More Interesting Covers
There are several other interesting aspects to study when collecting flight covers related to this flight. Some of them are:
- Early use of the stamp on mail that preceded the 8 June flight
- Covers that are franked with an interesting combination of stamps
- Covers that actually carry an arrival postmark in the UK
- Covers that were not flown, but mailed within India only
- Covers that missed the inaugural flight, and went on a later flight
- Examples of later usage of the special Air-India postage stamp.
Early use of the stamp on mail that preceded the 8 June flight
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Gaurav Gupta from Delhi was kind enough to share images of this lovely cover intended to be flown on the 1948 flight. The cover on the top is Registered CONNAUGHT PLACE, which is in New Delhi, and franked with 14 as postage. This comprises 4 as. registration fees, and 10 as. airmail rate to Egypt. The cancellation mark is CONNAUGHT PLACE, 3 JUN 48, which we have seen is not what the post office should have done. On the reverse, we have two circular postal marks applied in Egypt. The first is a faint 7 JU 48 arrival mark, and the other is a ZIFTA, 9 JU 48 delivery mark.
This makes the cover special as it is an example of the 12 as. stamp used prior to the intended flight on 8 June 48.
This makes the cover special as it is an example of the 12 as. stamp used prior to the intended flight on 8 June 48.
Interesting combination of postage stamps used
Some covers required additional franking, while some did not, but were additionally franked anyway. Now the sender had a choice in terms of which postage stamps to use. Should he use the newly issued Independent India postage stamps released about 6 months ago, or the KG VI definitives that were still being printed, and still in use, or something special. Let's look at some interesting choices some philatelists made.
Top: Official souvenir Cover addressed to Berne, Switzerland franked with the 14 as. KG VI airmail definitive and the 12 as. Air-India commemorative stamp, making the postage amount as 26 as. against the correct airmail letter rate of 14 as.,
thus overstamping it by 12 as. This was certainly by a philatelist who wanted to have these two aeroplanes on the same cover.
thus overstamping it by 12 as. This was certainly by a philatelist who wanted to have these two aeroplanes on the same cover.
Above: Registered souvenir cover to London with the correct 16 as. registered airmail letter rate postage.
Here the sender has used the 1/2 as. KG V silver jubilee stamp that was issued in 1935.
Here the sender has used the 1/2 as. KG V silver jubilee stamp that was issued in 1935.
Covers that actually carry an arrival postmark of the UK
The customary arrival mark was not generally affixed by the postal authorities at London on incoming mail on this flight. The story goes that the Postmaster, London G.P.O. was upset about Air-India carrying mail to London, something that Imperial Airways started doing from 1927, and it's successor airline B.O.A.C. continued to do from 1940. So, he simply refused to permit arrival marks to be affixed on inward mail.
However, registered mail to London, and some mail addressed/re-directed to other parts of Britain do carry an arrival mark. There is also an example, in this section, of one ordinary airmail letter to London with a London arrival stamp.
To a philatelist, a departure and arrival date stamp makes the cover much more interesting, as it neatly ties the narrative together. The scarcity of covers with a British, and more particularly London arrival stamp makes this even more interesting.
However, registered mail to London, and some mail addressed/re-directed to other parts of Britain do carry an arrival mark. There is also an example, in this section, of one ordinary airmail letter to London with a London arrival stamp.
To a philatelist, a departure and arrival date stamp makes the cover much more interesting, as it neatly ties the narrative together. The scarcity of covers with a British, and more particularly London arrival stamp makes this even more interesting.
Above: Cover originally addressed to London franked with the 12 as. Air-India postage stamp tied with the boxed rectangular cachet at Bombay on 8 June 1948, and redirected to Richmond, Surrey, upon arrival at London. Clearly visible on the front of the cover is a round arrival stamp LONDON S.W.1, 6.15 P.M., 10 JNE 1948. Such arrival stamps are found on re-directed covers affixed at station of first arrival.
Above: Official Souvenir cover addressed to Dawlish, Devonshire, and redirected to London. In this instance the first destination was Dawlish, so we find a DAWLISH, DEVON, 12.30 PM, 11 JU 48 circular arrival stamp on the front of the cover.
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(work in progress. will be updated with reverse image and write-up soon)
Above: Airmail cover addressed to Salisbury, Wiltshire and redirected to Bristol.
Circular date stamp SALISBURY, WILTS, 11 JNE 1948, 3-15 PM applied on the front of the cover.
Circular date stamp SALISBURY, WILTS, 11 JNE 1948, 3-15 PM applied on the front of the cover.
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Above: Registered Official Souvenir cover franked with 16 as. postage, and addressed to London. Two interesting violet hand stamps on the front, INSUFFICIENT ADDRESS, E.C.18 and UNDELIVERED FOR REASONS (illegible word), RETURN TO SENDER. On the reverse is the circular date stamp LONDON E.C., H, RGD, 11 JU 48 and a small purple oval hand stamp E.G.M. (meaning unknown).
The postal department instructions were quite clear. All souvenir mail to London to be returned to the sender was to be addressed to Air-India c/o Tata Ltd., London. However, the sender of this letter sent it c/o the Postmaster, London, and managed to get it back in Bombay.
The postal department instructions were quite clear. All souvenir mail to London to be returned to the sender was to be addressed to Air-India c/o Tata Ltd., London. However, the sender of this letter sent it c/o the Postmaster, London, and managed to get it back in Bombay.
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Upper row: On the left is the front of a private souvenir cover addressed to London, and on the right is a souvenir card that was inserted inside the over. it seems to suggest this is some kind of Air-India issue, but no evidence has been found to support this.
Lower row: On the left side, is the reverse of the cover with the senders name and address printed, that gives the impression this is a private cover, and not an Air-India issue. More importantly, and London arrival hand stamp on the lower left of the cover can be seen. On the right is the enlarged image of the date stamp LONDON CHIEF OFFICE E.C.1, I, 10 JU 48.
The U of the JU is faint, but close examination will satisfy the examiner that is is JU and not JL. See the sharp L of LONDON. This is the only example I have seen of an ordinary airmail rate cover not re-directed with a London date stamp, so I could safely call it a rare cover.
Lower row: On the left side, is the reverse of the cover with the senders name and address printed, that gives the impression this is a private cover, and not an Air-India issue. More importantly, and London arrival hand stamp on the lower left of the cover can be seen. On the right is the enlarged image of the date stamp LONDON CHIEF OFFICE E.C.1, I, 10 JU 48.
The U of the JU is faint, but close examination will satisfy the examiner that is is JU and not JL. See the sharp L of LONDON. This is the only example I have seen of an ordinary airmail rate cover not re-directed with a London date stamp, so I could safely call it a rare cover.
Covers addressed to Domestic destinations, and not flown on the inaugural flight.
The postal department instructions were quite clear. If any person wanted a souvenir cover to be carried on the flight to London, Geneva or Cairo, he must address it to specific addresses provided for each destination. However, we have some examples of mail addressed to destinations within India, and hence, not flown on the inaugural flight.
Above: Souvenir cover with correct postage addressed to MUZAFAR NAGAR in India. So, the stamp is cancelled with the souvenir cachet at Bombay on 8 June 1948, but the cover was then sent to the recipient domestically, instead of going on the flight.
Above: A Official souvenir cover prepared by S. S. Nathan addressed to himself at Madras. Again, the cover is franked with the Air-India inaugural flight commemorative stamp, and is cancelled with the special boxed cachet at Bombay on 8 June 1948. This cover was also not carried on the flight to London, but carried domestically to Madras and delivered to him.
Nathan was a seasoned philatelist and this cover would be produced by him more by design than by accident. he was known for producing eclectic covers. Hence, I would not give too much philatelic importance to this cover.
Nathan was a seasoned philatelist and this cover would be produced by him more by design than by accident. he was known for producing eclectic covers. Hence, I would not give too much philatelic importance to this cover.
Covers that missed the inaugural flight, and went on a later flight
Many collectors and dealers sent mail from across India to be carried on the inaugural flight, and most of them managed to succeed. A small number however, seem to have missed the boat because of delay in posting the letters. The Postal Department instructions were quite clear. Mail would be accepted until June 5th at designated post offices, and until June 8th at GPO Bombay.
So, mail that was intended for this flight, but never made it has become collectible in itself. Here we see examples of these covers.
So, mail that was intended for this flight, but never made it has become collectible in itself. Here we see examples of these covers.
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Top: Official Souvenir cover sent to London from Tung, cancelled on 7 JUN 48. Tung is a post office in Darjeeling district, West Bengal. The cover is also very interesting because of the interesting place of origin. There is a beautiful and touching story about the place the cover was sent from. For that, please visit my blog of July 2016. (http://www.airindiacollector.com/blog)
Above: Cover franked with 2 x 12 as. commemorative stamps obliterated with BATANAGAR 8 JUN 48 postal cancellation mark, and addressed to Czechoslavakia. Obviously missed the flight, and perhaps went on the next service a week later.
Above: Official Souvenir cover franked with the 12 as commemorative stamp, and the 12 as. KG VI definitive.Notice that the 12 as. definitive is cancelled with a CALCUTTA G.P.O., 12 JUN 1948 AIR-A, Comet cancellation mark, white the 12 as. Air-India commemorative stamp is not. Here, the G.P.O. did the correct thing, because the 12 as. stamp was issued to be used only on one day, for the inaugural flight, and since that flight was missed, they correctly chose to ignore the stamp. There is an arrival c.d.s. ROXBORGH 17 JUN 48, 4.30 PM, which established that the cover went on the second service on 15 June from Bombay to London.
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Above: Plain brown paper cover with the blue Air Mail etiquette and franked with the correct rate 14 as. Air Mail postage rate. Posted from Kumbakonam, S. India and addressed to American Zone, Germany. The postage stamps are not cancelled at Kumbakonam, the post office of origin, but rather at Bombay G.P.O. This seems to suggest that the cover was intended for the first flight, and hence was sent to the Bombay GPO. However, it seems to have arrived late, and perhaps as a courtesy was cancelled on 14 June, and sent on the next weekly service. The postal authorities would be correct in not accepting the cover for onward transmission because the stamp was valid for use on the 8 June flight only.
Air-India International - First Flight from Bombay to London
Cover mailed in Calcutta & missed the flight.
Cover mailed in Calcutta & missed the flight.
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Top: Here is an Air-India International Souvenir cover, with the 12 as. stamp, this one with a CALCUTTA, 9 JUN 48, cancellation clearly visible on the reverse. The postage stamp itself is cancelled with a LONDON 9 JY inverted arrival mark quite clearly, and there is a handwritten T 50/c postage due endorsement in red visible beside the stamp on the front. Since the letter was posted in Calcutta after the 5 June deadline, it was too late to be sent to Bombay and be carried on the 8 June inaugural service, and also have the first flight cachet applied there. The Calcutta postal authorities did the right thing in treating the cover as unstamped, and still sending it to London with a Postage Due mark. Another unusual aspect is the application of the London arrival mark on the stamp itself, which is contrary to normal practice of applying it on the reverse of the cover. Interestingly, mail carried on the 8 June flight did not receive any arrival mark in London.
Air-India International First Flight from Bombay to London
8 June 1948
8 June 1948
Posted Late. Missed the flight.
Cover with the 12 as. First Flight stamp issued for use on 8 June 1948. The Postal Department had issued instructions that letters intended for the first flight must be posted at designated post offices before 5 June. However, the contents of this letter are themselves dated June 8 at Vandiperiyar P.O., Travancore, S. India. This makes it clear that the letter did not fly on the first flight. The postal authorities have correctly affixed a boxed rectangular cachet INSUFFICIENTLY STAMPED FOR TRANSMISSION BY AIR, and also a round T (taxe) cachet. They have also refused to cancel the stamp. There is however a mysterious X applied across the postage stamp.
There are two enclosures in the cover, both of philatelic interest. One is the letter which talks about the stamp issue, and the other is a newspaper clipping of an advertisement of the first flight. For me, this is the first evidence that the flight was to depart from Bombay at 18.00 on 8 June, and arrive at London at 19.30 on 9 June.
Cover with the 12 as. First Flight stamp issued for use on 8 June 1948. The Postal Department had issued instructions that letters intended for the first flight must be posted at designated post offices before 5 June. However, the contents of this letter are themselves dated June 8 at Vandiperiyar P.O., Travancore, S. India. This makes it clear that the letter did not fly on the first flight. The postal authorities have correctly affixed a boxed rectangular cachet INSUFFICIENTLY STAMPED FOR TRANSMISSION BY AIR, and also a round T (taxe) cachet. They have also refused to cancel the stamp. There is however a mysterious X applied across the postage stamp.
There are two enclosures in the cover, both of philatelic interest. One is the letter which talks about the stamp issue, and the other is a newspaper clipping of an advertisement of the first flight. For me, this is the first evidence that the flight was to depart from Bombay at 18.00 on 8 June, and arrive at London at 19.30 on 9 June.
Examples of later usage of the commemorative stamp
The commemorative stamp was issued to be used only for mail sent on the 8 June 1948 flight. it was not valid for use thereafter. So, examples of use after that day, are not very common, and interesting to collect. Here we have some good examples.
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Gaurav Gupta was kind enough to share images of the cover above. This is from the same Lt. Col. L. Hannagan, at Margaret's Hope Tea Estate, P.O. Tung, W. Bengal, India shown earlier in this section. However, it is postally cancelled TUNG, 14 JUN 48.
Above: Registered cover with the 12 as. commemorative stamp tied with a YATUNG TIBET, SILIGURI, 17 OCT 49 postal cancellation, and sent to Elizabeth, N.J., USA.
Above: Registered airmail cover sent from Calcutta to Copenhagen, Denmark.
The 12 as. commemorative Air-India stamp is cancelled AMHERST STREET, CALCUTTA, 29 DEC 51.
The 12 as. commemorative Air-India stamp is cancelled AMHERST STREET, CALCUTTA, 29 DEC 51.
Above: Cover mailed and cancelled with a boxed slogan cancellation 26 JUN 48, AHMEDABAD, and sent to Wilmington, Delaware.
Cover also has the black hand stamp T for Taxe (understamped). The 18 as. franking is the correct air-mail later for the US, so one possibel reason for the 'T' could be that the postal department decided to ingnore the 12 as. value of the expired Air-India stamp.
Cover also has the black hand stamp T for Taxe (understamped). The 18 as. franking is the correct air-mail later for the US, so one possibel reason for the 'T' could be that the postal department decided to ingnore the 12 as. value of the expired Air-India stamp.
Above: The UNESCO conference was held in Bombay on 22 December 1952, and the postal authorities issued a special cancellation mark. Here we see a cover with the two Asian Games (1951) and the Air-India International (1948) adhesives being cancelled with this mark.
Above: Special event cover produced by the Philatelic Bureau to mark the Nationalisation of Air Transport. Collectors were free to affix a postage stamp and obtain the special postal cancellation AIR TRANSPORT NATIONALISATION, CALCUTTA, 1ST AUG 1953. Here we have an example of the 12. as 1948 Air-India stamp being used. Technically, the postal authorities should have refused to affix a cancellation mark on this stamp.
Other Interesting Covers
Air-India International - First Flight from Bombay to Geneva
8 June, 1948
8 June, 1948
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This is the obvious conclusion after studying the cover:
- The cover was originally stamped with the correct 12 + 2 = 14 annas postage and tied with the boxed rectangular First Flight cachet and the round BOMBAY 8 JUN 48 cancellation mark.
- On the reverse of the cover is the boxed rectangular GRAND PRIX and the round GENEVE 1, EXP. LETTRES, 9-VI 1948 cachet affixed on arrival in Geneva.
- The letter was sent back to India after two months, for which the GENEVE 1, EXP. LETTRES, 12-VIII 1948 was applied.
- Upon arrival at India, the newly issued 1 1/2 anna Gandhiji stamp was affixed, and the 15 August 1948 First day of issue cancellation was applied, and the cover re-sent to Switzerland. How it was sent understamped is a mystery to me as the airmail rate to Switzerland was 14 annas.
- Upon arrival, one more time, in Switzerland, the final postmark GENEVE DEPOT POSTE REST. 20 VIII 48 was applied.
Somehow, this does not make sense to me.
Alternate explanation:
- The cover was originally stamped with the correct 12 + 2 = 14 annas postage and tied with the boxed rectangular First Flight cachet and the round BOMBAY 8 JUN 48 cancellation mark.
- On the reverse of the cover is the boxed rectangular GRAND PRIX and the round GENEVE 1, EXP. LETTRES, 9-VI 1948 cachet affixed on arrival in Geneva.
- The letter was sent back to India after two months, for which the GENEVE 1, EXP. LETTRES, 12-VIII 1948 was applied.
4. Upon arrival at India, the newly issued 1 1/2 anna Gandhiji stamp was affixed, and the 15 August 1948 First day of issue cancellation was applied. This was perhaps a favour cancellation done later, since the cover would have reached after 20 August only.
What is also strange is that no arrival mark is stamped in India for the returned cover.