayford and Bett (the navigator who was intended to be on the flight but who was taken ill) at R.A.F. Cranwell, re-addressed to Wyndham at Cape Town, with Walvis Bay arrival (10.2), additionally franked 2d. with Cape Town cancellation (16.2); fine and believed to be unique. Photo £1,200-1,500
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1933 (2 May) Cape Town to London accelerated service: envelope registered to Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, franked 1d. Dromedaris (2), 1929 Air 4d. and 1/-, Cape Town cancellations, arrival d.s. (10.8) on reverse; fine £80-100
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1933 (10 June) Imperial Airways "Artemis" flight from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg, flight interrupted due to bad weather near Mpika: envelope to the Vatican City franked 1929 Air 4d., 1933 Voortrekker 3d.+1 1/2d. pairs (2) with Port Elizabeth cancellations,
a variety of transit and arrival markings on reverse; fine £80-100
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1933 (12 June) envelope with embossed "high commissioner for the union of south africa" on flap, addressed to Cape Town, franked Great Britain 1/- with double-ring "monetary and economic conference. london s.w.7" cancellation, signed at the foot "J. Smuts" South African deputy Prime Minister with special responsibility for financial affairs; a little stained, othewise fine and scarce. Photo £150-200
Provenance: "Jeidel", June 1988
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1933 (13 Dec.) Imperial Airways "Horsa", struck another aircraft at Khartoum and delayed (passengers and mail had already been transferred from the "Amalthea" due to engine failure): envelope to Philadelphia franked 3d. and 1/- with Johannesburg cancellation, blue on black air mail label deleted by red bars; fine £80-100
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1934 group of six covers or cards, including 1 Jan. first flight from Uitenhage, 7 March Royal Tour cover signed by three different pilots, 31 July covers from Johannesburg to Tananarive and Mozambique, good to fine £100-120
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1934 (26 July) Victor Smith attempted flight from Cape Town to London, crashed at Port Etienne, Mauritania: pilot signed envelope to Leicester franked South West Africa Air 10d. with Windhoek cancellation, on arrival in England franked 1/2d. with Leicester cancellation of 22 Aug.; fine. Only eight pilot signed covers recorded. Photo £600-700
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1934 (4 Sept.) envelope registered to Pernambuco franked 2d., 3d., 4d., 6d., 1/-
bi-lingual pairs with Pretoria cancellations, Friedrichshafen transit marking (16.9) and carried by the Graf Zeppelin on the 8th. South America flight of 1934, arrival c.d.s. (18.9) on reverse; a few minor stain spots though an extremely rare South African Zeppelin acceptance. It is believed that only two covers are known from South Africa carried on any Zeppelin flight. Photo £1,200-1,500
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1934 (15 Nov.) Grahamstown First air mail: envelope to George franked 3d., signed by two of the crew; fine. Only fourteen covers carried. Photo £250-300
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1935 group of eight covers and cards, including 15 Aug. Rand-Cape Shuttle service,
3 Sept. to Philadelphia franked 1d. Dromedaris and 1930-44 4d. bi-lingual pair marked "Insufficiently paid for Air Mail/beyond London", 10 Dec. from London to Simonstown franked 6d. and marked "Diverted to Ordinary Mail./Air Mail Fee will be refunded by/British Post Office on application.", etc., good to fine £80-100
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1935 (16 May) R.A.F. flight Cape Town to Cairo flight: C.T. P. Ulm souvenir envelope to Heliopolis and franked 3d. red and black bi-lingual pair and 3d. blue with Cape Town cancellations of 16 April, sent to Wing-Commander C.W. Mackey a month before the flight and carried by him on the outbound and inbound flights, signed on the reverse by Mackey and his officers on the reverse and dated 17th. May 1938. Rare with very few items carried. Photo £600-800
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1935 (5 Nov.) Cape Town to London Record Flight by D. Llewellyn and Mrs. J. Wyndham: envelope to Scotland franked 1935 Silver Jubilee 3d. and 6d. with double-ring "cape town municipal air-port/wingfield" cancellation, on arrival at London additionally franked Great Britain 1935 1 1/2d., signed by the pilot David W. Llewellynn;
a little stained though an exceptional rarity. It is believed that three covers were carried, one is now housed in the British Library, the second was lost in 1940. Photo £1,500-1,800
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1936-37 covers/cards (16) including 1936 (2 Jan.) re-opening of Port Elizabeth Airport cover to East London, 1937 Coronation Day pigeon post cover and flimsy, 1937 (1 June) Empire Flying Boat Service to South Africa, etc., chiefly fine £300-400
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1936 (2 Feb.) Tommy Rose flight from Great Britain to South Africa: souvenir leaflet "My Flight Down Africa", signed by Tommy Rose; horizontal fold, otherwise fine £100-150
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1936 (10 Feb.) "Artemis" crash at Pietersburg: stampless O.H.M.S. envelope to Pretoria with London c.d.s. of 1 Feb. 1936; without special markings as always, fine. Photo £400-500
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1936 (3 Mar.) South Africa to Great Britain Record Flight by Tommy Rose: cover carried on the return flight with double-ring "capetown municipal air-port/wingfield/-3. mar.1936" cachet, endorsed "Per favour of/Flt Lt. Tommy Rose" on the front, franked Great Britain 1 1/2d. on arrival and cancelled London 9 March 1936, signed by the pilot on reverse; fine and scarce. Photo £600-700
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1936 (6 May) Amy Mollison London-Cape Town-London flight: cover carried on the Windhoek-Cape Town stage franked South West Africa 1/2d., 1d. with Windhoek airmail cancellations, Cape Town (7.5) arrival d.s., typewritten "Carried by Mrs. Amy Mollison on her record breaking flight from London to Cape Town via West Coast of Africa, Windhoek, 6th May, 1936" and signed by the pilot; fine and rare. One of only four signed covers recorded. Photo £750-1,000
| 1936 (26 Sept.) Schlesinger Air Race, London to Johannesburg | |
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1936 (May) envelope from Harrogate franked 1/2d., with "Carried by 36h.p. Praga Baby first flight England Cape Town. Ultra Light Planes. In record time, 16 days 20, hrs. Piloted by H.L. Brook, May 6th.-May 23rd. 1936" eight line cachet, additionally franked 1/2d. on arrival with Cape Town cancellation of 24 May; fine. Photo £250-300
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T. Rose and J. Bagshaw: Souvenir envelope, franked G.B. 1/2d. with Leicester Square cancellation, flight terminated at Cairo and additionally franked Egypt Air 8m., 20m., green "england-southafrica/air race/september 1936" cachet; fine. Photo £250-300
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Flying Officer A.E. Clouston: 3 Oct. envelope to Cape Town franked 1d. Dromedaris with Johannesburg cancellation, typewritten "Per favour of Flying Officers A.E. Clouston and F.E. Tasker in the Schlesinger African Air race" and signed by the pilot; fine and scarce. Twenty envelopes carried, not all signed. Photo £250-300
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Captain S.S. Halse: 27 Sept. "The Royal Aero Club" envelope to Portsmouth and redirected to London, franked G.B. 1934 1 1/2d. (defective when applied) with Southsea cancellation, carried by Captain S.S. Halse, crashed at Domboshawa and additionally franked Southern Rhodesia 2d. with Salisbury cancellation of 7 Oct., endorsed "Salvaged from wreck of Capt. Halse's plane ZSAHO crashed at Domboshawa, near Salisbury,
S. Rhodesia 30.9.36" and with violet The De Haviland Aircraft Co. (Rhodesia), Ltd" cachet; fine and rare. Only four covers known with the De Haviland cachet. Photo £600-800
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Captain S.S. Halse: 28 Sept. envelope to Newport, franked G.B. 1934 1/2d. with Portsmouth and Southsea cancellation, endorsed "Per S.S. Halse", green "england-southafrica/air race/september 1936" cachet, additionally franked Southern Rhodesia 1d. (2) with different Salisbury cancellations; fine. Twenty similar envelopes flown. Photo £250-300
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