50 Years of Civil Aviation

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Cachet: The cachet shows a gold foil biplane in flight above a detailed sepia illustration of a coastal town centred on a tall clock tower and surrounding buildings, likely representing Port Elizabeth. Above the illustration a decorative gold laurel wreath frames the number "50" with "Jaar/Years" beneath it, and "Civil Aviation" and "Burgerlugvaart" printed on either side. Beneath the town illustration the route "Kaapstad/Cape Town - Port Elizabeth" is printed in gold script, along with the name of the pilot, A.M. Miller, credited for the historic flight.

Info card

FIRST-DAY FLIGHT COVER At 07h42 on Monday, 26 August 1929, the late Major Allister Miller took off from the Maitland Aerodrome in Cape Town in his De Havilland Gipsy Moth biplane — destined for Port Elizabeth and carrying five bags of mail. At Port Elizabeth two other aeroplanes were waiting to convey the mail-bags to the Rand and to Durban. The Durban-bound flight, piloted by Captain R.F. "Caspar" Caspareuthus, made excellent time on the second leg of the historic journey and arrived at Stamford Hill in Durban two hours ahead of schedule. The pilot was given a hero's welcome by a large crowd, which included the Mayor of Durban. The Rand-bound flight was not so successful. The pilot, Captain G.W. Bellin, realized that he would not make it to the Rand by nightfall and landed at Bloemfontein. The mail was conveyed the rest of the way by train. This is how commercial aviation started in South Africa. Union Airways, the company that operated this first scheduled service, was the forerunner of the aviation giant, South African Airways, which took over Union Airways in February 1934. EERSTEDAG-VLUGKOEVERT Om 07h42 op Maandag, 26 Augustus 1929, het wyle majoor Allister Miller van die Maitlandlughawe in Kaapstad opgestyg in sy De Havilland Gipsy Moth — tweedekker — op pad Port Elizabeth toe met vyf sakke pos. By Port Elizabeth het twee ander vliegtuie op hom gewag om die possakke na die Rand en Durban te vervoer. Die Durbanvlug met kaptein R.F. "Caspar" Caspareuthus as vlieënier, het goed gevaar op die tweede been van hierdie historiese vlug en twee uur voor die vasgestelde tyd by Stamford Hill in Durban aangekom. Hier is die vlieënier soos 'n held verwelkom deur 'n groot skare wat die burgemeester van Durban ingesluit het. Die vlug na die Rand was nie so geslaagd nie. Die vlieënier, kaptein G.W. Bellin, het besef dat hy die Rand nie voor donker sou haal nie en het toe by Bloemfontein geland. Die pos is toe met die trein verder. Dit is hoe handelslugvaart in Suid-Afrika begin het. Union Airways, die maatskappy wat hierdie diens begin het, was die voorloper van die lugvaartreus, die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens, wat Union Airways in Februarie 1934 oorgeneem het.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 26 August 1979 in Cape Town, marking fifty years to the day since Major Allister Miller flew the first leg of South Africa's inaugural scheduled airmail service from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth in 1929. The original 1929 flight was actually a three legged relay, with mail continuing from Port Elizabeth to both Durban and the Rand. The Durban bound aircraft arrived two hours ahead of schedule to a hero's welcome, while the Rand bound flight had to finish its journey by train after the pilot judged he would not reach Johannesburg before nightfall. The airline behind this pioneering service, Union Airways, was absorbed into South African Airways in February 1934.

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