Verneukpan: Comment here on Robert Hill's Malcolm Campbell Display.
This is the most complete collection of Verneukpan covers that has been assembled to date. It includes the only known example of the first date stamp, the first day of the second, and probably the first and certainly the last day of the third skeleton date stamp. The inclusion of Grey's letter on telegram form makes this all the more remarkable. The only thing that is missing is Grey's log-book or "record book". Will we ever see it? I am not entirely sure about the cover supposedly signed by Penny and stamped Verneukpan on the 23rd and Brandvlei on the 25th. Why? I would hope that it is genuine but if it is not it adds an intriguing and difficult to resolve conversation piece to what is without doubt a top quality and unrivalled Verneukpan display with lovely associated items of Campbell ephemera. Awesome!
It is very gratifying that my late father, Derek Watts' items relating to the Verneuk Pan Disaster are to be found in this article....They are the registered envelope number 606 addressed to Mr Peers together with the Telegraph Form completed and signed by the postmaster, Mr Grey.
EESTI,
I am very pleased that your father's items are included here and that you remember them as such. I guess by 'disaster' you refer to the plane crash? Bob Hill has made new discoveries about it which suggest that the standard reported version of events are not quite correct. I am hoping that Bob will revise his display to include his new info or that he will make it available to us all here.
I have been contacted by Roddy Sparks who writes to Robert Hill c/o the Editor of the SAPC website:
Hi Robert,
I am a life long philatelist whose main interest is postal history of the Anglo Boer War, as well as other areas of Southern Africa philately, particularly Natal. I enjoyed your exhibit of Verneuk Pan very much – it an fascinating collection.
I have just one example of the relief canceller, which I thought you might like to add to your records. I am attaching a scan of front and back so I will not describe it here
I also have a travelling clock which was a gift from Malcolm Campbell to “GBW” in 1929, which I thought you might find interesting. I have attached photos for your perusal. I was wondering whether you know who GBW is?
Kind regards
Roddy Sparks
CAPTION TOP: PC front to Cape Town cancelled VERNEUK PAN VPN 'AP 20 ..' (year missing, presumably worn away.)
CAPTION MIDDLE: PC reverse partially backstamped BRANDVLEI '22 APR 29. Message reads "20th/4/29. Dear Gill,
It was a magnificent spectacle when Captain Campbell hurtled through space like a meteor. D Friedmann."
TRAVELLING CLOCK. Monogrammed "G.B.W. from M.C. 1929"
The inscription reads: "In appreciation from Captain Malcolm Campbell".
Roddy,
Many thanks for your fascinating email with images.
I apologise for taking so long to get back to you. I have now had a chance to talk to Bob (Robert Hill) on the phone who is hugely pleased to learn that you have contacted him. Sadly, Bob has no email connection so this reply is from me following my reading your email out to him over the phone and discussing the issues with him. Fortunately, I have his entire Verneukpan collection here to reference it.
Bob is delighted to know that you have contributed a copy of your VPN postcard. The message on the back is informative and exactly the sort of thing one wants in a Campbell / Verneukpan postcard. Clearly, it was sent at the time of the speed trials in the run-up to the attempt to break the record on the 25th. It is an important cover in the scheme of things, going as it is to someone (H.H. Gill) c/o Reuters in Cape Town. Both the sender and receiver are unknown to us.
However, we think we know who the travelling clock was given to. We don't know for certain but think it likely that this was a gift from Campbell to his agent in Cape Town, a Mr Waters, presumably on his departure from SA back to the UK for services rendered. Waters acted as Campbell's Agent, Private Secretary, Assistant, etc. Your find means that now, for the first time, we can put intials to his name. Thank you.
Many thanks for contributing your cover to the SAPC. Such contributions are our lifeblood.
I was recently contacted by Rod Fox who had found a postcard of Campbell's car in a Port Alfred antiquer shop when it closed down. He writes to Bob Hill via the SAPC:
Firstly I must congratulate you (Bob) for your excellent and most interesting article / display on the Verneukpan skeleton cancellers of 1929. I came about it via a very circuitous route as I was trying to research what car featured in a Malcolm Campbell postcard. That was part of a large batch of early 20th century ones that I'd just bought in a Port Alfred antique shop's closing down sale. At the time I didn't even know that Malcolm Campbell had ever been to South Africa.
This leads me to the one brief question I have for you please: In all your work revolving around the skeleton cancellers, did you happen to ever have come across such a postcard featuring a black and white photo of the Napier-Arrol-Aster car underway on the pan with Campbell at the wheel? The one I have has a (presumably) facsimile signature across the top left corner of the postcard. I do note that your display / article does feature several good photos of the car at the pan, but none of them show it actually being driven by Campbell. Additionally, extensive searching on the internet has not come up with a single other postcard featuring that particular version of the Bluebird car, though many exist of the later models which he drove elsewhere, and broke various land speed records in.
Hence therefore, I thought that if anyone may have seen other similar or identical postcards, it could quite possibly have been you - considering all your research! I believe that the car went on a tour of South Africa for six weeks after the unsuccessful record attempt at Verneukpan, so I suppose that postcards may have been produced to accompany that.
If you can shed any further light on what appears to be quite a rarity, I'd greatly appreciate it. Many thanks.
This is the postcard Rod found in a Port Alfred antique shop.
How does this huge car compare to the one in Bob's display?
In this photo this car, Bluebird, appears to be dark blue whereas in all the other SA/Verneukpan photos it is lighter.