Lot 673 Canada #PF-8a 1918 (August), Ottawa to Toronto, Pioneer Aerial Mail flight by Lt. Tremper Longman, franked with 2c Admiral War Tax, tied by Ottawa c.d.s. (15 Aug), further tied by bold green “BY / AEROPLANE / AUG 15 1918 / Ottawa, Canada flight cachet, endorsed in manuscript “via Aerial Mail” and addressed to A.G. Forsyth, with Toronto c.d.s. arrival backstamp (17 Aug), some uniform aging, but a lovely strike of this cachet, and a newly-discovered example of mail from this rare flight, of which only a handful of examples are recorded. Lt. Tremper Longman, RAF, flew a Curtiss JN-4 “Canuck” on behalf of the Aero Club of Canada, departing Leaside Aerodrome on August 15, and landing at Rockliffe Ranges, Ottawa, at 3:09pm the same day. He returned to Toronto on August 17, landing at Leaside at 12:25pm. Most mail carried on this flight was official correspondence; in the case of the cover offered here, “On His Majesty’s Service” is crossed-out. The letter was addressed to Mr. A.G. Forsyth, the former Mail Transportation Superintendent of Toronto, and has never before been offered on the philatelic market, having always been in the possession of Mr. Forsyth’s family. The family notes that Mr. Forsyth “was involved in the first airmail, and tested the delivery times by mailing letters to himself.” AAMC C$8,000.
A Traditional Philatelic Auction House — Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
