Glossary H-M

HARRISON & SONS - Started by Thomas Harrison in 1750. First Post Office contract in 1881. They experimented with the photogravure process and produced stamps for Egypt using this method in 1924.

In 1934 Harrisons won the Post Office contract to print George V stamps and acquired its factory in High Wycombe. Their first GB photogravure stamp was the 1½d on 20 August 1934. Their first photogravure commemoratives were the 1935 Silver Jubilee series. They printed all the King George VI stamps except the high value definitives. The printing machines were made by Timson of Kettering. Picture shows the 'continuous' reels of paper used.

HARRISON, John Augustus Charles - (1872 - 1955) artist and engraver, born in Manchester. Worked mainly free-lance until he joined Waterlow and Sons in the 1920's. He engraved most of the GB King George V stamps, and stamps for many other countries, banknotes and book plates. Engraved the George VI high value 'Arms' and the head used on postal stationery.

HASSALL, Joan - (1906 - 1988) book illustrator, engraver. Trained at the Royal Academy School, an Associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers. Designed the Royal Silver Wedding stamps with G T Knipe. She was awarded the OBE in 1987.

H. L. Palmer - designed the 1940 Centenary set and the 2½d Victory stamp. His initials may appear as a variety at the bottom of the 6d Olympic Games stamp.

Horseshoe Route - Germany's attack on the Low Countries started on 10 May 1940, and Italy's declaration of war followed on 10 June 1940 - this made the route across mainland Europe and the Mediterranean to Egypt and onwards too dangerous. A different route was planned to maintain communications between the Empire countries.

Section 1: B.O.A.C.

Day 1 - Durban, [2] Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), [3] Beira, Lumbo.

Day 2 - Lumbo, [5] Lindi, [6] Dar-es-Salaam, [7] Mombasa, crossing to Lake Victoria : [8] Kisumu, Port Bell.

Day 3 - Nile route : Port Bell, [10] Laropi, [11] Juba, [12] Malakal, Khartoum.

Day 4 - Nile route : Khartoum, [14] Wadi Halfa, [15] Luxor, Cairo.

Day 5 - Cairo, [17] Tiberias (later stopping at Kallia), [18] Lake Habbaniyah, Basra.

Day 6 - Basra, [20] Bahrain, [21] Dubai, [22] Jiwani, Karachi.

Day 7 - Karachi, [24] Raj Samand Lake, [25] Gwalior, [26] Allahabad, Calcutta.

Day 8 - Calcutta, [28] Rangoon, [29] Akyab, [30] Bangkok, [31] Penang, Singapore.

Section 2 : Qantas Empire Airways

Day 9 - Singapore, [33] Bangka, [34] Batavia (now Jakarta), [35] Soerabaja, [36] Soembawa, [37] Koepang, Darwin.

Day 10 - Darwin, [39] Groote Eylandt, [40] Karumba, [41] Townsville, [42] Gladstone, [43] Brisbane, Sydney.

Section 3 : Tasman Empire Airways - Sydney to Aukland

The horseshoe route was connected to Britain by air and sea routes - and from Aukland the route could connect to Pan American's Pacific service. Various branch services came from the horseshoe route.

May 1941 - [18] Habbaniyah was cut from the route.

October 1941 - Section 2 is extended with Qantas flying the route from Karachi to Sydney.

8 December 1941 - Japan's entry to the war forces changes in route from [28] Rangoon via the Andaman Islands and Sabang to [31] Penang.

30 December 1941 - route goes from [28] Rangoon via the Andaman Islands, Sabang and Padang on to [34] Batavia.

30 January 1942 - flying-boat Corio crashed after being attacked by Japanese fighters.

4 February 1942 - last flight from Singapore and suspension of the full horseshoe route - the service continued from Durban to Calcutta. Mail between Australia / New Zealand and the United Kingdom had to be routed across the Pacific, America and the Atlantic.

18 June 1943 - flights begin from Kegalia in Ceylon, arriving in Perth the next day. Kegalia is connected to Karachi on 10 July to establish a new horseshoe route.

1943 - the sea route for mail through the Mediterranean is re-established.

During the war there were various suspensions of service.

Imperial Airways

In 1923 the Hambling Committee advised that a new British air transport company should be established in order to compete with other countries and to develop stronger links with the Empire. It was decided that four small companies would be incorporated - the British Marine Air Navigation Company Ltd, the Daimler Airway, Handley-Page Transport Ltd and the Instone Air Line Ltd. From these companies Imperial Airways Limited (IA) was formed on 31 March 1924 with a £1 million subsidy over ten years.

IA was charged with revitalising the European routes and, in particular, expanding services to the Empire. During 1930 an internal service linking London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, three times a week was also attempted, but ended after 3 months due to lack of support.

1924 - commercial flights start with a daily London (Croydon) to Paris service, followed by other European routes (Brussels, Ostend, Cologne, Basle and Zurich) - and a Southampton to Guernsey service. In their first year IA carried 11,395 passengers and 212,380 letters.

January 1927 - Cairo to Basra service starts, taking over a mail route established by the RAF in 1921. Route extended throughout 1927 / 1928.

At the very start of IA, two main Empire Routes were envisioned - south to Africa, and east to Asia / Australasia. Routes across the Atlantic and Pacific were also considered, but they would have to wait until new, more powerful aircraft were developed.

From 1931, IA became renowned for luxury aboard its aircraft as larger four-engined planes were purchased, starting with the Short flying-boat, 'Scipio', and the Handley Page H.P. 42s, 'Hannibal' - and from 1936, the Short Empire flying boats.

Routes South to Africa to 1936

28 February 1931 - London to M'wanza in Tanganyika, weekly service starts. This is the first part of the planned route to reach Cape Town and to connect with various other 'feeder' services to other parts of Africa. IA issued 3 different covers for the first flight.

9 December 1931 - earlier than originally planned flight to Cape Town to allow Christmas mail to be carried. Special covers flown.

20 January 1932 - London to Cape Town regular service starts for carrying mail. Cover issued. Passenger service started from London on 27 April.

19 February 1936 - weekly mail service London to Kano in Nigeria; extended later in the year to Lagos (from 15 October). Passengers were also carried later in that year.

Routes East to Asia and Australasia to 1936

30 March 1929 - London to Karachi through air service starts. This eastern route is then extended to Jodhpur and Delhi, (December).

1 April 1931 - experimental London to Australia air mail flight. Mail flown in stages by IA, Australian National Airways and Qantas. The mail from London took 26 days to reach Sydney.

6 July 1933 - London to Delhi route extended to Calcutta, then to Rangoon (23 September), and Singapore (9 December). IA souvenir covers issued for these first flights.

18 January 1934 - IA linked with Qantas to form Qantas Empire Airways Limited and services extended to Southeast Asia.

Click for 1932 map of Empire routes

8 December 1934 - London to Singapore service extended to Brisbane for mail, via Java - Koepang - Darwin. The Singapore to Brisbane section was operated by Qantas Empire Airways. Special covers issued by IA and Qantas.

April 1935 - passengers allowed on the England to Australia service.

14 March 1936 - new branch service between Penang and Hong Kong provides a weekly service between London and Hong Kong.

Imperial Airways during the Reign of King George VI

2 January 1937 - Twice weekly service to India and Australia.

16 January 1937 - the new Short Empire flying boats allow an all-air route from Southampton - Marseilles (previously by train) - Rome - Brindisi - Athens - Alexandria; and from there to routes South and East.

5 March 1937 - Croydon now used only for European services; Southampton for the Empire services.

15 May 1937 - Service to Cape Town, by Empire flying boat from Southampton - Marseille - Rome - Brindisi - Athens - Alexandria - Khartoum - Port Bell - Kisumu, then by land-based aircraft to Nairobi - Mbeya - Cape Town.

2 June 1937 - Empire flying boats used on entire route to Cape Town.

16 June 1937 - IA and Pan-Am start a joint service between Bermuda and New York.

29 June 1937 - start of Stage 1 of the Empire Air Mail Scheme. Empire flying boat 'Centurion' left Southampton for South and East Africa.

13 October 1937 - London to Lagos service extended to Accra on the Gold Coast.

Throughout 1937 - Survey flights across the Atlantic and to New Zealand.

1938 - construction started on the Empire Terminal in Victoria, London, to provide train connections to the flying boats at Southampton and to Croydon Airport.

23 February 1938 - the Empire Air Mail Scheme starts Stage 2, to Near East, India region, Far East. Service from Karachi to Madras extended to/from Columbo, Ceylon.

21 July 1938 - trial of 'Maia' and 'Mercury' composite aircraft : Foynes - Montreal - New York, (this composite aircraft helped carry Christmas mail between Southampton and Alexandria in December 1938).

26 June - first airmail going all the way by flying-boat from Southampton to Australia.

28 July 1938 - the Empire Air Mail Scheme starts Stage 3 to Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Papua, Fiji, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, Nauru, The Mandated Territory of Western Samoa and the Territories under the Jurisdiction of the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific.


1938 / 1939 European Winter timetable	England South Africa services 1939	West Africa services 1939	Southampton to Durban & branches 1939
Courtesy of Airline Timetable Images.

18 March 1939 - Airmail for Hanoi accepted by Imperial Airways for first time.

5 August 1939 - trial of modified C-class flying boat, 'Caribou', flew Southampton - Foynes - Botwood - Montreal - New York. Flying boat 'Cabot' also trialled; landing in New York on 4 September, the day after war started in Europe. Last special cover issued by IA.

A Pacific route was considered by IA, but the war prevented that from developing.

November 1939 - IA and British Airways Ltd merged into a new state-owned national carrier - British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).

KNIPE, George, T. - Artist and designer for Harrison and Sons. Designed the Royal Silver Wedding stamps with Joan Hassall; later he designed the frame for the 5d 'Wilding' of Elizabeth II

McCorquodale & Co. Ltd. - founded by George McCorquodale in 1840 as a general printer. Expanded rapidly with printing works in several towns. George opened a printing works in Wolverton in 1878 making registered envelopes, and later, books, forms, stationery, stamps, official / postal stationery, postal orders, Post Office envelopes, Pre-stamped postcards, Letter Cards, etc.. Printed 6d Air Letter sheets from 1943.

Contact : Malcolm Sanders : kg6gb@hotmail.com