In a recent Grosvenor auction I purchased a group of 8 railway adhesive covers for an 1894 use to Belgium the lot contained. When I received the lot the attached (unmentioned) 1933 GWR airmail cover was included along with a couple others from the first GWR flight. A quick check online to figure out more I found a an article by A. Phillips about the flight here: https://www.gbintairmail.com/gwr%20phillips.htm
The sixth paragraph of the March 1935 portion of the article concludes with this sentence: "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) 12-4-133 First Flight and Service' - a rarity indeed"
Do others exist?
Comments obtained from our President Peter Lister (also the expert on GB airmails):
I have been collecting British Internal airmails since 1970 and have never seen a to and from cover, this may be the one referred to.
It is not in the GWR collection at Swindon (the King collection of GWR material) as I helped him to put the Airmail section together. Neither is it in the Airmail collections now held in the British Library, and I have not seen it in any major auction sales since the early 70s.
The best reference books are Airmails of the British Isles by H Stanley Redgrove printed 1940 (pages 9-12) and Railway Air Services by John Stroud (pages 25-29) ISBN 0-7110-1743-3.
Analysis
1) Cover franked 1½d internal postage (correct)
2) Cover Cardiff Registration label and blue lines thus 3d, paid 2 x 1½d on reverse (correct)
3) All stamps cancelled by Registered Cardiff oval obliteration (correct)
4) Plymouth violet Handstamp on front of cover is correct for the typewritten First Flight ….. to Newport, and should not have a label as none were available there (correct)
5) The signature of Gordon Olley is Genuine
6) Most of the Newport covers are of the Typed version and not of the Printed type.
The questions now start to arise. The cover so far is a normal return flight cover from Plymouth with the addition of the registration that had been applied for posting in Cardiff for delivery to Newport.
The two 3d labels both have the North Road handstamp and manuscript timings, the 11.50 is for the plane at Haldon Airport. Thus, at best applied at receipt and cancelled by favour with the North Road cachet. The pencil markings are both from the same hand, most probably that of Phillips as he was the passenger. Also, as the covers were carried and posted at destination, thus the official GPO cancellations on the stamps are of Cardiff and applied after the flight.
Normally one would expect a destination address at Plymouth, crossed out and the return address applied, but due to only entering the postal system after flight the cover had to have been carried to Plymouth to be returned.
This statement also applies to all of the Plymouth-Cardiff covers but are not marked up as such. Remember that these are all souvenir items rather than commercial mail and have been produced and marketed for collectors.
My conclusion is, Yes it was carried both to and from but is a Phillips concoction re the 2nd 3d label. He was well known for having his own handstamps and supplying them to air companies, in particular the 1934 Apex and the 1937 Jersey airways covers, for which I had his correspondence confirming that he applied the cachets after the flights and in various colours.
Dear Mr Lister - Thank you so much for your informative response. The other two airmail covers in the same lot are imaged below.
Two additional questions/ thoughts if I may as I am totally ignorant on this stuff.
1. The signed cover is a registered use. Are other registered uses known?
2. Is the "Victor Bosman" address at Hove on one of the extra covers a "known" airmail collector of the era? I ask because it might identify the person who owned the cover after Phillips because it came from the same lot in the auction.
Thank you!
Both covers are of the outward flight, with 3d stamp and correctly hand stamped and posted on arrival. They are of the Printed type. Regarding Boseman he is a known airmail collector of the 1980s and if my memory is correct tended towards Balloon mail. As you are also aware the GWR service is collected by railway enthusiast as well as "airmail" people. Please feel free to contact me on 07825 137664 if you require any further advice on British Internal Airmails.
Regards Peter
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