UK: Forces Mail Aerogramme Form Included in Civil Mail Bag

UK Forces aerogramme form sent from Derby (26 MY 1973) with „Royal Engineers Mobile Display / Posted at:“ and „Derby RE Show“ cachets sent to a BFPO address.

For this item, Serving Forces concession rate would have been applicable when it went in the military mail. Here, the sender used civil mail (which would have been more expensive for civilians). Apparently, the item has been assessed for postage due at the full rate, but then that has been canceled, as it was officially approved as service mail allowed in the civil mail bag. Accordingly handstamped „ Authorised by H. P. C. C. D. for inclusion in civil air mails“.

H. P. C. C. D. is the Home Postal and Courier Communications Depot of the Royal Engineers based at Mill Hill in London.

The addressee, David Cornelius, (in this instance FS = Flight Sergeant RAF) was a postal historian and experts suspect this item as mailed on his behalf to get the „Royal Engineers Mobile …“ cachet. He frequently had his mail authorised for inclusion in civil mail and it can be assumed he had a contact at H. P. C. C. D. who arranged these covers for him and would have been able to authorise it.

Cornelius was a noted Collector of Denmark and author of "An Introduction to the Postal History of Denmark 1625-1950“, published in 2004 just before his death in 2005.


Credits: Stampboards members goof, MarkBodiella, gropilou, vikingeck, Finchley Chris, and fchd. See discussion here.