2019-07-19 Fri

An (Ireland) Post has issued a stamp to mark the centenary of the first non-stop transatlantic flight by aviators, Captain John Alcock, and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown.

The aviators took off from Lester’s Field, near St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada on June 14, 1919, in a modified Vickers Vimy plane. 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 the ‘Daily Mail’ prize of £10,000 for the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in less than 72 hours. 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.

A few days later, both men were knighted by King George V in recognition of their achievement. As this incident has completed 100 years, Ireland post has honored its centenary with a specially issued stamp.

The stamp shows the airplane on a beautifully designed cloudy background along with the Atlantic Ocean.

Image Courtesy: https://www.nenaghguardian.ie

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