Superb display
ON Thursday, November 23, members of the Loughborough & District Philatelic Society were privileged to witness a superb talk and display by Laurence Kimpton, who had travelled from Doridge, (near Solihull), to present his display titled “Across the Middle East”.
Apart from being an eminent philatelist, he is author of a book “Airmails Across the Middle East 1918-1930”. This is regarded in philatelic circles as being the most important handbook of the area.
Laurence said that he had originally become interested in first-flights to Australia, but when he bought a large amount of material covering the middle east, he decided to study this field.
He said his ‘display title’ was slightly different than his books title as the material he was going to display included other methods used to get mail across the middle east.
His first sheets consisted of a first Survey flight to S. Africa by Alan Cobham in November 1925. The second was a Survey flight cover to Australia by A DE Haviland, in 1926, that was fitted with floats so that it could land on the Thames on the return journey. Both sheets not only showed the covers, but photographs of the planes used and the pilots flying them.
His next set of sheets included a variety of flown covers including one to India with a special flight cachet, another from Britain to Bagdad, then on by bus to its destination. Malta apparently being the first country to provide a special stamp for airmails during the late 1920’s.
In 1929 a full airmail service to India from London was established. Gradually other airmail flights from many prominent Middle East capitals, came into being. Laurence showing photographs, covers, cards and stamps to illustrate each first flight e.g. Bagdad to Cairo, where Calcutta Flying boats were used to cross the Mediterranean, these included a crashed mail when a Flying-boat hit a reef on landing.
A first flight cover from India to London in 1929 was displayed. Laurence said that not all mail was taken to its destination by plane. Mail delivered to Bagdad had to be transported across the desert by camel.
In 1923 a Gerald Norman Nairn formed a company – “Nairn Transport Services”, where he provided buses, not only to convey the public, but to be used to transport mail to outlying towns, villages and post offices that were isolated from the normal transport system. Here Laurence produced a route the buses took. Thus, ended the first half.
In the second half, Laurence concentrated on mail deliveries after the end of WWI.
He said that Britain was well established in Egypt and had advance up into Syria via Palestine and Israel. However most of the mail had to go through France, across the Mediterranean and onto Bombay. To improve the service, flights were made in Handley-Page bombers used during the war.
A first-flight cover at the end of 1918 and signed by the pilot (Capt. Ross Smith), was displayed, together with the pilot and the aircraft used. He also displayed mail carried from Bagdad to Cairo, with a cachet “Civil Post Iraq”.
Sometimes it was necessary for mail to finish its journey by ship and Laurence displayed many items showing the cachets used on the covers, also, he included a photograph or picture postcard of the vessels used.
Also, during the early part of the service, some mail had to be carried by car. Many covers dated 1924 were displayed showing special Motor Mail labels.
During 1925/6 routes were altered across the desert, due to disputes with France. British Overland labels were used on covers during this period.
Some Postage Due stamps were shown on covers. In 1929, with more airports being opened, the main overland mail routes were abolished. However, tourism was becoming popular in the middle east and Laurence showed a photograph of a 36-seater articulated bus (a Marman Herrington), used in 1930, that was designed to carry not only tourists but to carry mail.
The service lasted until the 1950s! Finally, Laurence produced a miscellany of covers from the late 1920-30s showing German overland mail covers. Mail carried on the Simplon Orient Express and a rail cover of 1940 from Turkey to Bagdad. WWII interrupted the service due to the various military campaigns.
His last item was a 1950 picture postcard showing a Nairn Pullman articulated bus, similar to the one used during the 30s, but much larger. Brian Phipps, who gave a vote-ofthanks on behalf of the Society’s members, said that we had all been privileged to witness such a wonderful display of material, never seen before and of such rarity.
He congratulated Laurence on his talk that flowed with ease and reflected his great knowledge of the subject. A really, really wonderful evening.
The next meeting will be on Thursday, December 14, when it will be the society’s Christmas Social evening. Members are asked to bring along not only their displays on a Christmas theme, but plenty of eats too. RFT.