First Trans-African Flight 75th Anniversary

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Cachet: The cachet shows a sepia toned photograph of a vintage twin engine biplane resting on an open grass airfield, with a small crowd of onlookers and thatched huts visible in the background. A man in white stands beside the aircraft, giving a sense of scale to its large wingspan. The words "Eerste Trans-Afrikavlug - 75 jaar / First Trans Africa flight - 75 years" appear across the lower left in plain black text, and the postmark features a hand drawn biplane silhouette that echoes the photograph above it.

Info card

THE FIRST TRANS-AFRICAN FLIGHT 75 YEARS AGO On 4 February 1920, two South African officers in the British Air Force, Lt-Col H A (Pierre) van Ryneveld and maj Quintin Brand, took off from Brooklands aerodrome near London in a twin-engined Vickers Vimy bomber, Silver Queen, in the very first attempt to reach Cape Town by air. Their epic trans-African flight opened up the way for the introduction of regular air connections between Europe and Africa. After meeting with very adverse weather conditions, the Vickers Vimy was irreparably damaged in a forced landing at Wadi Halfa near Korosko in Egypt on 11 February. Van Ryneveld and Brand continued to Bulawayo in a similar aircraft, Silver Queen II, aquired in Egypt. On take-off at Bulawayo on 6 March, the second Vimy was also wrecked. The South African government then provided them with the De Havilland DH-9 H-5648, Voortrekker, in which they reached Youngsfield Airfield at Cape Town on 20 March 1920. Both aviators were knighted for their pioneering achievement. In June 1920, Pierre van Ryneveld was appointed Director of Air Services, charged with the task of establishing a South African Air Force. He retired from the South African Air Force with the rank of general in 1949. Quintin Brand remained in the British Air Force. He became director-general of aviation in Egypt, and later held a position in the British Air Ministry. He retired in 1943. A statue of Van Ryneveld and Brand commemorating their historic flight, is at Jan Smuts Airport, Johannesburg. DIE EERSTE TRANS-AFRIKAVLUG 75 JAAR GELEDE Op 4 Februarie 1920 het twee Suid-Afrikaanse offisiere in die Britse Lugmag, lt-kol H A (Pierre) van Ryneveld en maj Quintin Brand, opgestyg in die Brooklands-vliegveld naby Londen in 'n tweemotorige Vickers Vimy-bomwerper, die Silver Queen, opgestyg in die eerste poging om Kaapstad per vliegtuig te bereik. Hulle epiese trans-Afrikavlug het die weg vir die instelling van 'n gereelde lugdiens tussen Europa en Afrika gebaan. In 'n noodlanding by Wadi Halfa naby Korosko in Egipte as gevolg van uiters ongunstige weerstoestande is die Vickers Vimy onherstelbaar beskadig. Van Ryneveld en Brand het hul vlug na Bulawayo voortgesit in 'n soortgelyke vliegtuig, Silver Queen II, wat hulle in Egipte bekom het. Toe hulle op 6 Maart van Bulawayo opstyg, het die Vimy ook neergestort. Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering het toe die De Havilland DH-9 H-5648, Voortrekker, waarmee hulle Youngsfield-vliegveld by Kaapstad op 20 Maart 1920 bereik het, aan hulle verskaf. Albei vlieëniers is tot ridder geslaan vir hulle baanbrekersprestasie. Pierre van Ryneveld is in Junie 1920 as Direkteur van Lugdienste aangestel met die opdrag om 'n Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag op die been te bring. Hy het in 1949 as generaal in die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag afgetree. Quintin Brand het in die Britse Lugmag aangebly en is as direkteur-generaal van lugvaart in Egipte aangestel. Later het hy 'n betrekking in die Britse Ministerie van Lugvaart beklee. Hy het in 1943 afgetree. 'n Standbeeld van Van Ryneveld en Brand wat hulle historiese vlug gedenk, staan op Jan Smutslughawe by Johannesburg.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 1 February 1995 in Wynberg, Cape Town, SAPO reference PT 6.11. It marks 75 years since the first trans African flight, undertaken in 1920 by Lieutenant Colonel Pierre van Ryneveld and Major Quintin Brand, who set out from London hoping to reach Cape Town by air. What's remarkable is that they went through three different aircraft to finish the journey, after both Vickers Vimy bombers they used were wrecked along the way, eventually completing the final leg in a borrowed De Havilland DH-9 named Voortrekker.

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