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| Postcards From Heaven |
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The special stamp commemorating the Apex
Air Post Exhibition of 1934 was reproduced
on the postcards. |
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With this issue of the STAMP MAGAZINE, we will see the open ing of Autumn Stampex, our UK National Exhibition. Advance publicity states that on view will be the fabulous First Day Cover of May 6, 1840, with an astonishing block of 10 Penny Blacks that was purchased recently by Her Majesty, The Queen. We have also heard that a philatelic souvenir of this event will be available to those attending the show.
My mind goes back to an earlier exhibition, the 1934 Apex Air Post Exhibition held at the Royal Horticultural Hall, London from May 7-12. Quite a number of philatelic souvenirs were produced, including special stamps and a set of six illustrated postcards. However, there was also the first Autogiro flight that carried mail, commemorated by flying a number of cards. |
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| Autogiro Pilot |
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One of the 2,000 postcards flown by autogiro, on the occassion of the
Apex Air Post Exhibition, held in London, May 7-12, 1934 |
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This was organised by John S. Davis, Aerophilatelist, of 71 Rodney Street, Liverpool. He was already a pilot of fixed wing light aircraft, but he hoped to gain his license to fly an autogiro aircraft. However, he did not finish the weekend course, run by the Cierva Autogiro Co Ltd. In a letter of April 19, he explained to Mr. R.A.C. Brie, Flying Manager of Cierva, that he hoped to continue with the course, gaining his license by early May. He also said that during the exhibition he would offer free passenger flights to customers who spent over a certain amount of money with him. Mr. Brie was not keen on this, and suggested that he would pilot the craft himself for a dicounted fee of 7/6d per flight.
Shortly after this, John Davis had the idea to fly a number of post cards that would be marked 'carried by Autogiro'. Mr Brie, slightly nervously, took this suggestion to his management, and whilst accepting Mr. Davis's word that it would be quite legal, it 'would be to sail rather close to the regulations'. Davis was not deterred, and entered into a correspondence with the Post Master General on April 25, asking if carrying postcards by an aircraft and then posting them to himself would break the Post Office Monopoly regulations. The Secretary's Office, GPO, replied on April 27, asking: 'Whether you wish first to distribute the printed cards to other persons for message or other particulars to be written thereon and later to convey the cards by aeroplane on their behalf'. On April 28, back went another letter with a sketch of the proposed design of the cards, and including more information on his intentions. The GPO replied on April 30 (those were the days!), stating no objections, plus a footnote in manuscript stating: 'The official blue air-mail label must only be used on cards sent by a Post Office Official Air Mail'.
On 7th May Mr. Davis wrote again to the PMG, stating that as he was unable to complete his flying course, he would only travelling as a passenger. The Postal Services Dept replied: 'No [objections] on the assumption that all the cards are actually sent by Mr. Davis'. On May 8, Davis sent a letter to the PMG, stating that the cards had been flown that day, and in order not to infringe the PMG's monopoly, he had attached a certain label! We illustrate the miniature sheet of these labels - they were printed se-tenant, possibly to create a more desirable souvenir.
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| Miniature sheet of four autogiro 'air-mail labels' printed se-tenant |
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