An email enquiry.

[Chris Weddell]

I had a email enquiry about a cover from Hong Kong to England via the USA.

The cover is civil mail posted from Hong Kong in August 1941 posted to England via New York. The 2nd part of the question was answered by me as the cover went from New York to England via air mail.

The first part of the journey of the cover which was posted from Hong to the US up until May 1941 would have been by the Horseshoe airmail route then flown onto the US by PAA. In May the Horseshoe route was closed so the mail would have gone by ship from Hong Kong to the USA. Which Wartime shipping route would it have taken.

Any help with this would be good.

                                                                Chris S-W.

[Ross Debenham]

Chris, it would be interesting to know if the envelope has any other transit marks on it. I know that a lot of mail from China was routed through Lagos, onto the FAM22 flight to Miami, and I believe mails then went to England via another PAA FAM flight. I hope this helps. It would be interesting to know what the postal charges were.

[Nick Guy]

Hello Chris

With the closure of the BOAC through airmail route on Italy's entry into the war, Hong provided airmail via the USA using the Pan Am trans-Pacific route FAM 14 (Hong Kong - Manila - Guam - Wake Island - Midway Island - Honolulu - San Francisco; a shuttle service to Manila operated for services when the main route terminated in Singapore for alternate flights from May 1941 then for all flights from October 1941), onwards by internal airmail to New York and to Europe by FAM 18 to Lisbon  - Lisbon to UK by air was not guaranteed (ref - "Hong Kong Airmails 1924-1941," Crewe, D, HKSC, 2000).  Alternatively mail could be sent by air to the USA then by sea to Europe or by sea to the USA and air to Europe.  The choice of the three services would be indicated by the charge, but I am afraid I am confused by Crewe's rates table.  By sea to USA and by air was $2 per half ounce from 12/5/41.  I think the table is meant to say that by air throughout was $5 per half ounce and by air to the USA and onward by sea was $3.70 per half ounce form 1/2/41 but that is where I am having difficulties following him.

Nick Guy

[Nick Guy]

I am afraid I have managed to be vague about when the route was available - Hong Kong-USA-Europe was introduced on 18/6/40 and remained available up to December 1941 (Pearl Harbor).  Also I should have typed Hong [u]Kong[/u] in the first line.

N

[Chris Weddell]

Nick and Ross,

                    Thank you both for you help on this. It is not my area. I will email the person who sent me the question. I will also see if he can send me scans of the cover.

                                                        Chris S-W