| Date | 24 September 2010 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0106 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
First airmail ever got a Royal stamp of approval
How Windsor experiment made aviation and postal history.
ALMOST 100 years ago, shortly after the Coronation of King George V, a unique experiment took place which brought Windsor to the centre stage in both aviation and postal history.
As part of the Coronation festivities, it was suggested that a series of flights be set up to deliver mail from Hendon Aerodrome to Windsor in September 1911. This can be regarded as the first scheduled airmail service in England.
This was not the first aerial service in the world; that honour fell to the French, who ran a ‘balloon mail’ service during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.
Shortly before the event, special posting boxes were set up in Windsor and also in London in some of the large department stores such as Harrods, Arding and Hobbs and Selfridges and also at the Hendon Aerodrome. One of the original posting boxes still exists in the Windsor and Royal Borough Museum collection.
Envelopes were colour-coded, with violet ones being for VIPs and not for the general public. The ones sent by the general public were olive green, scarlet and brown.
Also included among the post was a letter to HM the King from the Graham White Aviation Company, together with a packet of 100 Turkish cigarettes from a West End firm of tobacco blenders.
A large crowd of invited guests and public gathered at Hendon Aerodrome on Saturday, September 9, 1911 to witness the first flight of the aerial post.
Because of the inclement weather, only one bag containing the privileged mail of purple covers was carried in the plane. At 4.58 pm, pilot Gustav Hamel made history and took off in his Bleriot aircraft from the airfield and completed a 21-mile journey in 15 minutes.The plane was supposed to land on the east lawn of Windsor Castle where a huge crowd had gathered. Due to the fierce winds Hamel was blown off course and landed a little beyond the castle at Shaw Farm Meadow, not far from the Frogmore Mausoleum.
Hamel was escorted to the east lawn of Windsor Castle by Lord Fairfax, a director of the London Aerodrome, and cyclist postman ‘Kersley’.
Hamel then handed over the mail bag to the Postmaster of Windsor, Mr A.A’Vard, and the mail was taken to Windsor Post Office for sorting and despatch to London. After a brief stay, Hamel flew back to Hendon.
During the two weeks that followed, some 130,000 cards were flown between Hendon and Windsor.
A momentous occasion in both Windsor and national history.
PAR AVION: Gustav Hamel and his Bleriot aeroplane in Shaw Farm Meadow; below, violet VIP aerial postal cover.
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