Page 116 - 148 Years of the Royal Philatelic Society London

In 1981: President Sadat of Egypt assassinated; Pope John Paul II and Ronald Regan both

wounded by gunmen; AIDS first identified; MTV launched; Beyonce and Britney Spears born.

At the RPSL: John 0. Griffiths gives a display of South Australia 1836-1913.

RPSL President was A. Ronald But ler. Patron H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.

Membership 1503-1490.

BERLIN TO TRISTAN DACUNHA

THE SLOW WAY

From the collection of Victoria Archant.

Member since 2012. Lives in England.

/ I

""'< . G · 8.~e~~.

P · o · l?>o')t.. ";(.c:::i~
·-
,- .., (,~~ .... ~<:\. c .... ~'"'~

So ... ~ \-lo.-<....'°'" x:, ~

•

This letter was sent 6400 miles from East Berlin on 26th October 1981 to the small island of Tristan

Da Cunha in the South Atlantic. Instead of the direct route, the cover went via Nairobi, Kenya and

Johannesburg, to Cape Town at the southern tip of South Africa. There it must have been mislaid as,

although the six-day sailings of around 1600 miles were infrequent, it should have arrived long

before 18th March 1983.