Italian Colonies
Luigi Amadeo, Duke of the Abruzzi (1873-1933)
Air Post Commemorative Stamp
On April 24, 1934 this air post stamp was issued to honour Luigi Amadeo;
it depicts natives in a canoe hailing a Dornier Wal (Whale) aircraft.
Between 1932 and 1934 Italy produced general issue stamps for all colonies. There were 50 regular issue stamps, 35 air post issues, and 2 air post special delivery stamps. Most of the stamps were issued in sets but on April 24, 1934 an unusual single commemorative stamp was issued honouring Luigi Amadeo, the Duke of the Abruzzi. The son of King Amadeo I of Spain was born in Madrid on January 29, 1873. He moved into exile in Italy when his father abdicated the Spainish throne in 1873. The ducal title was created for him by King Umberto I in 1890. The Duke became famous for his adventurous explorations in the arctic and Africa and for mountaineering expeditions from the St. Elias range in the Yukon and Alaska to East Africa and the Himalayas. After serving in the Italian Navy and rising to the rank of Admiral during World War I, he moved to Italian Somaliland where he established an experimental agricultural settlement. He died there on March 18, 1933.
This clipping from page 4 of the San Jose Evening News of Wednesday, January 31, 1906
demonstrates the international interest in the Duke of the Abruzzi's travels.
Bibliography
"Abruzzi Will Go to Africa." San Jose Evening News. 31 Jan. 1906: 4.
"Dornier Do J." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Aug. 2018. Web.
7 Sep. 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornier_Do_J.
"Italian Colonies." Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue. 2015.
"Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Aug. 2018. Web.
28 Aug. 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Luigi_Amedeo,_Duke_of_the_Abruzzi.
"Search for a Royal Explorer." The Quebec Daily Telegraph. 9 Aug. 1900: 9.
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