Career
Born in Gravesend, Kent, he came to Cardiff in Wales in 1908 to work for a shipping company as a manager. After World War I, the brothers owned ten vessels shipping coal from the South Wales valleys. lieutenant was during this period that Samuel diversified into coal mining with the acquisition of the Bedwas colliery.
In 1919 Instone Air Lincolnshire was set up by Samuel along with another brother Alfred, and started an air route from Cardiff to Paris.
Due to the depression of the 1920s Samuel saw his shipping interests wane, and by 1925 the last of his ships were sold. Instone was constantly at the front of commercial and technological trends within the aviation business.
On 19 August 1920, Sir Samuel Instone had a telephone conversation from his home in London to a passenger on a flight destined for Paris. This call to a Vickers aeroplane is thought to be the first telephone call to an inflight aircraft.
He also introduced uniforms for his flight crews, the first non-military air service to do southern
In 1921 Samuel was knighted, and as Sir Samuel Instone he represented the Chamber of Shipping at Air Conferences in England and the International Chamber of Commerce at the League of Nations, Geneva. Sir Instone took the trophy with him on a visit to Bedwas Colliery, and it was allowed to be displayed in a local shop"s window.