THE FIRST REAL AIR MAIL

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 148, 25 June 1938, Page 27

THE FIRST REAL AIR MAIL

,Aero-philately will attain its "majority" this year with the twgnty-flrst anniversary of the world's first authorised air-mail stamp—forerunner of an avalanche of such postal items, which today number more than 3000 varieties, writes Lionel F. Ascher in the "Ne\v York Times." About the time the World War began, many countries were looking forward to establishing regular, air-mail services. In the spring of 1917 Italy required space in trains for troops and supplies, while in the Mediterranean the Austrian U-boats were sinking mail-carrying vessels. The Italian Minister of Posts and Telegraphs accorded to the Pomilio Aeroplane Company of Turin permission to establish an experimental air-mail route between Turin and Rome: on May 17 a 25-cen-teslmi special-delivery stamp of 1903 was released bearing the overprint "Experimento Posta Acrca Maggio 1917 Turine-Roma—Roma Turino" (Experimental Air Post. May, 1917, Turin-Rome —Rome-Turin). Sale was limited to six

copies to each applicant. A Government notice said that no stamp other than the overprinted one was necessary for air-mail postage, but that use of it did not imply special delivery at destination, and that special boxes for air-post letters were being put up. The first flight was scheduled for May 20, but had to be postponed for two days because of heavy rains. On the morning of May 22 Pilot-Lieutenant Mario Bernardi of the Royal Italian Flying Corps took off in his Pomilio plane 1 from the Turin aviation camp with 480 pounds of mail, some newspapers, and a message from the city of Turin to Signor Boselli, Italy's Premier. The flyer made a non-stop journey of about 395 miles in 4 hours 3 minutes. To circumvent the U-boat depredations Italy prepared a second stamp for use on mail flown between Naples and Palermo. A hydro-aeroplane service was established, the letters being franked with a 40c special delivery stamp overprinted "Idrovolante Napoli-Palermo-Napoli."