WW 2 crash cover from Abyssinia

[Michael Dobbs]

Folks

I have received the following enquiry from South Africa:

[color=maroon]I am trying to identify what I think is a RAF WW 2 crash cover from Abyssinia.
Posted at Indian FPO 90 Asmara on 2 Nov 1941: cachet "Damaged in Aircraft Fire"; reposted in a OHMS cover from EA APO 60 11 Dec 1941 (Addis Ababa) to South Africa. Please help - Is there someone who I can contact to identify this crash?[/color]

Can anyone help please?

Yhanks, Mike  :)

[Peter Harvey]

Hi Mike,

Nothing is recorded in Hopkins History of Wreck Covers (in the aircraft section), or anything that could be associated around these dates. However I have attached an image from https://ethiopianphilatelicsociety.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/9/7/57979693/eaapopart1.pdf

This article from the Ethiopian Study Group states: South African Air Force cover, 19.11.1941, sent from EA APO 57 at Gondar. Although addressed to the USA, no postage has been paid. En route either to Nairobi or Port Sudan, the aircraft was in an accident and the cover was damaged by fire, and possibly also water damage. SA censor No. 306 (Type SA 101).

This could be the same cover your enquiry is about??

[Michael Dobbs]

Peter

Many thanks - it is likely to be the same cover as one of the co-authors of the article you mentioned (Jim Findlay) is the person making the enquiry!

But thanks for looking.

Mike  ;)

[Nick Guy]

Mike

I'm not sure if this is any help but for what it is worth I attach a scan of a roughly contemporary item that suffered the same fate, described by a previous owner as "From FPO 88 24 NOV 41 at Massawa via FPO 90 25 NOV 41 at Asmara for Nairobi but involved in an aircraft accident whilst in transit."  If it was the same incident it may at least help tie down the date.


Nick Guy

[John Thiesen]

12 November 1941
A South African Air Force Lockheed Lodestar shuttle plane, carrying mail for the South African Union crashed at Malakal in the Sudan. Eighteen bags of mail containing registered letters, as well as private and official mail, were partly destroyed by fire. One of the passengers, Major General F.H. Theron reputedly pulled mail bags out of the burning aircraft.

Salvaged mail was handled at the Base Post Office, Nairobi, where mail which could be identified was forwarded to the addressees, and unidentifiable mail was sent to the Returned Letter Office in Cape Town.

Under the terms of the Universal Postal Convention held at Buenos Aires in May 1939, the Postmaster-General ruled that the losses of registered letters were due to force majeure and that liability for compensation could therefore not be accepted. Naturally, this decision resulted in a certain amount of dissatisfaction among the troops.

[Michael Dobbs]

John

Many thanks for this very useful information - one question: where did you get it from please ?

Mike  :)