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UID:7746-1809608400-1809622800@home.rpsl.org.uk
SUMMARY:6 May 27 - Middle East and India Airmails
DESCRIPTION:by Laurence Kimpton \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLaurence Kimpton\n\n\n\n\n\nAirmails across the Middle East and India\, 1918-1932\n\n\n\n by Laurence Kimpton \n\n\n\nThe Middle East occupied a strategic location in the early development of air transport. The need to carry mail quickly and efficiently was a major incentive in the development of the air services from Europe to the Middle East\, India and beyond. At the end of the First World War the British Government was particularly concerned with improving communications to Iraq and India. The display begins with covers carried on the pioneer flights which crossed the Middle East in 1918 and 1919\, including those competing in the air race to Australia. It continues with mail\, from a variety of countries\, flown on the RAF Cairo-Baghdad Air Mail Service from 1921 to 1926 and mail carried on the competing Haifa-Baghdad Overland Mail Service. The development of regular air services by Imperial Airways\, at first from Cairo to Baghdad in 1927 and then to India from 1929 is then shown\, including covers flown on survey flights. The display also shows a variety of covers flown by rivals to Imperial Airways: by KLM from Amsterdam to the Dutch East Indies from 1924 and by the French airlines\, AULO and Air Orient from 1930. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn Persia\, the German Junkers company set up an airline\, Junkers Luftverkehr Persien\, which developed internal services\, including connections with Imperial Airways\, and an alternative route to Europe\, via Moscow. Covers flown on survey flights from 1924 and on regular services from 1928 are shown. Besides mail carried by the airlines\, the display includes mail flown by pioneer aviators\, mostly British\, Australian and French\, including Alan Cobham\, Bert Hinckler and Charles Kingsford Smith. Some pioneer pilots were involved in developing air routes\, but most were aiming to set distance and time records or were just seeking adventure. Besides showing covers\, the display also includes ephemera: postcards\, post office notices and documents\, press photographs and photographs printed from original negatives dating from 1919 and 1920. The display ends in late 1932 by which time regular air services by the United Kingdom\, Netherlands and France to Asia had been established and experimental airline flights had been made to Australia.Long Title \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCover flown by the Handley Page V/1500  Old Carthusian from Bandar Abbas\, Persia\, to Karachi on the first flight from England to India\, January 1919.\n\n\n\n\n\nCover to Khartoum from General Headquarters\, British Forces in Iraq\, flown on the RAF Baghdad-Cairo Air Mail Service\, September 1922.\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistered cover to the Anglo-Persian Oil Company\, Baghdad\, posted in London\, October 1923. Flown on the RAF Cairo-Baghdad Air Mail Service.Franked £1 7s 4d\, the rate for a packet weighing 2 pounds 10 ounces (2½d postage for first ounce\, 1½d postage for each of the subsequent 41 ounces\, 6d x42 airmail fee\, 3d registration\, 9d late fee).\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPresident’s Programme 2026-2027 \n\n\n\nDateTimePresenterTitleReport10 Sep 261 pmRoyal CollectionMaterial from the Collection of His Majesty the King10 Sep 2624 Sep 261 pmSam ChiuExhibiting and Collecting Chinese Postal History\, Specializing in Cities8 Oct 261 pmBill HedleyThe Republic of Venice\, 1200-179729 Oct 261 pmThe Postal History Society Display to celebrate 90 years of the Postal History Society5 Nov 261 pmHugh FeldmanBritain’s Mail Coach Era 1784 – 184019 Nov 261 pmRex DixonAxis expansion in Europe from the 1935 Saar plebiscite through to Stalingrad10 Dec 264 pmPeter ChadwickEarly postal routes and Post Offices of Scotland17 Dec 261 pmAtef SarianEgypt14 Jan 271 pmThames Valley Philatelic FederationGroup Display by members from the Thames Valley Philatelic Federation28 Jan 274 pmDarryl FullerThe Revenues of the State of Israel11 Feb 271 pmChris HarmanThe work of Perkins\, Bacon – Security Printers – Bank Notes and Stamps – 1819 to the 1880s25 Feb 271 pmWest Indies Philatelic Study GroupGroup Display by the West Indies Philatelic Study Group4 Mar 274 pmAdriano BergaminiTwo important parts of the Austrian Empire: Croatia and Czechia11 Mar 271 pmBo IvanovicBritish Post Offices Abroad25 Mar 274 pmAngelo TerruziThe postal relations between the Kingdom of Sardinia/Italy and the Austrian Empire8 Apr 274 pmJan BergPre-colonial Samoa22 Apr 274 pmTerje HeskestadThe Evolution of the Norwegian Postal System\, 1719 to GPU6 May 271 pmLaurence KimptonAirmails across the Middle East and India\, 1918-193220 May 271 pmRailway Philatelic GroupDisplay by the Railway Philatelic Group3 Jun 271 pmPresidentDominica17 Jun 271 pmJack ZhangAspects of Great Britain Postal History with Focus on Sir Rowland Hill and the Penny Black24 Jun 27 Annual General Meeting 8 Jul 27 Devonshire Bowl \n\n\n\nLast updated 17 Aug 2026 \n\n\n\nMembers Meeting Documents – Slides\, Handouts and Videos \n\nJoin Today …
URL:https://home.rpsl.org.uk/event/5-may-27-middle-east-and-india-airmails/
LOCATION:The Royal Philatelic Society London\, 15 Abchurch Lane\, London\, EC4N 7BW\, United Kingdom
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