My slowly growing Tasman Empire Airways Ltd TEAL collection

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 25 Mar 2013 13:27

Good morning 'boarders,

I have been collecting TEAL off-and-on for nearly 5 years now and thought I'd share what I have so far. I'm missing many pieces but am enjoying the hunt.

To start with, TEAL obtained the first of their two Short S30 Empire Class flying boats in August 1939. The Aotearoa flew various survey flights until it was joined by the Awarua in April 1940. This was when the trans-Tasman service was inaugurated.

The Aotearoa

The last leg of the delivery, from Sydney to Auckland, contained no official mail however there was a small unofficial mail to commemorate the arrival. My rather toned copy below is signed by John Burgess, the pilot. It has been cancelled three days after it arrived (and the day before WW2 began).

If anyone is interested, the link below will take you to a diary of the delivery trip by Gerald Brown, who went along to look after the ship's new auto-pilot system (affectionately known as "George"). It's not a long read but captures the romance of the journey well;

https://friendsofthesolentflyingboat.wordpress.com/zk-ama-delivery-flight/

Cheers,

Ewen

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 25 Mar 2013 14:43

With the advent of war Britain began to back-track on the promised three flying boats and felt one was adequate for the initial trans-Tasman service. The fledgling TEAL held out and through the NZ government pressured Britain into releasing a second, the Awarua. Unfortunately the delay meant that the service could not be introduced and the Aotearoa spent the remainder of 1939 surveying the trans-Tasman route, and also made survey flights to Fiji and Tonga.

The cover below is AAMC 879b and is one of 25 carried on the survey flight between Fiji and Tonga (which was also Fiji's first external airmail). It would be another ten years before the Coral Route was introduced and TEAL began flying regular mails thorugh to the South Pacific.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 25 Mar 2013 15:29

This is where I should be showing the other survey covers followed by the delivery flight of the Awarua. As I don't have any examples of these (yet) I'll skip on to the inauguration of the trans-Tasman service, April 1940.

I look forward to the day where I quote this post and add my missing flights in

Global Administrator · Post by **Global Administrator** » 25 Mar 2013 15:47

Ewen .. a fascinating sideline and look forward to see it unfold!

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 10:41

Thanks Glen, it may be a long journey - I have somewhere around 50 different flights out of the 250 that I believe are out there and collectable (to me)

The trans-Tasman service was inaugurated on the 30th of April when the Aotearoa flew from Mechanics Bay, Auckland to Rose Bay, Sydney. Catalogued at $100 each in the AAMC (#899) these examples below are more in the $5 to $10 range.

This flight can be easily spotted from the purple catchet applied to all mail. It is one of the few flights where I actively collect different postcards and envelopes - why you may ask? Well, the fun of collecting is in finding things that are similar and belong together, and then enjoying the differences between them

(yes, the quality leaves a little to be desired, and the iphone photo's on the kitchen bench at night are not at all flattering)

AAMC #899;

And again AAMC #899. Note the change from "New Zealand/England" to "Auckland/London". I have no idea if one is scarcer but am planning to do a little census at some stage.

And a long cover of the same type (love the NZ airmail stamps);

Another on to England, censored;

More to come...

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 10:44

Some more examples of AAMC #899;

The one below is the only example I have seen of this postcard. If anyone knows of any literature in regards to the different makers of these cards I would love to hear about it.

One more to come I think...

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 10:47

And a last different cover for AAMC #899. This one has performed a wee tour of Australasian Dead Letter Offices so I'll include a pic of the back;

Next up, the return flight...

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 11:00

The return flight, AAMC #900, occured on the 2nd of May, 1940. No catchet was applied.

This example is pilot-signed by Burgess and addressed to Hudson Fysh, one of the founders of Qantas Empire Airways and Tasman Empire Airways. I obtained it from Rod Perry and inside was the letter to Fysh;

The text of the letter is as follows;

"This is just a little note to congratulate you on the inauguration of the Trans-Tasman service. No doubt much of the developmental work has fallen on your shoulders. Charleville to Auckland and no friend Kennedy to see your success? Keep your end up and again most hearty congratulations from self and Mrs Parker."

The reference to Kennedy is in regards to the first passenger on the 1922 Qantas flight from Charleville to Longreach, 84 year old Alexander Kennedy

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 11:10

And to finish off the firsl flight(s) of the Aotearoa here is AAMC #900a

Described as a "special postcard... first flown & signed by Ulm for the Dec.1933 Trans-Tasman flight of "Faith in Australia" - AAMC.348... carried by TEAL Flying Boat "Aotearoa" on the same route; signed by Captain Burgess and crew"

There were around 300 of these of which a large portion were re-flown on various flights in the 1930's. This example is also signed by Ulm.

Cheers,

Ewen S

Brummie · Post by **Brummie** » 26 Mar 2013 11:48

I don't want to ruin your thread by commenting but I just have to say what a pleasure it is to see, perfect!

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 12:26

Brummie wrote:I don't want to ruin your thread by commenting but I just have to say what a pleasure it is to see, perfect!

Thanks Brummie and any comments are appreciated!

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 14:33

ewen s wrote: And a long cover of the same type (love the NZ airmail stamps);

Another on to England, censored;

In the interests of accuracy these two covers are still AAMC #899 but are catalogued separately in the NZ Airmail Catalogue (Stapleton) as 212b. For future posts I’ll include both AAMC and NZAMC numbers

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 16:08

On the 6th of May 1940 the Awarua, sister ship to the Aotearoa, made her maiden Tasman crossing carrying official mail.

While the first mail for the Aotearoa is overpriced in my opinion, the mail for the Awarua is very scarce as no cachet was applied. I have seen only about a dozen and all mailed by Crome – a commercial example would be quite desirable.

The two flying boats made once-weekly trips across the Tasman until August when the service was increased to 3 fortnightly trips.

The cover below is AAMC #900aa/NZAMC #212f. The year 1940 was NZ’s centennial year and I like the solo usage of the 5d Centennial complete with the Centennial Exhibition postmark. This example is signed by the pilots Captain Oscar Garden and C. Griffiths.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 16:09

The return flight to NZ was made the same day and is catalogued as AAMC #900ab and NZAMC #212g. I’ve included two examples from my collection below – I nearly had my greedy fingers on a third example (exactly the same but with a pair of plate #3’s) however when I went to order it the dealer couldn’t find it in stock. Ach well, it will turn up again one day.

Cheers,

Ewen S

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 16:10

I will quote this post one day and show AAMC #900ac, a re-flown Ulm postcard, when I have my own example to show.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 16:23

It's probably time to point out a few sites that have been really helpful to me in collecting and collating the infomation on these flights.

NZ Stamp Images has all the background info for a lot of these NZ flights (also NZ's internal mails and their postage stamps). It is run by one of our members here - rgc119 (Bob). The link below will be helpful to anyone interested in any aspect of NZ philately;

http://www.nzstamps.org.uk/

Air NZ also has a great little history write-up going back to their days as TEAL and I've included the link below;

http://static.airnewzealand.com/assets/PDFs/history.pdf

A lot of info on NZ flights can also be found here (the link will not take you to the home page, rather the page from 1934 onwards - my interests

)

http://www.airmailsnz.com/page8a.htm

The "friends of the solent flying boat" site has PDF's of TEAL's newsletter the "Tealagram". This is a great reference for early TEAL info (this is the same site that has the delivery diary for the Aotearoa)

http://friendsofthesolentflyingboat.wordpress.com/tealagrams/

If I've missed any major sites please feel free to quote this post and add them in

Cheers,

Ewen S

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 17:05

The next ones I’d be showing (if I had them) would be NZAMC 212a/b. These were the first despatches on the Horseshoe Route which was a wartime emergency route through Africa. I do know the UK – NZ leg crossed the Tasman by way of the Awarua and left England on the 11/06/1940. I do not know when it arrived in NZ or the return date (other than it arrived back in the UK on the 23/07/1940).

The hunt for missing information is almost as enjoyable as the hunt for the covers themselves.

Again, I will one day quote this post and show my missing covers.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 17:20

The next few items complete the 1940 first flights of TEAL (and their first year of operations). Their first annual report (March 31, 1941) revealed that 130 trans-Tasman flights had been completed, 174,200 miles flown and 1461 passengers carried. Not to mention a profit (prior to taxation and dividends) of £31,479.

TEAL flew the connecting flights for Pan American Airways on their inauguration of the USA – NZ route. The inwards flight is AAMC 905a/NZAMC 214a of which I do not have an example.

I do however have a couple of examples of AAMC 905/NZAMC 215e which were sent from Australia to the USA via TEAL’s trans-Tasman service. I class this as another TEAL first flight;

And the ever-present re-flown Ulm postcard;

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 26 Mar 2013 17:25

That's all for now folks.

I am awaiting delivery of some nice TEAL covers from Michael Eastick and North Shore Stamps and will continue where I've left off when they are received.

Next up will be mails relating to the introduction of TEAL’s ill-fated replacement aircraft, the Short S25 Sandringham Mk.4 Flying Boat.

Global Administrator · Post by **Global Administrator** » 30 Mar 2013 03:59

Listed this up today for sale for $70 -

1940 WW2 Inaugural Trans Tasman Flying Boat Boomerang FFC

1940 Tasman Empire Airways WW2 CENSORED Inaugural Trans-Tasman Flying Boat Boomerang FFC

In 35 years of dealing do not recall ever owning one of these – they are NOT common at all.

CENSORED airmail cover – expensive at 1/4d when postage was 2d, (8 times) and a 1/4d KGVI – a John Ash corner imprint copy no less, and then 10d of NZ 1940 Centennials for the return.

2 Different Wellington May 3 cds on reverse. 73 years old now.

Eustis/AAMC 899/900 Cat $100 + $100 = $200. Eye catching cover.

Post by **gavin-h** » 30 Mar 2013 04:56

Here's a link to the sale thread...

http://stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=44925

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 03 Apr 2013 18:42

Nice Glen, haven't seen one before. Am guessing the purple cachet must be on the back of the cover, not the front which is also unusual 8)

Next up in this catalogue of flights I don't yet have are the initial flights of the wartime Horseshoe Route. These would have occured around the same time (June/July 1940) of the PAA flights above and are catalogued as 212a and 212b in Stapleton. There is a bit of conjecture about the dates however it seems to have been the Awarua which flew the connnecting flights across the Tasman.

I'll quote from NZ Stamp Images which puts it better than I could;

After Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940, mail could no longer be flown between Alexandria (Egypt) and the UK via the Mediterranean. Air mail that was in transit and had still to cross the Mediterranean was 'dumped' and sent by surface, usually via the Cape.

The trans-Tasman, the Australia - Alexandria and the Cairo - South Africa airmail services were still possible. The result was the Horseshoe Route whereby mail was flown from Auckland to Sydney and from there by the normal Eastern Route via Singapore and India to Cairo. From Cairo, it was flown to Durban in South Africa and from there to the UK by sea

The link below will take you to a map and a few images which make me rather jealous;

http://www.nzstamps.org.uk/air/teal/hshoe.html

Once again, if anyone has anything to add please feel free to jump right in!

Cheers,

Ewen

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 14 Apr 2013 15:54

Next up I should be showing delivery and first trans-Tasman flights for the new "Tasman" class flying boats in 1946. These were Short S25 Sandringham Mk 4's and were specially designed for the crossing of the Tasman Sea. They were ordered by TEAL to replace the Empire class S30's. I don't have any of these yet so will move along.

The next TEAL cover I have to share is a special flight made from Auckland to Suva on the 23rd of February 1948. Is is #321a in the NZAMC but I can't find any references as to why this flight was made.

I love the artwork on this cover, both the plane and pouwhenua, the Maori totem on each side. Note how the colour of the franking matches the printed colours of the cover

Cheers,

Ewen

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 14 Apr 2013 16:06

On the same day as the Fiji flight above, the 23rd of Feb 1948, TEAL withdrew the Sandringhams from service due to engine faults. They chartered aircraft to maintain their trans-Tasman service until they re-introduced the Sandringhams, along with reduced passenger number restrictions, in June.

These are 13 different dates catalogues in the NZAMC, #322 a - m. This is the first below, flown on a Douglas DC-4 chartered from TAA;

This first one has handwritten instructions for the Postmaster on the reverse. I'm not sure but it looks like Douglas Walker has signed off as the Sydney Postmaster's "Dad"?

Cheers,

Ewen

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 14 Apr 2013 16:12

And some more provisional flights from the interim period;

Cheers,

Ewen

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 14 Apr 2013 16:32

September 1949 saw TEAL introduce the last fleet of flying boats. These were Short S45 Solents, a civilian variation of the Sunderland. These planes serviced the trans-Tasman route until 1954, and the Coral route to 1960.

NZAMC #358a, first trans-Tasman service of the Ararangi

NZAMC #358b, first trans-Tasman service of the Awatere

NZAMC #358d, first trans-Tasman service of the Aotearoa II

The Aotearoa II was the flagship and was christened in Belfast by the then Princess Elizabeth

I am missing #358c. the Aranui

Cheers,

Ewen

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 15 Apr 2013 12:36

October 3rd, 1950

NZAMC 369a, AAMC 1255

NZ’s capital (and greatest city) Wellington was added to the trans-Tasman route. Captain C. Griffiths flew from Evans Bay, Wellington to Rose Bay, Sydney in either the Ararangi (according to the NZAMC and the Air NZ website) or in the Aranui (according to the AAMC). TEAL began with a twice-weekly service.

The cover below is from this flight (some covers produced show “Solvent” as the aircraft

)

The Solents operated out of Wellington through to 1954 when TEAL switched to land planes. As Wellington had no runway of sufficient length it fell off the route until 1960 when Wellington Airport was completed.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 15 Apr 2013 12:53

October 18th – 20th, 1950

NZAMC 374b, AAMC 1264

On this date Harewood Aerodrome in Christchurch was dedicated as an international airport. Sharp observers may notice that the cachet bears no resemblance to a Solent flying boat. This is because TEAL chartered a Lockheed Constellation from Qantas in order to make an early flight.

The AAMC states that TEAL used a DC6 and a Constellation for these flights but I can find no reference elsewhere to a DC6 – if anyone has any further info please feel free to chime in.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 15 Apr 2013 13:01

And while the cover above is paying the correct rate I am still a sucker for a full set on cover, however philatelic it may be. The full set of Canterbury centennial stamps is very common on covers carried on this flight and can be picked up for a couple of bucks, but still looks a beauty to me.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 15 Apr 2013 13:37

June 28th, 1951

NZAMC 381a, AAMC 1274

TEAL chartered a Douglas DC-4 from QANTAS to inaugurate the weekly Melbourne to Christchurch service

I have shown the OHMS cover below elsewhere on these ‘boards. This one has been prepared especially for the NZ Post Office by the Australian Post Office (PMG) and I’ve not seen another like it.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 15 Apr 2013 13:38

June 29th, 1951

NZAMC 381b, AAMC 1275

And the return flight from Christchurch to Melbourne, this example prepared by Arthur Bergen.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 15 Apr 2013 13:39

Here is another example of the new Melbourne to Christchurch route.

I am not sure how to catalogue this one. There is a number for Mel – ChCh – Mel but not for Chch – Mel – Chch.

The sender wrote the address in pencil to facilitate later removal.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 15 Apr 2013 13:41

And a final example sent from Christchurch to Wellington by way of Melbourne

A picture of the reverse showing the BNZ logo

Next up is the introduction of the “Coral Route”, one of the more romantic air-routes ever flown

Lakatoi 4 · Post by **Lakatoi 4** » 15 Apr 2013 22:02

Ewen, have you seen this one for the Aotearoa

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 00:46

Lakatoi 4 wrote:Ewen, have you seen this one for the Aotearoa

Hi Tony, that's a new one to me. I do keep kind of an image library of others I don't have and have added this to them.

I am still surprised by how many different covers were produced for that flight. I guess it must have been around the peak of the privately produced cover era. Also, the trans-Tasman service was planned then delayed for so long that it gave people plenty of time to get ready.

Nice cover

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 11:54

27th December, 1951

NZAMC 389 a – f

After making proving flights to the South Pacific the previous month (NZAMC 385 a – f) TEAL inaugurated its Coral Route service.

The flights carried passengers and mail from Auckland to Papeete in Tahiti via Suva (Fiji) and the beautiful Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. The Solent could take about 45 passengers on their two decks and was really an exclusive service for the wealthy including silver service, powder rooms and an onboard chef who cooked meals to order.

The pic below is of Aitutaki. The island in the middle is Motu Akaiami which was the site of TEAL’s terminus.

The pic below is of the Aranui at Aitutaki. You can still see the Aranui all restored at Auckland’s MOTAT museum.

And finally on to the mail!

The air letter below is an example of NZAMC 389c and was carried by the Aparima on the inaugural service.

Someone has noted “no authority number” on the back – if anyone has any further info on this then please let me know

In 1953, over this route, TEAL became the first commercial airliner to carry a member of the royal family, Queen Elizabeth II, who journeyed in one of the Solent’s from Suva to Lautoka and return, and then on to Tonga.

The development of the Coral Route set TEAL on the path to becoming the international airline that Air NZ is today.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 11:55

And a cover of the same, NZAMC 389c. Were it not addressed to James Stapleton (whose catalogue numbers I keep referring to) then it would almost seem commercial!

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 12:27

11th August, 1953

NZAMC 412a

On this date the Coral Route was extended to include Nukualofa, Tonga. This was the second extension having already included Samoa in October, 1952.

While I know this was flown in a Solent, I don’t know which one or who the pilot was.

A quick note of thanks to both Michael Eastick and to Glyn at North Shore Stamps who have provided a lot of these covers (and most of them for around the $10 mark or even less).

patg · Post by **patg** » 16 Apr 2013 13:22

ewen s wrote:27th December, 1951

NZAMC 389 a – f

After making proving flights to the South Pacific the previous month (NZAMC 385 a – f) TEAL inaugurated its Coral Route service.

The flights carried passengers and mail from Auckland to Papeete in Tahiti via Suva (Fiji) and the beautiful Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. The Solent could take about 45 passengers on their two decks and was really an exclusive service for the wealthy including silver service, powder rooms and an onboard chef who cooked meals to order.

The pic below is of Aitutaki. The island in the middle is Motu Akaiami which was the site of TEAL’s terminus.

The pic below is of the Aranui at Aitutaki. You can still see the Aranui all restored at Auckland’s MOTAT museum.

And finally on to the mail!

The air letter below is an example of NZAMC 389c and was carried by the Aparima on the inaugural service.

Someone has noted “no authority number” on the back – if anyone has any further info on this then please let me know

In 1953, over this route, TEAL became the first commercial airliner to carry a member of the royal family, Queen Elizabeth II, who journeyed in one of the Solent’s from Suva to Lautoka and return, and then on to Tonga.

The development of the Coral Route set TEAL on the path to becoming the international airline that Air NZ is today.

Ewen,
Thanks much for the post and pictures. Up until now, for me, "Aitutaki" was an overprint on a few dusty old stamps.

Best to you and your growing collection,
patg

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 13:52

Thanks patg.

The wife and I are planning to visit friends in Rarotonga next year and I’m going to have to include Aitutaki.

Paramount Chief Queen Manarangi Tutai (well, queen of one half of the atoll) owns a lodge there next to the old TEAL wharf. I hear she is a bit of a history buff on TEAL and remembers the flying boats from when she was a girl. Now that would be a place to stay!

http://www.ginasaitutakidesire.com/the_teal_story_-_by_queen_manarangi.htm

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 15:12

29th – 30th June, 1954

NZAMC 430 a - e, AAMC 1348 – 1349

TEAL finally introduced land planes to its Auckland – Sydney service in May, 1954. In June the twice-weekly Christchurch to Sydney service was included and it is mails from this service that I have examples of.

TEAL had wanted Douglas DC’s for some time; in fact they were the preference prior to the ill-fated Sandringhams. However, due to NZ, Australia and Britain all having at least a portion of their airlines state-owned, pressure was placed from a ministerial level to “buy British”. This and the fact that TEAL saw the need to expand its Pacific service to places without runways (and NZ having only Whenuapai Airport until the 50’s) meant that flying boats were still used.

The examples below are from the Christchurch to Sydney service. These were all flown in the Aotearoa III, a Douglas DC-6 under the command of J. Bonnington and J.R. McGrane.

First example from Christchurch to Sydney and on to South Australia;

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 15:13

Another example from the same flight to Australia but then sent on to Canada. I am not up to the stage where I have reference material to say what connecting flights it went on (yet).

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 15:13

This example was sent from Christchurch to Lower Hutt via Sydney. I don’t have the date handy when the charge for mail across “the Ditch” increased from 5d to 6d but I believe this is correctly franked. This is not a “boomerang” cover; those are only Syd – ChCh – Syd.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 15:14

And finally, one from Christchurch to Sydney and then returned back to Christchurch.

Does anyone have any info on the relative scarcity of the different coloured cachets

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 17:30

14th October, 1958

NZAMC 492, AAMC 1395

A bit of a jump from the last post. In the last four years (of which I have no examples) TEAL introduced the DC 6 to the Christchurch – Melbourne route, replaced NAC as the regular service provider from Auckland to Norfolk Island, made their 1000th Tasman crossing, carried 4000 people over the Tasman for the Melbourne Olympics and trialled a DC 6 service from Auckland to Melbourne!

Like I say, I have a lot of covers to collect and even more to research (which is a great thing)

This flight celebrates the 30th anniversary of Charles Kingsford-Smith’s first trans-Tasman crossing in the Southern Cross.

Shown below is a souvenir “two way” folder produced by the Australian and New Zealand Air Leagues and flown Sydney - Christchurch – Sydney. This was flown on the regular scheduled DC 6 flight.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 17:40

4th July, 1959

NZAMC 500a-b, AAMC 1404-1405

TEAL inaugurated their Auckland – Brisbane service with the return flight the same day. This mail was flown in the Arahia, a Douglas DC 6.

If anyone is interested the link below will take you to a place where you can read the old TEAL monthly staff publication; the Tealagram. These ran from September 1955 through to the end of TEAL in March 1965. If checking them out please be patient - they do take a while to load

https://friendsofthesolentflyingboat.wordpress.com/tealagrams/

Next up will be mails relating to the introduction of TEAL's next and last fleet - the Lockheed L.188 Electra.

Post by **gavin-h** » 16 Apr 2013 18:42

ewen s wrote:I'm not sure but it looks like Douglas Walker has signed off as the Sydney Postmaster's "Dad"?

Ewen,

Would it be "DAW" - the initials of Douglas A Walker? Initialling was a pretty common form of signing in those days.

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 16 Apr 2013 19:37

You are right there Gavin - the lower case "a" had me perplexed but it does match his middle initial below and the "w" has the same tail. Thanks for clearing it up for me

rgc119 · Post by **rgc119** » 17 Apr 2013 02:35

Hi
I found this a very interesting thread on TEAL flights and thanks for the kind comments on my New Zealand Stamp Images website. One of my main interests is what happened in June 1940 when Italy entered the war and the route through the Mediterranean was closed.

My web page at http://www.stampboards.com/images/nzstamps/air/empire/jj1940.html has some trans-Tasman mails that went on the last through flights to/from Britain in early June. It also has a couple of covers that were sent from New Zealand in early June and were 'dumped' due to the suspension of air mail services and completed their journey by sea.

New Zealand was very late in sending mail by the Horseshoe route with the first departure connecting with the sixth flight from Sydney.

Mail from the UK that was posted in the middle of June was sent via the USA and did not go on the first Horseshoe flight.

If any of you are in Scotland this weekend, the ASPS Scottish Congress is taking place at the Dewar's Centre in Perth (Friday 19th / Saturday 20th April). I have an entry in the Congress competition titled Disruption to BOAC Airmails in June 1940 that includes covers flown trans-Tasman in June 1940. Also, if anyone is at Congress on the Saturday, the British Air Mail Society are having a meeting at 12 noon and you are very welcome to attend (you do not need to be a British Air Mail Society member).
Bob

ewen s · Post by **ewen s** » 17 Apr 2013 10:43

All the best for your exhibit Bob, I hope you do well (and would love to see a page or two up here if you can).

Up until I acquired a couple of Crome covers in around 2008 I'd never taken an interest in airmails. I researched them and came across your site. Seeing what could be put together kind of inspired me to start collecting these and this is my work in progress.

I'd also like to get to the point where I could exhibit but I have a lot of research to do and a lot of gaps to fill first

The way I've shown them here is a little haphazard however I'm going to take it slow and am looking forward to learning a lot when I obtain the resources I need to examine routes, rate changes etc.

Ewen