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Home Gallery New forms of air communication during World War Two (1941)

New forms of air communication during World War Two (1941)

The airgraph was introduced in the Second World War, as a solution to the circuitous route for air communication between Britain and the Middle East. The airgraph service, first suggested in 1932, reduced letters on special forms onto microfilm, and enlarged them at the end of the journey. A contract was signed with Kodak Ltd, and the first equipment was in place in April 1941, allowing letters to be filmed in Cairo and enlarged in the UK. This is the first airgraph message; sent by Queen Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother) to the Commander in Chief of the Middle East Force.