Rhodesia Aerogramme Form Unpaid and Diverted to Surface Mail

 

Rhodesia aerogramme form posted unpaid from the Postmaster’s Office at Salisbury (16 SEP 1968) to the USA.

Interestingly, the Postmaster’s Office did not apply an „Official Paid“ or „On Postal Service“ handstamp,  as usually done.

The unpaid aerogramme then was marked with the instructional handstamp „Insufficient Postage for Airmail / Forwarded by Surface Mail“ and a „To Pay“ handstamp with a „12/6“ taxation in red.

Although the denominator „6“ seems to be voided by scribbling, it is the correct taxation as 6d was Rhodesia’s UPU letter rate at the time of posting.

No apparent postage due handling in the USA.

The addressee, J. Gorman, is a well-known collector of "Official Paid" aerogrammes.

Fiji: Underpaid Aerogramme Diverted to Surface Mail

 

6d aerogramme sent from Levuka (14 MR 66) to Germany. The aerogramme rate to European destinations was 10d. As less than 75% of the rate had been prepaid, the aerogramme was diverted to surface mail in accordance with the regulations set by the 1964 Vienna UPU congress.

Malaya: Short-paid aerogramme form diverted to surface mail

Aerogramme form (dated inside 1 July 1956) sent from Johore Bahru, Malaya, to Redwood City, US.

Franked only at the UPU surface rate of 20c.

Aerogramme type designation and routing instruction voided with blue crayon and aerogramme form diverted to surface mail. 

Rhodesia & Nyasaland: Underpaid Aerogramme Diverted to Surface Mail

Rhodesia and Nyasaland 6d aerogramme sent for Zomba (25 JUN 57) to the US. As the aerogramme rate to the US was 1s, the aerogramme was short paid by 6d, i.e. 50%.

Two-line instructional handstamp “Withdrawn from Air Mail / By Surface Route” to indicate transfer by surface mail.

UK: 1960 Aerogramme Form Taxed and Diverted to Surface Mail

Franked at 3d and sent to Farmington (Connecticut), US, from Peckham (25 FEB 1960).

At the time of posting, the aerogramme rate was 6d. Hence, only 50 % of the required rate were paid. According to the UPU rules, the air letter was treated as an ordinary letter, for which the rate would have been 6d up to 1oz.

Country of origin: Octagonal „T“ handstamp, endorsed „21c“. 6d double deficiency converted into UPU centimes at a rate of 1d = 3.5 UPU centimes.

Country of destination: Postage due handstamp „Due 7 cents“ applied in the US. Postage due converted at a rate of 3 UPU centimes = 1 cent.

1957 Ottawa UPU Convention: „Items of air-mail correspondence on which the charges paid do not represent at least the amount of the air surcharge or, as the case may be, 75 per cent of the air surcharge or the combined charge, are treated in accordance with Articles 52 and 55 of the Convention.“ (Provisions Concerning Air Mails, Article 6)

Fiji: 1956 3d QEII Aerogramme - Short Paid but not Diverted to Surface Mail

The aerogramme was sent from Nausori (12 SP 56) to Hungary. The aerogramme rate to Hungary was 7d. Hence, the aerogramme was short paid. The postal clerk crossed out the „By Air Mail“ routing instruction to indicate diversion to surface mail.

Two things are mysterious, though:

• The surface rate to Hungary in September 1956 was 5d. Even though the aerogramme was short paid as a surface mail letter, it was not taxed.
• The arrival cancel Nyiregyhaza (24. IX 56, on reverse) suggests transfer by air mail.

Earlier date of usage than the earliest one (20. 10. 56) given by Duberal (1998).

References

Duberal, R. (1998). The Postal Stationery of Fiji.The Pacific Islands Study Circle of Great Britain. London.

Ceylon: Short-paid Aerogramme Diverted to Surface Mail

Ceylon air letter (Wiegand #9 - grey paper, no watermark, “Fold here …” on sealing flap is 63.0 mm wide - subtype not mentioned in Wiegand catalogue) sent from MOUNT LAVINIA (25 JU 56) to Newark, US

Two-line red instruction handstamp “ INSUFFICIENTLY PAID FOR / _____ AIR SERVICE”. The aerogramme was not taxed as short paid (the “T” handstamp was crossed out)

The aerogramme rate to the US was 50 ct, so less than half of the rate was prepaid. Hence, most likely, the aerogramme travelled by surface mail to the US.


Reference
Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000

Australia: Airletter Service Not Available to France in September 1946

This airletter (Stein A-2) was sent from SYDNEY (machine slogan cancel 11 SEP 1946) to Paris, France.

An instructional marking "NOT ELIGIBLE FOR / AERIAL MAIL. FEE / DEFICIENT / SYDNEY NO. 2" was applied and the “By Air Mail” routing instruction crossed out with blue crayon.

Airletter servies became a regular UPU service only with the 1952 Brussels UPU congress. Before, the availability of airletter services were subject to bilateral agreements between countries. In September 1946 air letter service between Australia and France has not yet been started. Air letter services between the two countries only commenced August 17, 1948.

Hence, the airletter was treated as an ordinary airmail letter for which it was short paid (1 s 6 d rate). Consequently, the air letter was diverted to surface mail.


Reference:
Stein, The Aerogrammes of Australia and Its Dependencies, 1944-1980

Kenya, Uganda & Tanganyika: No Air Letter Service to the US

British Forces air letter form (Adby F9A-1o). Sent from Nairobi (machine cancel 16 SEP 1946) to Bloomfield, US. Private, commercial use.

The 25 c franking was for air letter service to London only. Hence, the “By Air Mail” routing instruction was obliterated with a red handstamp (2 thick bars) at London and the air letter was diverted to surface mail to the US.


Reference
Adby, Aerogrammes, Air Mail Letter Cards, Air Letters, 1991

India Christmas Greetings 1946 Diverted to Surface Mail

This air letter was sent in December 1946 to Ghent, Belgium. At this time, air letter service to Belgium was not yet available. As a consequence the air letter was sent by surface mail which is documented by the 3-line handstamp "Air Mail letter Card Service / Not available. Forward / by surface route".

This airletter also proves that the British Empire and British Commonwealth of Nations countries did not at the same time inaugurated air letter servce to a specific country. Australia, for example, had opened air letter service to Belgium already on September 4, 1946.

In addition, the air letter (Wiegand #3c) is rare by itself. It is the 1946 Christmas Greeting issue with a colorful imprint on the writing panel.

Reference
Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000

Rhodesia & Nyasaland
Short Paid Aerogramme Diverted to Surface Mail

This aerogramme form was sent from BLANTYRE, Nyasaland (machine cancel 13 FEB 1959) to New York, U.S. One stamp has fallen off. However, the original franking had not met the 1 s aerogramme rate. 

The aerogramme was h/s “Insufficiently Prepaid for / Transmission by Airmail” and diverted to surface mail, which is indicated by the h/s “Withdrawn from Airmail / By Surface Route”.

United Kingdom
Enclosure "Contrary to Regulations / Sent by Surface Mail"

The air letter (Greiner no. 1A) was sent from STAFFORD (cds 16 NOV 1943) to an army address.

The writer states in his message “... my photograph .., it isn’t too bad. I am enclosing one in the letter”. This enclosure was detected by Royal Mail and a handstamp “Contrary to Regulations / Sent by Surface Mail” was applied.


References
Greiner stands for Greiner/Greiner, Aerogramme von Europa, 3e, 1993

South Africa
Short Paid Aerogramme Diverted to Surface Mail

Aerogramme (Müller no. 48) sent from DURBAN (slogan cancel  5 IX 1967) to Port Richey, U.S.
 
The aerogramme rate to the U.S. was 10 c.
 
A bilingual handstamp in English and Afrikaans language was applied “Insufficiently Prepaid for Trans- / Mission by Air Mail” to indicate diversion to surface mail.


References
Müller stands for Müller/Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Afrika, 1995

Sweden
Aerogramme with Enclosure

This aerogramme form was sent from BROMMA (cds 4.3.67) to Charlotte, U.S. at the regular 0.70 Kronor aerogramme rate.

The sender states in the message “Enclosed is the picture taken when ...”. 

Enclosures are not allowed in aerogrammes. The postal authorities detected the enclosure by weighing and endorsed the weight “5 gr”. The routing instruction “Aerogram / Flygpost / Par Avion” was crossed out and the letter was diverted to surface mail.

New Zealand to France
No Airletter Service - Diverted to Surface Mail

Air mail letter card sent from WELLINGTON (faint cds 4 NOV 45) to Paris, France.

In November 1945, air letter service to civilian addresses from New Zealand was only available to

• UK, South Africa, British East Africa, British West Africa, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, Middle East, India, and Ceylon (since August 24, 1944)
  
• Gibraltar, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland (from September 27, 1944 on)

The air mail letter card was diverted to surface mail which is indicated by the red two bars h/s canceling the “By Air Mail” routing instruction.

 
Reference
Startup, Robin M., Airmails of New Zealand, vol. III: International Airmail 1940 - 1970

Australia
"Contains an Enclosure"

Australia #7B (sealing flap on top 13 mm wide) sent from MELBOURNE (machine cancellation 14 FEB 1955).  

The sender, a stamp dealer, failed to comply with one of the basic rules for aerogrammes. He enclosed something inside the aerogramme (a price list for kiloware, as is revealed by the message on the writing panel).

The admonition on the back panel states "If anything is enclosed, letter will be sent by ordinary mail." The postal authorities detected the enclosure, h/s the aerogramme "Contains / an Enclosure" and diverted the aerogramme to surface mail, which was indicated by crossing out the "By Air Mail" routing instruction.

Rhodesia & Nyasaland
Enclosure - Diverted to Surface Mail

This aerogramme form was sent from LUSAKA (cds 12 MAR 1959) to New Jersey, U.S. The 1s stamp correctly paid the aerogramme rate to the U.S. in 1959, but the post office clerk detected an enclosure in the aerogramme and endorsed "ENCLOSURE" to indicate the violation of a basic rule for aerogrammes: "An air letter should not contain any enclosure; if it does it will be surcharged or sent by ordinary mail".  Accordingly, the aerogramme was treated as an airmail letter for which it was short paid. Hence, the aerogramme was diverted to surface mail.