The Centenary of the First Transatlantic stamp is available in selected post offices.

Stamp marks famous transatlantic flight

An Post has issued a stamp in Clifden Co Galway to mark the centenary of the first non-stop transatlantic flight by aviators, Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown. The stamp unveiling is one of a series of events in the Alcock & Brown 100 Festival taking place in Clifden this week.

 

The aviators took off from Lester’s Field, near St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada on June 14, 1919, in a modified Vickers Vimy plane, powered by two Rolls-Royce Eagle 360 hp engines.

 

Just over 16 hours later on June 15th, 1919, after flying approximately 1,890 nautical miles through challenging conditions, they landed at Clifden, County Galway, Ireland. Their pioneering flight won theDaily Mailprize of £10,000 for the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in less than 72 hours.

 

Winston Churchill, Britain’s then Secretary of State for Air presented them with theDaily Mailprize.  A few days later, both men were knighted by King George V in recognition of their achievement.

 

Before taking off, Captain Alcock accepted a small bag of mail from the Postmaster in Newfoundland.  He ensured the mail landed safely in Clifden and then hand delivered the mail sack on reaching London, making the historic flight was also the first transatlantic airmail flight.

 

The Centenary of the First Transatlantic stamp is available in selected post offices nationwide, online at www.irishstamps.ie and from the GPO at 01-7057400