Marc Castel presents a prestige philately exhibit on Canada’s 1927 London to London flight that was on display in the Court of Honour at ORAPEX 2026 in Ottawa, Canada.

Keywords

London-to-London flight; CLP6; Sir John Carling; Terence Bernard Tully; James Victor Medcalf; Carling Breweries; Harbour Grace; Semi-official airmail; Flight covers; Postal provenance.

Summary

Marc Castel’s exhibit, Echoes of a Vanished Flight, examines the attempted 1927 flight from London, Ontario, to London, England, through its surviving postal and aviation material. A photograph of Terence Bernard Tully and James Victor Medcalf beside the Sir John Carling, together with Tully’s royal appointment certificate, introduces the airmen. The narrative connects their undertaking with Carling Breweries’ sponsorship, a $25,000 prize, and enthusiasm for transatlantic aviation following Lindbergh’s achievement. (Frame 1)

The flight narrative follows the Stinson Detroiter’s unsuccessful departure on 29 August, its return to London, and a second departure on 1 September that ended at Caribou, Maine. Tully and Medcalf reached Harbour Grace on 5 September and departed for England on 7 September, disappearing with their aircraft and remaining mail. These events establish why material retained before the Atlantic departure has such importance to the philatelic record of the attempt. (Frame 1)

The philatelic focus is the CLP6 London-to-London label and the sole known surviving cover bearing it. One hundred labels were lithographed by Lawson and Jones in blocks of four. The exhibit considers their production, distribution and surviving examples, while presenting the exhibitor’s reconstruction of the original mail dispatch. Its estimate of fifty-seven labels used on covers is identified as a research conclusion rather than a definitive total established by the catalogue record. (Frame 1)

Addressed to the Controller of the London Postal Service, the surviving envelope bears a three-cent Confederation stamp, the special label and flight markings. Front and reverse views support discussion of its handling, subsequent damage and provenance, including its association with collector L. Seale Holmes and its later appearance in auction catalogues. The exhibitor proposes that accidental omission during preparation for the second departure explains its survival. This remains an interpretation, preserving the distinction between the physical evidence and the unresolved circumstances behind this celebrated Canadian airmail rarity. (Frame 1)