These pages are in memory of my father, John Hayhurst. During his life he was a passionate historian with a particular interest in philately and postal history. A keen francophile, he specialised in French postal history and published a couple of short books, the texts of which are available below.
His career was in aeronautics, working on many varied aircraft during his time and culminating in the post of Director of the Concorde project for the British Government.
In retirement following the death of his wife, he returned to his native Lancashire where he attended Lancaster University, achieving first an M.A. and then an M.Phil. At the time of his death, he was pursuing a further degree in law. He immersed himself in the local community and made this the subject of his M.Phil. Thesis. (He was also, at the very moment he passed on, making his way briskly up a steep hill to a pub quiz which I can't help but imagine was rather the way he would have had it!)
I have put together these pages in order to hopefully provide a memorial in perpetuity to him and in the hope that the information that he has recorded offers a useful source of knowledge to others who share his interests.
Mark Hayhurst, January 1996
The Pneumatic Post of Paris
Describes the development of the Parisian Pneumatic Postal System from 1866.
Kindly reproduced by permission of the France & Colonies Philatelic
Society of Great Britain.
The Pigeon Post into Paris 1870-1871
A detailed account of the use of carrier pigeons during the siege of Paris.
Interesting links:
Usenet - rec.collecting.postal-history
Usenet - rec.collecting.stamps
Joseph Luft's Philatelic Resources
Charles Hendricksen's Philatelic Links
Fortunes of War Philatelics
Henry Stevens' Stamp Collecting Marketplace
© Copyright 2000 Mark Hayhurst
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