North Eastern Airways - Airmails

North Eastern Airways was registered on 4th March 1935 and initially three Envoys were used for services initially linking Leeds (Yeadon) with London (Heston) and Newcastle. On May 27th of the same year the route was extended to Edinburgh using the RAF aerodrome at Turnhouse, but the service was short lived and closed with heavy losses after two months. It generated little interest as the 8 miles journey into the city often took as long as the journey from Newcastle. In July 1935 the company ceased operations and leased its fleet, but in August 1936 they announced a resumption of services although this did not happen until November 2 1936. rom November 2nd they offered a North-South service linking Croydon with Leeds, Newcastle and Perth. There was further expansion including a foray abroad. North Eastern Airways application, in October 1937, to the Post Office for a contract to carry mail was refused due to their short operational experience and the poor reliability of their service.

However, the Postmaster General's review in February 1938 found reliability to have improved and in September 1938 agreed to grant the airline a contract to carry mail from Perth to Croydon via Newcastle, Leeds, Bradford and Doncaster. On the 3rd of October 1938 the first flight to carry mail left Perth for Newcastle. From Newcastle mail was carried on another aircraft to Croydon via Yeadon and Doncaster. Vignettes were produced for use on mail carried on the inaugural flight, although their use was entirely optional. A. Phillips, an air mail dealer, bought the initial printing of 500 copies of each of the vignettes, consequently there was a second printing of 1500 copies of each. After the war, the business was bought by RAS before being nationalised in 1947. The mail was sent one way only from Northern towns to London. Working out first flights is an absolute nightmare and one for which I have no patience. Because some people would like to know the details, I have reprinted Redgrove’s long treatise in his chapter on North Eastern. That is a bit of a cop out, but it will have to do as I have nothing further to offer over what Redgrove has already stated.

North Eastern Airways First flights, 3rd October 1938.

First Flight. Perth to London. First printing

First Flight. Perth to London. Second printing.

First Flight. Doncaster to London.

First Flight. Doncaster to London. Purple cachet

First flight Newcsatle to London. Pilot signed

First flight Newcsatle to London. Blue cachet.

First Flight. Bradford to London.

First Flight. Leeds to London.

This cover shows the difficulties involved with this airline. This is addressed to Leeds and has a Leeds-Bradford cachet. To all intents it looks like it has been flown from Perth and offloaded at Leeds. However, it has flown to London and gone back to Leeds by road. The 8 a.m. postmark meets the flown criteria.

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The first and second printings of the Doncaster label. In the first printing the D of DONCASTER is nearer to the nose of the plane than the second printing. Also, the vertical stroke of F in FIRST overlaps the N of Doncaster but falls between the N & the C in the second printing.

This cover bears a vignette of the first printing but has not been flown. The date is too early and is not addressed to a London W. or home counties address.

Mail from Edinburgh was dispatched by rail to Newcastle where it was handed over to the AIrways for inclusion on the 10.00 a.m. flight to Croydon Aerodrome. It is known that mail postmarked 3-30 a.m. was flown but doubts exist about the 6 a.m. postmark. This cover was signed by flying officer D. Biotell-Gill.

This cover bears the North Eastern Airways label which is either a proof of the Dark blue printing or is from a sheet which missed the second stage of printing, the light blue. Very scarce.

British Internal Airmails of the 1930’s

First Flight. Perth to London. First printing

First Flight. Perth to London. Second printing.

First Flight. Doncaster to London.

First Flight. Doncaster to London. Purple cachet

Other First Day Covers

As well as the covers with the blue labels often seen are plain covers sent from the five starting towns to London. There are also envelopes with what appear to be home made cachets.

First flight Doncaster to London. Cachet.

First flight Perth to London. Plain Envelope.

First flight Bradford to London. Homemade cachet?

First flight Newcastle to London. Homemade cachet?

First Flight of new route via Grangemouth on the 16th April 1939

Redgrove wrote ‘The last conveyance of mail by Air from Bradford, Leeds and Doncaster to London took place on 15 April 1939 after which a modified timetable came into operation, the planes no longer calling at Yeadon or Doncaster. Covers conveyed by the last flight of the old service or by the first flight of the new one do not appear to have been preserved’. The two examples below show this was clearly not the case. The first example has the scarce North Eastern green and black label.