Germany: British Military Air Letter Form Used in 1951

British military air letter form sent from Brunswick ( 20. 12. 51) to Lorenzo Marques, Portuguese East Africa (today: Maputo, Mocambique). Arrival cancel of 29. 12 1951, on reverse.

Franked at the rate for air mail letters weighing up to 5 g: 30 Pfg international letter rate plus 50 Pfg air mail surcharge. The aerogramme rate would have been only 60 Pfg.

Western Samoa: 1979 Aerogramme Commercially Used

Aerogramme #3, issued in 1979, commercially used in 1982. Sent from Apia (12. 11. 82) to New Zealand. Uprated with a 6 S stamp.

Commercially used copies are hard to find.

Peru: NEW DISCOVERY of Aerogramme, Mid 1960s

Official aerogramme form (Correos del Peru) prepaid by meter mark of Lima (4.VII.66) and sent 29 August 1966 to the German Democratic Republic.

This is not listed in any catalogue so far.

Palestine: No Air Letter Service to Canada in July 1947

Palestine air letter sent from Tel Aviv (8 JLY 1947) to Vancouver, Canada. Boxed instructional handstamp "BY AIR TO   ONLY", manually endorsed "UK". "By Air Mail" routing instruction voided with a red handstamp of six parallel bars upon arrival in the UK and onwards transportation by sea.

Air letter service to Canada only commenced March 1948.

Trinidad & Tobago: Aerogramme Posted Underpaid Twice

20c aerogramme returned for additional postage, but posted underpaid a second time and sent to Pakistan on 17 March 1976. The aerogramme was initially returned to the sender for paying the missing 5c to the 25c aerogramme rate for Pakistan. Endorsed „Returned for 5c … postage“. However, the sender did not pay the additional postage and posted the underpaid aerogramme a second time.

As the aerogramme was only prepaid at 20c, it was taxed „10/15“ (double deficiency as the numerator, international surface mail rate as the denominator according to the Vienna system) when posted the second time. This is incorrect as the Lausanne system, which required the single deficiency in the numerator, was in place since 1 January 1976.
 
In Pakistan, based on the „10/15“ tax fraction a postage due of Rs 17 was calculated.

UK: Taxed Aerogramme

8½p UK aerogramme (Greiner/Greiner # ) sent on 19 October 1975 to the US. Since 29 September 1975, the rate for the small size aerogrammes was 10½p. hence, the aerogramme was short paid 2p, which leads to 4p double deficiency in the tax fraction's numerator. The 10p in denominator is the international surface mail rate at the time of posting.

In the US, the tax fraction was multiplied with the US international surface mail rate (20c), resulting in a postage due of 8c.

UK: Seven Aerogramme Cut-Outs on Air Mail Letter

Air mail letter sent 24 March 1961 to the US, franked at 3s 9d, of which 3s 6d were paid by seven cut-outs from the 1957 aerogramme commemorating the 46th Parlamentary Conference.

The 3s 9d franking paid the air mail rate for a letter weighing up to  1½ oz.

Hongkong: Air Letter Form with "Aerogramme" Handstamp

Hongkong air letter form sent 16 FEB 1956 to Yugoslavia. Since the decisions of the 1952 Brussels UPU congress came into effect on 1 July 1953, "Aerogramme" was the official name of the former air letter. As the new name had to be present on the form, it was added by a handstamp.

Norfolk Island: 1975 Non-philatelic Use of a NZ Aerogramme Form

New Zealand Christmas aerogramme form  („Issued by the New Zealand Post Office for Posting in New Zealand to Overseas Addresses“), sent from Norfolk Island (17 AP 75) to the UK. Franked at 20c.

Non-philatelic aerogrammes like this one are quite scarce

South Africa: Aerogramme Sent from Marion Island

NGK #6 - Sent from tiny Marion Island, one of the two Price Edward Islands in the subantarctic Indian Ocean, and postmarked Port Elizabeth (31 X 48), to the UK. Cachet „Marion Island / South Indian Ocean“. 

Marion Island is not permanently inhabitaTed, but a team of researchers is working there.
Philatelic.

Italy: Information Booklet for 1980 aerogramme

8 pages booklet for the aerogramme commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first transatlantic flight (Italy #13, FDI = 10 October 1980)-

Turkey: Postal Promotion for Aerogrammes in 1968

A Turkish meter mark promoting the use of aerogrammes:

Turkish: Hava mektubu (Aerogram) kullaniniz

English: Use an aerogramme

Fiji: Privately Manufactured Aerogramme Form

Privately manufactured aerogramme form with photo „ FIJI BAND marching past the General Post Office“ printed on part of the writing panel.

Sent from Suva (23 FE 73) to the UK, 8c rate.

UK: 1977 Scottish Pictorial Aerogramm - Press Information

Greiner/Greiner #77 - 1977  10½p Scottish pictorial aerogramme - sold at 12p. Press information

UK: 1976 Welsh Pictorial Aerogramme - Press Information

Greiner/Greiner #75 - The 1976 10½p Welsh pictorial aerogramme was sold at 12p - information to the press.

South Africa: No Air Letter Service to Denmark in Sep 1946

6d air letter sent from Johannesburg (13 IX 46) to Denmark. At the time of posting, air letter service between South Africa and Denmark was not yet established.  

Taxed as a short paid air mail letter: „T“-handstamp, endorsed „160“ UPU centimes.  As an air mail letter (1s 6d per ½ oz) the item was short paid by 1s, double deficiency 2s. The conversion rate was 3d = 20 UPU ctms, so 2s = 24d = 160 UPU ctms.

The item was received at Kastrup on 21 Sep 1946 and forwarded to Norre Sundby (24 Sep 46).  Danish postage due stamps on the back panel (some torn off).

UK: 1981 Royal Wedding Aerogramme with Bundle Wrapper

UK 1981 Royal Wedding commemorative aerogramme with a wrapper for a bundle of 50 of these aerogrammes. Apparently, the 20p aerogramme was sold at 23p.

East Africa: Official Aerogramme Form

Aerogramme form  „E.A. Posts & Telecommunications Administration / On Postal Service“
Official use to Germany in 1955.

Straits Settlements: No Air letter Service to the US in 1945

Sent from Singapore (30 DEC 45) to the US. After WWII, regular air mail services from Singapore started again on 1 January 1946, so this air letter was actually on the first flight to the UK. 

Air letter service to the US commenced only 14 March 1949. Hence, the airletter was taxed as a short paid air mail letter.

Country of origin: Hexagonal „T“-handstamp, endorsed „67“ UPU centimes and „By air to London only“.  As an air mail letter (50c per ½ oz) the item was short paid by 25c, double deficiency 50c. In the Straits Settlements, the conversion rate was 12c = 16 UPU ctms, so 50c = 67 UPU ctms.

Country of destination: No apparent postage due handling.

Mauritius: Aerogramme Containing Enclosure

Aerogramme sent from Rose Hill (20 SP 73) to Obaise, Belgium. Handstamped „Contains Enclosure“ and circular „T“ handstamp endorsed  „50/50“, indicating that 25c postage is missing to pay for air mail letter rate (50c double deficiency as the numerator), while the surface mail letter rate was 50c (denominator).

No apparent postage due handling in country of destination.

South Africa: 1949 Aerogramme Used in 1964

This is the 1949 air letter with vertical lines for the sender's address on the back panel (NGK #10), used in 1964. The pre-payment of 6d was not valid anymore, so a 5c stamp was added to pay for the aerogramme rate in 1964.

Faroe Islands: Lettersheet Used as Aerogramme Form

Lettersheet used as an aerogramme form. Posted onboard of the ship that connected the Faroe Islands with Denmark, documented by the ship post cancel "Fra Færörne". Fed into the postal network upon arrival in Denmark.

Southern Rhodesia: 1946 Emergency Printing

Southern Rhodesia #2 The very rare provisional issue. The indicium (a different plate than the one used for the regular air letters) was lithographed on a UK military air letter form (control no. 51-5829 on side panel) to cover the demand for air letters before the new regular air letter (#3) was issued on 25 March 1947.

Peetoom (2009) says that „used examples are thin on the ground and may total a dozen or so. No mint copies have been seen“. He lists eight used copies which were postmarked between 27 December 1946 and 8 April 1947.

This copy was postmarked Salisbury (6 FEB 47) and sent to India. It has not been recorded by Peetoom and is the only one so far to a destination other than the UK. 

References
Peetoom, O. (2009), The 1946 Emergency Printing of a Civilian 6d Aerogramme on form 51-5829.The Rhodesian Philatelist No. 28, pp. 483-485

Australia: Aerogramme with Enclosure Returned to Sender for Additional Postage

Sent from Daylesford (28 SE 83) to Finland. Boxed „UNDERPAID / Postage collected from sender“ and single-line „Contains an enclosure“ handstamps.
 
Taxed as a short-paid air mail letter, for which the applicable rate was 75 c in 1983. 39 c missing postage collected from the sender.

Australia: Aerogramme with Enclosure Returned to Sender for Additional Postage

The aerogramme contained an enclosure („I am sending you a photo of our bridge, it is very famous“). The aerogramme was returned to the sender for additional postage to make up for air mail letter rate. Remainders of what could have been a postal note attached to the front of the aerogramme can still be seen on the left side of the front panel.

The air mail letter rate to the US was 1s 2d (as noted in pencil near to the lower left corner of the indicium). The sender added three 5d stamps which overpaid the required rate by 1d. The additional stamps were postmarked GPO Sydney Air (24 MY 65).

Ceylon: 1971 O.H.M.S. Aerogramme Form

O.H.M.S. aerogramme form sent from Colombo (22. 2. 71) to India with red „Colombo Official Paid“ circular handstamp of 25 FE 71.

Very thin paper, IMPERIAL AIR MAIL watermark, year code „A“ below  „AIR MAIL“ for 1967.

UK 1985 26p Scottish Aerogramme Display Instruction and Bundle Wrapper

The UK Scottish 26p aerogramme commemorating the 150th anniversary of Andrew Carnegie (Greiner/Greiner #111) was issued on 6 August 1985. Post offices were informed not to exhibit the aerogramme "before that date without authority".

The printer of the aerogramme, Waddingtons Security Print Ltd. packed the aerogrammes in bundles of 50 and used the wrapper shown below to keep bundles together.

South Africa: 3 Cut-outs from Air Letter Used as Postage Stamps

Three cut-outs from the first South African air letter used as the 9d franking on an ordinary air mail letter to the UK.

Lesotho: New Earliest Known Date for NGK #11

The NGK catalogue says that this aerogramme (#11) was issued in 1993. This copy shows that the aerogramme was already available in October 1991: postmarked 25. 10. 1991, also dated 24. 10. 1991 in writing panel.

Zanzibar: Airletter "Par avion a London"

Air letter form sent from Zanzibar (14 SE 47) to Maplewood, US. Air letter service to the US was available since 8 April 1947.

Two options were available: By air all the way (routing instruction N.A.A.S. - North Atlantic Air Service) at 70 cents or at 50 cents „By air to London only“. The sender chose the latter option („via London“) for this air letter. Two routing instruction handstamps „Par avion a London“.

South Africa: Early Air Letter Uprated to full Air Mail Letter Rate

3d air letter uprated to the 2s 6d full air mail letter rate, because at the time of posting (Queenstown, 29 APR 46) air letter service to the US was not yet established.

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.

Canada: Contains Unauthorized Enclosures

Aerogramme sent from Quebec (NOV 1 1955) via Montreal (NOV 3 1955, on reverse) to Jeumont, France. Handstamped „Contains unauthorized enclosures“ and „ Shortpaid for air conveyance / Port insuffisant pour avion“, „Aerogramme“ type designation and „Air Mail - Par Avion“ routing instruction voided with two parallel bars. Diverted to surface mail-.