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Auction: 17044 - The Yen Boon Swee Large Gold Medal Collection of Malayan Airmails
Lot: 122

Malayan Airmails
Imperial Airways
First Experimental Flight England - Australia and Return
On 4 April, Imperial Airways extended experimentally their London - Karachi service to Australia via Calcutta, Rangoon, Singapore and Dutch Indies. The Hercules airliner, "City of Cairo", commanded by Capt. R.P. Mollard, arrived at Singapore from Karachi on the 16th. The "City of Cairo" left Singapore on 17 April but crashed at Koepang. Kingsford-Smith flew in to pick up the mail and handed over to Qantas at Darwin for delivery to Sydney and Melbourne.
1931 (13 Apr.) Aero Philatelic Club of Calcutta envelope from Calcutta to Penang, marked "via Singapore", franked at 8a. and showing Singapore (16.4) and Penang (18.4) datestamps; 1931 (11Apr.) envelope registered from Singapore to Sydney, handstamped "By Imperial Airways Experimental Flight, Singapore - Port Darwin", franked at 61c. and showing "by air mail" etiquette with arrival d.s. (29.4) on reverse; and 1931 (3 Apr.) envelope registered from Melbourne to Penang, marked "Experimental Flight, Australia - Singapore", franked at 1/5d., showing special first flight cachet in violet, signature of Kingsford-Smith and, on reverse, Singapore (30.4) and arrival (1.5) datestamps

Sold for
SG$320