Lot 10920 – 1919 (July) « Martinsyde » Supplementary mail, ONLY

1919 (July) « Martinsyde » Supplementary mail, ONLY 25 ITEMS FLOWN (of a total of 70 carried) by pilots Raynham & Morgan, cover franked by $1 Trans-Atlantic surcharge tied by St. John’s machine duplex (July 12), sent to London (bs), small part of back torn away else very fine, signed and 1965 cert. G. Bolaffi plus signed Colla and A. Bolaffi as well, certified, with explanation, by Francis Field (Müller 2, 25’000pts) Note: Field states that as the flight was delayed, the mail bag, originally made up on May 18, was opened on July 12, and an additional 25 covers, all franked with the $1 Surcharge, were added. The flight crashed on takeoff, and Raynham subsequently went to England by ship, forgetting to turn the mail over to the P.O. until January 7, 1920, so the covers were not backstamped until then. An important pioneer trans-Atlantic attempted flight, as well as a major « crash cover. »