The Charles Harrison Collection of 'Concorde' Covers, Cards And
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First Session Lots 501–951 Monday May 23rd at 2 pm The Charles Harrison Collection of ‘Concorde’ Covers, Cards and Ephemera Charles Harrison (1924–2008) Most people will have their own memories of Concorde but for Charles Harrison, living only a few miles from R.A.F. Fairford, it will be the moment the British assembled Concorde prototype 002 touched down at 2.46pm on 9 April, 1969. Charles watched Concorde fly along the same flight path many times and never tired of hearing the roar of the engines and seeing the aircraft turning over Highworth, his home town, on its approach into the Fairford airfield. At the age of 15 Charles joined the Royal Air Force (1939) as an engineer apprentice and during the Second World War served in North Africa, Malta, Sicily and Italy as ground crew. Not one to miss an opportunity, Charles began to collect autographs from movie stars and entertainers on their visits to the troops. After the war he was stationed in Rhodesia and on leaving the RAF joined Vickers Armstrong at South Marston as a flight test inspector. Around the same time some of Concorde’s future pilots were Vickers Armstrong’s test pilots. In the 1950s Charles was involved with the Supermarine Swift, a single seat jet fighter, which could reach supersonic speed in a slight dive and it is not surprising that this is where Charles interest in supersonic flight and Concorde began. From Concorde’s early days at the Fairford Flight Test Centre to its commercial retirement, Charles arranged through friends and flight contacts for covers to be carried on many of Concorde’s flights including the development flights. He was an ardent collector and it was with great pride and enjoyment that he built this personal and unique collection of Concorde aviation history which also reflects his love of the aircraft. Charles was a founder member of the Concorde Study Circle where he was known as ‘Mr Signature’ simply because he had collected the signatures of so many personalities connected with Concorde on his flown and commemorative flight covers, and he was also a member of the British Aerophilatelic Federation and the Club Aerophilatelique Concorde (France). 9 506 502 505 508 Ex 509 510 507 10 The Charles Harrison ‘Concorde’ Collection 501 ✉ ✈ 1963 to 1970, a small collection of covers, cards and ephemera incl. 1963 Toulouse Concorde cancellation on piece signed by Sir George Edwards, Chairman of BAC and Dr. William Strang Director of Engineering BAC; 1968 Ministry of Technology, Technical Regulations for Concorde Project; two cards signed Henri Ziegler, Aérospatiale President; 1970 Berlin Boeing 2707 card signed by Sir Archibald Russell with handwritten message, etc. (14 items)£200-£250 502 ✉ ✈ 1967 (Dec. 11) Roll Out of First Prototype 001, postcard with a message signed by “Tony Benn, Minister of Technology – A great day for Aviation, 11.12.67 Toulouse”, also a signed handwritten note from Mr. Benn. Photo. £100-£120 503 ✉ ✈ 1968 to 2002, a quantity of Concorde and TU144 commemorative covers, postcards, special cancellations, meter marks, postal stationery, stamps, ephemera, flight certificate, cinderella incl. British, French, Italian, Russian, German etc., also some covers on other themes incl. balloons, etc. £120-£150 504 ✉ ✈ 1969 (Mar. 2) French commemorative first day/first flight cover signed by French test pilot André Turcat, British test pilot Brian Trubshaw, Director General of Sud Aviation Henri Ziegler (with message), BAC Chairman George Edwards and Chairman of the Concorde Directing Committee Bernard Lathière. Said to be unique. Also a letter from Henri Ziegler. Photo. £300-£400 505 ✉ ✈ 1969 (Mar. 2) French commemorative first day/first flight cover, re-cancelled on 30th Anniversary, signed by Brian Trubshaw and André Turcat, also a photographic postcard signed by Turcat, another with a message from Henri Perrier, Chief Observer, and a Grenada souvenir sheet. Photo. £200-£250 506 ✉ ✈ - British commemorative first day cover, with British set of Concorde stamps cancelled Mar. 3, and French Concorde stamp cancelled Mar. 2, signed by French test pilot André Turcat and British test pilot Brian Trubshaw, both with messages. Photo. £200-£250 507 ✉ ✈ - French commemorative first day/first flight cover signed by the French crew André Turcat, J. Guignard, H. Perrier and M. Retif with certificate and Photo. £150-£200 508 ✉ ✈ - French commemorative first day/first flight card, signed by French test pilot André Turcat and British test pilot Brian Trubshaw, also G.B. f.d.c. Photo. £150-£200 509 ✉ ✈ - French commemorative first day/first flight postcard signed by pilot André Turcat and later with a special Filton Bristol Nov. 26 2003 cancellation and signed by Mike Bannister pilot of BA Concorde last flight. Also a British flown cover cancelled Apr. 9 1969. Photo. £150-£200 510 ✉ ✈ - British commemorative first day cover, with British set of Concorde stamps cancelled Mar. 3 and 4d. cancelled Apr. 9, signed by pilot Brian Trubshaw and H.M. Postmaster General John Stonehouse. Photo. £100-£120 511 ✉ ✈ 1969 (Apr. 9) British first flight cover with British 4d. Concorde stamp cancelled at Filton, with handwritten message “This envelope was carried on the first flight of Concorde 002 G-BSST on its maiden flight 9 April 1969/ Brian Trubshaw”. The cover also signed by Sir George Edwards, Allan Greenwood, Tony Benn MP, Dr. Archibald Russell, Dr. Peter Calder, George Gedge, James Hamilton, Dr. William Strang and the Rt. Hon. Julian Amery MP. Photo on page 12. £300-£400 11 512 513 514 515 518 516 511 12 The Charles Harrison ‘Concorde’ Collection continued 512 ✉ ✈ 1969 (Apr. 9) British first flight cover, believed to be one of three flown, signed by the British crew Brian Trubshaw, John Cochrane, Brian Watts, Mike Addley, Peter Holding and John Allan. The cover additionally signed on the back by both Station Senior Operations Officers J.H. Parry and R.D. Griffin. Also a photo and magazine cuttings. Photo. £200-£250 513 ✉ ✈ - British first flight cover with British 4d. Concorde stamp cancelled at Fairford, signed “Certified Flown on Maiden Flight/ Brian Trubshaw”. Photo. £200-£250 514 ✉ ✈ - British first flight cover signed by Brian Trubshaw and Tony Benn, Minister of Technology, Concord(e) release certificate, special entry ticket for 1st Flight, invitation to the reception marking the flight, and four pictures. Photo. £200-£250 515 ✉ ✈ - British first flight cover with Concorde stamp set, Filton and Fairford handstamps, signed by Brian Trubshaw, and both station operational officers Joe Parry and Bob Griffin and BAC Directors Geoffrey Knight and Handel Davies, also a Concorde sticker. Photo. £120-£150 516 ✉ ✈ 1969 (May 29) First Liaison Flight from Toulouse to the Paris Air Show, commemorative French cover signed by André Turcat and Tony Benn, the British Minister of Technology at the time, also a postcard. Photo. £150-£200 517 ✉ ✈ 1969 (June 7) First Public Appearance of both British and French Prototypes at Paris Air Show, French souvenir cover, signed by Brian Trubshaw and also a signed, handwritten message (in French) by Henri Ziegler, Honorary Chairman of Aérospatiale. Photo on page 14. £100-£120 518 ✉ ✈ 1969 (Oct. 1) First Flight at Mach 1 by the French Prototype, British commemorative cover signed by Sir George Edwards, Chairman BAC, Dr. William Strang, Technical Director BAC, together with signed messages by Henri Ziegler, André Turcat, Brian Trubshaw, Henri Perrier Sud Aviation Test Engineer, Dr. (later Sir) Archibald Russell, Deputy Technical Director. Photo. £150-£200 519 ✉ ✈ 1970 (Sept. 7), a collection of RAF Museum SC1 covers flown on a Concorde development test flight incl. varieties, re-flown and some with signatures of pilots Sir Alan Cobham, G/Capt. John (Cats’ Eyes) Cunningham, Peter Baker, John Cochrane, Brian Trubshaw, E.McNamara and others. (9) £100-£120 520 ✉ ✈ 1970, 1971, a cover carried on Sept. 11 1970 Farnborough Air Show flight and a card flown on Sept. 2 1971 test flight, both signed by pilot Peter Baker together with a handwritten letter from him and a postcard. Photo on page 14. £100-£120 521 ✉ ✈ 1970 (Nov. 4) First Flight of 001 at Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound), French commemorative cover with a hand- written message in French, signed André Turcat. Photo on page 14. £150-£200 522 ✉ ✈ - French commemorative cover signed by Henri Ziegler, President of Aérospatiale, Handel Davies, Technical Director British Aircraft Corporation (with handwritten message) and Geoffrey Knight Chairman of BAC Commercial Aircraft Division, also a cover signed by Dr. William Strang, Technical Director of BAC and a label. Photo on page 14. £100-£120 523 ✉ ✈ 1970 (Nov. 12) First Flight of 002 at Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound), three British commemorative covers, the first signed by Brian Trubshaw and Sir Archibald Russell (with a handwritten message), the second signed by Brian Trubshaw and John Cochrane, co-pilot, and the third signed by Brian Trubshaw, John Cochrane and John Allen, observer. £100-£120 524 ✉ ✈ 1971 to 1973, a collection of covers, cards and ephemera in an album incl. a specimen Aérospatiale ticket, five flown covers, two pilot-signed by Brian Trubshaw and two by John Cochrane, also two souvenir covers signed by Henri Ziegler, correspondence, souvenirs from Italy and Japan, etc. (44 items) £150-£200 525 ✉ ✈ 1971 (May 7) British 001 First Liaison Flight, flown card Fairford–Blagnac signed by Brian Trubshaw and a cover commemorating the 002 French Presidential flight from Paris–Blagnac, signed Henri Ziegler. £80-£100 526 ✉ ✈ 1971 (May 21) French First Intercontinental Flight Toulouse–Dakar, commemorative cover signed André Turcat with handwritten message and 21 years later signed by 2nd pilot Pierre Dudal, with a handwritten message, also a label. Photo on page 14. £150-£200 13 521 Ex 520 517 526 522 527 14 The Charles Harrison ‘Concorde’ Collection continued 527 ✉ ✈ 1971 (July 21) Last Test Flight of Vulcan XA903, souvenir with cover handwritten and signed by Dr.