Signed Commemorative Envelope

Gleave was a famed R.A.F. fighter pilot shot down during the Battle of Britain and horribly burned -- which in turn made him famous as "Chief Guinea Pig" to famed New Zealand pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe; Simpson was a R.A.F. bomber pilot shot down over Belgium in 1940, suffering severe facial and hand burns -- and he too became famous as another of McIndoe's "guinea pigs." Signed Commemorative Envelope, 7½" X 4½", n.p., cancelled on 20 July 1982. Fine. Left half is filled with a color cachet depicting Battle of Britain fighters, above which is a portrait of Archibald McIndoe and the caption "41st Anniversary of the Guinea Pig Club 20 July 1982," with explanatory text at right describing the commemorative flight on which this envelope was carried. At upper right, near the special circular Guinea Pig Club cancellation, Gleave and Simpson each sign in blue ballpoint. Limitation statement on envelope verso notes this is #361 of 1026 signed covers and is signed by R.A.F. Project Officer D. Fullock. Accompanied by a 5½" X 3½" then-and-now black and white glossy photograph of Gleave and printed heavy stock informational cards about Gleave, Simpson and The Guinea Pig Club.