Palestine: Start of Air Letter Service to the US on May 15, 1947

 

Before the decisions of the 1952 Brussels UPU congress came into effect on July 1, 1953, aerogrammes (or: air letters as they were named at that time) were no standard UPU postal items. Countries had to make bilateral agreements about accepting aerogrammes at, compared to ordinary air mail letters, reduced rates in incoming mail.

Here is a (private) cachet commemorating the start of air letter services between Palestine and the US on May 15, 1947.

There is a matching item from Australia elsewhere on this blog: http://aerogramme-airletters.blogspot.de/2015/03/australia-start-of-air-letter-service.html

Libya #2

This is Libya #2, uprated with a 15 Mills stamp, used in 1964 to the US. The aerogramme was issued in 1958.

Australia: Aerogramme Containing Enclosure

This aerogramme (Australia #81b, according to the Roggenkämper/Russ/Wiegand catalogue) contained an enclosure AND it was short-paid even as an aerogramme.

Handstamped with a boxed "Aerogram / Contains Enclosure" and a double-framed "Underpaid / Postage / Collected from Sender".

The aerogramme rate in June 1990, when this aerogramme was sent, was 60 cent. Containing an enclosure, the aerogramme was treated as a short paid air mail letter, for which the applicable rate was AUD 1.10, which gives a total postage due of 57 cent.


Reference
Roggenkämper/Russ/Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Australien und Ozeanien, 2003

South Africa: No Air Letter Service to the US in 1946

South Africa #2 (greyish buff paper) sent on 17 XII 46 to the US. Air letter service to the US was not yet available, so the air letter was treated as a short paid air mail letter (bilingual handstamp "Insufficiently prepaid for transmission / by Air Mail") and diverted to surface mail (instructional handstamp "Not in the Air Mails").

Egypt: No Air Letter Service to France in 1946

This is Egypt #1 used from CAIRO 13 OC 46 to Paris, France.

Before the 1952 Brussels UPU congress, at which aerogrammes were accepted as a standard UPU service (regulation came into effect on July 1, 1953), the acceptance of air letters at reduced rates in international mail depended on bilateral agreements between postal authorities.

Sears in his book "The Airmails of Egypt" (1990, p. 153), only writes: "Initially air letters could only be sent to those countries where the Airgraph service was used."

This air letter was uprated to a total postage of 52 Mills, which was the ordinary air mail letter rate to France in October 1946.

Australia; Aerogramme Form Crash Mail

This aerogramme form, Cornish #2.1 on grey paper with "Tullis Bond / Made in Great Britain" watermark and Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Limited printed letter head on writing panel, was transported on board the Lockheed L-749A Constellation, registration G-ALAM, which crashed on Singapore Kallang Airport on March 13, 1954.

A violet boxed handstamp "Salvaged Mail / Aircraft Crash / Singapore 13. 3.1954" was applied on the front panel of the aerogramme form, which was salvaged form the burning airplane.

New Zealand Aerogramme Form: Official Use

New Zealand aerogramme form official use by the General Post Office (printed letter head on writing panel) to the US. Franked at the 8 d rate with official stamps, it was sent from Wellington (26 JA 55).