November 2007 9
With a Little Help from Our Friends
Early Efforts by the U.S. Post Office
Department to Accelerate Mail Delivery
to Europe and Locations beyond Using
Overseas Airmail Services
By Richard W. Helbock
Part 5 1931 Imperial Airways to
East & South Africa
F
rance and Belgium had concentrated their ef-
forts to accelerate postal communications with
their African colonies from the earliest days of
international air carriage of the mails. They had little
in the way of important Asian colonies and therefore
limited their routes to reach important African desti-
nations—the West coast south to Dakar for France
and the Congo for Belgium. The Netherlands had little
colonial interest in Africa remaining by the age of air
transportation. As described in part 4, they devoted
almost all of their effort into establishing a sound air
link with the Dutch east Indies. The United Kingdom,
on the other hand, was intially preoccupied with speed-
Figure 60 This political cartoon known as “Rhodes
ing up communications to India—the Jewel in the
Colossus” depicts Cecil Rhodes—an outspoken advocate
Crown—but the British also had important colonial of British colonialism in Africa—astride the continent. It
interests in Africa. Thus, an airmail link to Africa fol- was published in Punch, the British humor magazine, in
lowed close on the heels of the London-Karachi route.
the late 19th century and accurately represented the
views of many in Britain who saw Africa as their
THE BRITISH IN AFRICA
“American Wild West.”
British involvement with Africa traces back to the 17
th
ing slave trading nation. The British controlled at least
century and initially it was all about slavery. John
half of the trans-Atlantic slave trade by the end of the
Hawkins commanded the first English slave-trading
18th century.
expedition in 1562 and sold his cargo in the Spanish
Indies. English slaving remained a minor activity un-
Slavery’s economic incentives were powerful. Plan-
til the establishment of the British colonies in the Car
tations relied on a steady flow of slaves from Africa.
-
ibbean during the reign of King James I (1603–25).
British merchants and ships profited not only from
The first permanent British settlement on the African
supplying these slaves but also from the slave trade
continent was made at James Island in West Africa’s
with other colonies in the Western Hemisphere. The
Gambia River in 1661.
vast sums of money generated by the trade bought
political control in the British Parliament and the for-
In 1663 King Charles II gave the English slave trade
tunes of many British families were created on the
to a monopolistic company—the Royal Adventurers
backs of Africans uprooted from their villages and
Trading to Africa. It was succeed by the Royal Afri-
sent to work on far off plantations. Gradually, how-
can Company, founded in 1672 and held the English
ever, the influential planter and slave-trade interests
monopoly until 1698, when all Englishmen received
came under vigorous attack by religious and humani-
the right to trade in slaves. The demand to supply
tarian leaders and organizations, which propelled the
cheap labor for its North American and West Indies
issue of abolition to the forefront of British politics
plantations drove Britain to become the world’s lead-
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