Cover of the Day 18 June 2020 - RAF Uxbridge - Cairo - Amman - Baghdad Service

[Peter Harvey]

Shown is a 1923 official OHMS Cover headed 'By Air Mail' annotated Certified Official (signature) F/O RAF Depot and cancelled with the UXBRIDGE 14 NOV 23 date stamp, sent to No8 Squadron Royal Air Force Hinaidi Iraq. To reverse it shows the BAGHDAD CANTONMENT 25 NOV 23 and BAGHDAD DELY 25 NO 23 date stamp - so 11 days in transit from the RAF Depot in North London to the Air Base at Hinaidi at Baghdad.

If you are interested in the RAF and this period of Air Mail, you might like to view the Cairo Baghdad IWM achieve film at https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060023307 - get over the camels at the start and the film shows the Vickers Vernon aircraft of No 45 Squadron loading with mail.

Cover would have flown London to Cairo, then Cairo to Baghdad refuelling at Amman.

At this time No 8 Squadron was flying operational duties against the Marsh Arabs in Mesopotamia.

Prior to this period mail to Baghdad (in effect RAF GHQ ) was either sent on a long journey by sea, via India, or was dispatched on the RAF air mail service to Cairo for forwarding by ship from Port Said often taking 4 - 5 weeks in transit. The air mail service started in mid - late 1921 with some proving flights and was then opened up to service mail 'On Active Service' and civilian mail. The OAS service mail would have the circle M red cachet and typically Indian FPO marking on reverse.

Official mail from this service is scarce. British Airways took over the service from the RAF in 1927.