Interesting Places of Origin and Destination

Such was the interest in this flight, that persons from all across India prepared covers to be flown on this flight, some from places of origin you cannot imagine. Likewise, all mail was not addressed only to Cairo, Geneva and London. Mail was sent far and wide using the halts are trans-shipment points. In the gallery below, we present a selection of interesting covers from this perspective.

Interesting Destinations

Cover to Azores, a small island in the Atlantic, and important entrepot for sea voyages to the new world, and one of the two autonomus nations of Portugal. Scare destination, perhaps unique. On the reverse, transit mark C.T.T., AEROPORTO SANTA MARIA, 13.6.48 and arrival mark C.T.T., HORTA, 20 JUN 48. Correctly franked with the 14 as. airmail letter rate for European destinations.
Top: Letter carried on the Air-India International flight on 8 June 1948 from Bombay to London, and onward to Copenhagen.
Correctly franked with the 14 as postage rate. Example of an interesting destination for mail on this flight.
Top: Cover to Durban, South Africa. Flew Air-India to Cairo, and then other airlines to S. Africa.
Correctly franked with the 14 as. airmail letter rate.
Top Left: Cover to Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. Flew Air-India to London, and then on to the U.S.A.
Correctly franked with the 18 as. airmail letter rate.
Top Right: Press clipping from a U.S. newspaper with some information on mail from India on that flight
(Both images courtesy Gaurav Gupta.)
Top Left: Cover to Appelseha, Holland. Flew Air-India to London, and then other airlines to Holland.
Correctly franked with the 14 as. airmail letter rate.
Top Right: Cover to Nice, France. Flew Air-India to London, and then on to France.
Under stamped by 2 as, as the correct postage rate was 14 as.
Top Left: Registered cover to Johannesburg, South Africa. Flew Air-India to Cairo, and then other airlines to S. Africa.
Franked with 2 x 12 as. postage stamps, it was over stamped by 6 as.
The correct postage was 18 as. (14 as. airmail letter rate + 4 as. registration fee)
Top Right: Registered cover to New York, NY, U.S.A. Flew Air-India to London, and then on to the U.S.
Franked with 4 x 12 as. postage stamps, and over stamped by 26 as.
As the correct postage rate was 22 as.
Top: Cover to Prague
Top: Cover to Olhao, Algarve, Portugal. Flew to London on Air-India, and then onward to Portugal. Franked with 2 x 12 as. postage stamps, it was over stamped by 10 as. The correct postage was 14 as. which was the airmail letter rate to Europe.

Interesting Places of Origin

The 12 as. commemorative stamp was sold at many post offices across India, and generated a great deal of excitement. Philatelists, Dealers, and general public took advantage of this scheme, and sent mail from far and wide to be forwarded to Bombay, franked at the G.P.O. there, and then sent on board this flight. Let's look at some interesting places from where this mail originated (in alphabetical order).
Top: Air-India Souvenir cover sent to London from Agra.
Top: Interesting Origin. official Souvenir Cover mailed from Bangalore to London, with 12a. franking.
Top: Air-India large size souvenir cover sent from Bangalore to London
Top:  Brown Postal Stationary cover with the 12 as. stamp fixed over the embossed value,
and an AIr Mail etiquette added, and sent to Geneva from Calcutta.
Top: Air-India large size souvenir cover sent from Calcutta to London
Top Right: Air Mail cover sent to London from Chittoor, S. India.
Registered airmail cover, paying the 16 annas rate for Registered Airmail to UK (12 annas airmail rate and 4 annas registration charge). mailed from Delhi GPO, registration label on reverse.
Top: Air-India souvenir cover sent from Jubbulpore, C.P., to London under Postal Certificate (PC).
The PC shows three letters posted, two to London, and one to Geneva on 4 JUN 48.
Top: Official souvenir cover sent from Jullundur City, Punjab to London.
The manner in which the cover is addressed, suggests that the sender first addressed the cover to herself, and later realising the mistake, added the Air-India London address in the space available on the top, and the word from just above her name.
Top: Official Souvenir cover sent from Madras to Geneva by noted philatelist, S. S. Nathan.
He took the trouble to print the address of the recipient and sender on the cover, which suggests that many such covers were printed.
Top: An Air Mail cover sent to London from Mussoorie, UP. 
Many persons, particularly the wealthy residents of North India would escape the summer heat by moving to the cooler climate of Mussoorie in the hills of the United Provinces (UP). However, there was no way philately can be left behind. Mr. Heilig apparently found time to send this letter from his hotel there.
Top: Interesting Origin. Official Souvenir Cover mailed from Nagpur to London with a 12a. franking.
Top: Ordinary envelope sent to London from Poona.
The Friese handstamp on the reverse appears to be struck later. It is unlikely that six digit phone numbers existed in Hamburg in 1948.
Top: Official souvenir cover sent to London from Surat.
Top: Cover with a beautiful Air Mail etiquette having top and side margin, sent to London from Tuticorin.

Interesting Places of Origin and Destination

This section displays covers not only mailed from locations other than Bombay, but also the same covers addressed to places other than Cairo, Geneva and London. A rather interesting bunch of covers, some with other features of philatelic interest as well.
Top: Cover mailed from Calcutta, and sent to Bombay where the boxed cachet was used as an obliterator on the 12 as postage stamp. Addressed to Geneva, and under stamped by 2 as., but allowed without tax as a courtesy by the Swiss postal authorities. GENEVA EXP. LETTRES 9-VI 1948 arrival mark with the accompanying boxed cachet clearly visible on the reverse.
Then on the front, a circular GENEVE, EXP. LETTRES, 26.VII 48 hand stamp denotes the date the cover was returned. Now the question is whether the cover was returned to Calcutta or the Christchurch address on the reverse written in black. We do not find any Indian postal arrival marks on the cover to establish a return journey to India, but the CHRISTCHURCH, N.Z., 15 SEP 1948, denotes a gap of 51 days from the time the cover left Geneva and arrived in Christchurch. I would guess that the cover was returned to Calcutta first because the 'Back to Sender" endorsement on the front is using a different ink colour (blue) and handwriting as compared to the black ink for the first Christchurch address. The journey did not end with this. Upon arrival in Christchurch, the letter was once again re-directed to another destination in the same city, this time written in red.
Top Left: Official souvenir cover sent by Registered mail from Darjeeling to Khartoum, Sudan, with the correct 14 as postage (10 as Airmail letter rate, and 4 as. Registration fee)
Top Right: Official souvenir cover sent from Fatehgarh U.P. to New York, NY, U.S.A., with the correct 18 as. airmail letter postage rate for the U.S.A.
Top: Official souvenir cover sent from Jamshedpur, Bihar, to Toledo, Ohio, U.S.A., with the correct 18 as. airmail letter postage rate for the U.S.A.
Top: Registered souvenir cover franked with 2 x 12 as. first flight stamps, and posted from Lucknow, and sent to Howick, S. Africa. On the front, LUCKNOW 25 registered label, and on the reverse a round LUCKNOW G.P.O., REG, 1 JUN 48 date stamp.
Also on reverse, a HOWICK, xx JUN 48 arrival stamp.
Top: Plain cover, with a BY AIR MAIL violet hand stamp, sent from Hyderabad, Deccan, and addressed to Bavaria, Germany (American Zone). Also on the front, is the boxed rectangular cachet. The 12 as. stamp is cancelled with a HYDERABAD RESIDENCY, 4 JUN, 1948, 6.15 A.M. postal cancellation. The cover was under stamped by 2 as., and has been taxed. There is an T29C endorsement on the front of the cover.