SA: 1918 "Make your 6d fly". First Cape Town flight card SIGNED BY PILOT A H GEARING at top left. Franked KGV ½d tied by machine "bars" cancellation of 28 SEP instead of the usual sole handstamped Aerial Post cds. The Aerial Post cds dated 7 OCT subsequently applied. Addressed to Rondebosch. Due to the INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC and resultant shortage of Post Office staff at that time a small number of the special flight cards were passed through the franking machine and not individually hand cancelled. F-VF, a rare pilot-signed card, especially so with the machine cancel variation. Message side reads: "Dear Reen, Greetings by first aerial post carried by Lieut Gearing from Wynberg on the 7th October 1918. Your sincerely, Leonard."
