7 vomplialIMMINIPINIIIIIIIMIMMININOMMeersol., .4Ir . i Hon. Treasurer Hon. Secretary & Editor: lon.Exchange Pkt. See Mr L.E.ST1LES i Mrs E.J.Rawnsley, 1 Mr.C.Rauch, 135 St John's Road \ Gardens, t353 Baddow Rd, Waithamstow 3 Cranford London El7 4.11.1 1Victoria Dr., 'Chelmsford, Essex ; Bognor Regis Sussex i CAl2 7QF - Tel. 01 527 6670 P021 2EL Till 0245 54149 JANUARY 1 9 77 31st YEAR THE PIONEER AVIATORS As announced by the PTT in their 1977 programme of new issues 4 stamps will appear on 27th January, portraits of four well-known Swiss aviation pioneers and their aircraft: OSCAR BIDER with a Bleriot monoplane, EDUARD SPELTERINI in front of a balloon basket, ARMAND DUPAUX with a Dufauz biplane and WALTER MITTELHOLZER with a Do-Merkur aeaplane. Brief biographies of these intrepid aviators are given below. OSCAR BID. Born on 12th July at Langenbruck. Went to the Argentine in 1911 in quest of a free and independent life as a farmer, but his interest in aviation soon made him return to Europe, where he acquired his pilot's licence at the Pau flying school. Bought a Bleriot monoplane and one month latsr, on 24 January 1913, was the first to cross the Pyrenees from Pau to Madrid. Made Bern his headquarters and took his plane to numerous air shows and meetings in aid of the i Nationalcrossing Aviation Fund and was widely aclaimed. When, on 13 July 1913, he succeeded in the Central Alps from Bern to Milan for the first time, his name and craft became the symbol of Swiss aviation. Was appointed chief pilot and flight instructor of the newly formed Army Flying Corps in World War I. Resigned his commission in 1919 to initiate civil aviation plans. Was killed in an aircraft crash at Dahendorf on 7 July 1919. • Page 2 HELVETIA NEWS LETTER JANUAR! 1977 success in Cairo, St. Petersburg and Ztrich. The aerial photographs he took on these trips are considered outstanding even by present day standards. In Switser- land he became known above all for his daring flights across the Alps, the first of which, from Sion in 1898, took him far into France and like many of his other trips served scientific research purposes. The advent of the aeroplane ended his career and be retired to Zipf (Austria), where he died on 16 June 1931. ARMAND MAU. Born on 13 January in Paris. Took interest in aviation am a student and with his brother Henri, a painter, experimented with various types of airscrew and wine, completed ;1404 preliminary designs for a helicopter (1905) and set out to develop a lightweight internal combustion engine. The brothers established an aeroplane and propeller works near Geneva, where they built their own flying machines. After a number of setbacks and failures they succeeded in pro- ducing their first really air- worthy craft, the Dufaux bi- plane (1910), which was to be- come the most popular model of Swiss design for some years. Armand himself gave an impreseive demonstration of its airworthiness by flying it the full length of Lake Geneya on 29 August 1910. When the factory was sold at the outbreak of World War I Henri. returned to painting and Armand opened a workshop in Paris where he made air- craft components and designed fighter planes as a sideline. In 1918 he, too, gave up a:elation and turned to other fields of engineering. Died in Geneva on 17 July 1951. 1AWALMISTEhighilli. Born on 2 April 1894 at St. Gallen. A photo- grapher by trade, he began his brilliant aviation career by joining the Army Flying Corps in 1915, acquiring his pilot's licence two years later. After the war he and his former flight instructor, Comte, founded the first Swiss airline, which in 1920 merged with other companies into Ad Astra Aero. Mittelholser can its aerial photography division until, in 1931, he was appointed managing director and chief pilot of Swissair, formed by a merger of Ad Astra and Balair. Became widely known for his pioneer flights across Spitsbergen (1923), to Persia (1924/24), to Africa1.92T7s first north-south crossing; 19291 Kilimanjaro), and to Abyssinia 1934 $ some of which are described in his travel books. He died in a mountaineering accident in Austria on 9 May 1937. 2114Ams Kurt Wirth, Bern. Steekengravims Karl Bickel Jr., Walenstadt Colours,: 40 Hp. 3 colours: red/violet-blue/black 80 Hp. blue/violet/black 100 Hp. yellow-brown/olive/black 150 Hp. " bluish-green/brown/black Printing & pacer: Rotary line engraving by the PTT Stamp Printing Works, Bern on white paper with luminous substance and violet fibres. Stamo uses 36 x 26 ma. (33 x 23 Ls.) Form cvliqders 4 sheets (1-4) of 25 each A special commemorative cover will be available for the whole set and a simple First Day cancel will be used: '3000 BEEN - 27.1.77 - AUSGABETAG'. Folders and collection sheets will be available. PUBLICITY STAMPS - Series I. The first set of Special (Publicity) stamps will also be issued on 27th January. Comprising 3 values the details are: 20 lip. 100 Tears of the Blue Crone, This Society, founded at Geneva in September 1877, has been untiring over the last 100 years in its efforts to fight alcoholism and to care for alcoholics. The design show an alcoholic receiving treatment, together with the Blue Cross emblem. 40 Rp. Ijataae Festival at Vevev. This traditional festival of Vevey, held every 25 years, is the highlight of historic folk- lore of Western Switserland's wine-growers. From 30th July to 14 August tens of thousands of visitors will come to the shores of Lake Geneva to watch and join in this gay and colourful event with its processions, music, dancing and games. It is being beld for the last time this century. 80 lip. 'JUNI= 77'. Berl, Young people from all over the world are expected to take part in this Youth Philatelic Exhibition to be held in Bern from 7 - 11 April. Its aim is to promote co-operation and friendship and to draw attention to stamp collecting as an exciting and instructive hobby. The gaily coloured balloons in the design are to convey the carrying of the 'JUPHILEX' news in all directions. The 15 year-old designer, Daniel Proidevaux, was the winner of the Fund for the Promotion of Philately competition, g - Patient and emblem - 3 Colours: Piguatn: 20 lip. Claude Kojonnet, Neuch tel grey/dark blue/dark grey 40 RI). Bornand, Gaeng & Monod, Montreux - Sun-shaped Bacchus head (official festival emblem) - 4 colours: red/yellow/ dark brown/gold 80 lip. Daniel Froidevaux, St. Blaine - Balloons carrying mail - 4 colours: light blue/dark blue/green/red WILI/Iv Multicolour rotogravure by Courvoisier S.A. 2.42.1 4W White, with luminous substance, without coloured fibres. ajdo 36 x 28 mm. Form cYlinder: 2 sheets (A & B) of 50 stamps each. Four special envelopes will be available, with appropriate vignettes, one for each value and one for the set. The same First Day cancel will be used as for the portrait stamps. Folders and collection sheets will be available as usual. 61.1111111111.01.1n41016 Details of the special flight being WE'RE CATCHING organised by the Transport Museum in OUR BREATH Lusern have now been released. The route of this flight, which will be on 13th February '77, in a DC-6B aircraft, and just passed follow that of Mittelholser's epic African We have flight and will be from Zurich via Cairo, through an unprecedented boom selling Nairobi, Caps Town and Gao (Mali), with special cancellations at each place. period of rarities and unusual items. Commemorative covers will be available at However, we can assure prospective 40 lip. each or Fr.1.60 for the series. Each cover must bear at least 2 x 150 lip. visitors to 'STAMPEI' that they will RittelholOr stamps - to be issued on 27th not be disappointed with what will Jan. - advance sales on 24th. Covers to be marked with the required cancel, other- be on offer - HLE is such a miser wise all , will go to Cape Town. Orders to with his !stock that he can always find Bern accepted to end of January. something extra when needed: /0:r 'STAMM' 1977 - March 1st to 5th ' STAND 30 H.L.KATCHER N.'PRIce)"7 THE AMATEUR COLLECTOR LTD. /41. ;-, , P.O. Box 242 Highgate, l y.,1 fcb London 116 4LW Telephone: 01 - 348 - 0296 - MAIL CARRIED FROM SWITZERLAND TO THE U.K. DURING WORLD WAR 11 By DUTTON Part XXI I Owner Date on Place of Destination Postage Airmail German Colour Postmark Origin Applied label/ cen.lab. Wash env. (Identn Letter) o- . E.I.W. ? Montreux Sunnindale 500. Yes 2a (b) ? 89 E.I.W. ? Payerne Mossley 500. Yes 2a (b) ' 90 A.4.T. 1.V.43 Wrich New York . F1.- Yes 2a (b) one I. 1,V.43 C.p.a.l'e: An alternative to tie route via Germany for aimail 7.V.43 Britian forces capture Tunis. 91 C.R. 11.V.45 Geneva . IIj Andover 50c. Yes (b) Front brown (horiz.) back blue (diag.) 0 0 --o --o -o 13.V,45 A lied forces capture tue whole of No n Africa. GC.G.l 14.V.45 Stein Peulla 900. (Chile) LMCD 17.V.43 Oberhofen Radnor (USA) F.1.20 None LNCD 27,V.43 La Chaux- Dublin 500. None . (VI ?) de-Fouds 94 A.R.T. 9.V1.43 Adelboden Ca4bridge 71° 50c. Blue (ding.) 95 R.B. 15.V1.45 a rich 1 Otford (Kt) 50e.