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International Context


For Mankind, the act of flying through the air has never been an aimless exercise. The whole purpose has usually been to accomplish some other piece of related business, that is, war, the movement of goods and people, intelligence-gathering, exploration of unknown tracts of the globe and, why not ... the carrying of mail. Flying is not the end, but rather the means to achieving other goals that may not always be romantic or awe-inspiring. This is not to deny that, in the execution of their task, the pilots were not an adventurous, almost heroic lot — far from it. The whole history of airmail in Canada and throughout the world during the first few decades of this century derives from the work of a remarkable generation of pilots, or "winged messengers". They opened up the skies to the movement of mail. They laid the groundwork for today's international airmail system.


The exhibition Winged Messenger was on display in the Canadian Postal Museum from June 1997 to November 1999

The Beginnings
 The UPU
The Adventure
The Chronology
Canadian Context
The Beginnings
The Semi-official Flights
The Road
The Bush
Follow the Guide
Game

Credits

Canadian Postal Museum