British Columbia Airways Limited

Formed in 1927, the company planned to open an air servicve between Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle. Purchasing a Ford 4-AT-B Tri-motor passenger airplane, the company made its first passenger carrying flight on July 23, 1928. Soon after, the company had permission from postal authorities in Ottawa to issue a company semi-official stamp. Unfortunately, the service was very short lived. On August 25, 1928, the Tri-motor aircraft plunged into the Strait of Juan de Fuca killing senior pilot Harold Walker, co-pilot R.L. Carson, and five passengers. Stamp images are temporarily unavailable !

Stamps Issued

CL 44 issued on August 3, 1928. This was the only stamp issued by the company.

Flight Covers

Victoria to Vancouver July 23, 1928. This is the experimental flight made before the company issued its semi-official stamp. With the success of this flight, the company was ready for business in early August.

Vancouver to Victoria August 3, 1928. This is the first official flight with the company stamp in use. The cover also has a special three line cachet to mark the occassion. Company flights after this date take place on a daily basis until August 25, 1928. Covers can be found with the company stamp after this date, but could not have been flown by the company.

Company Notes

- Short lived service only lasting a month. - Special cachet used on the first first from Vancouver to Victoria on August 3, 1928. - Most stamps can be find in mint condition, since very few were originally used.

See the Web Site re: The History of Mining in Red Lake

[ History of Red Lake Web Site ]