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Posted : June 13, 1940 at Hamilton
Route : FAM 18 Atlantic Clipper to New York; USA domestic airlines to San Francisco;
FAM 14 from San Francisco to Hong Kong; CNAC to Kunming; China domestic transport to Chaotung.
Notes : Wonderful two-ocean trans-pacific airmail cover from Bermuda to China, with stamps of Bermuda and the USA in combination franking.
The 1sh George VI stamp paid the airmail rate to the USA from Bermuda. The (14) 5c prexies on the back were affixed in Bermuda, to pre-pay the 70c trans-pacific rate to China.
Originally the cover was assessed Postage Due by a Postal Clerk in Bermuda, marked by the T 210 centimes handstamp. However, when that clerk (or possibly another clerk) saw the USA stamps on reverse,
the Postage Due handstamp was then crossed out in pencil, and the note - "See other side" was handwritten on the cover,
referring to the USA stamps on the back. The 14 prexie issues were then cancelled upon arrival at San Francisco on June 21, 1940, and the cover began it's journey across the Pacific. It arrived at Hong Kong July 14,
then at Kunming, China on July 18, and finally at Chaotung on July 27. Also interesting to note - the date of posting on the cover is June 13, 1940, just 3 days after Italy entered the war, and routes across Europe
and the Mediterranean were closed. This may account for the routing via Pacific Clipper. Certainly, this is a very early example of two-ocean airmail service to the orient.
Rate : 1sh Bermuda paying the airmail rate to the USA, and 70c US paying the trans-pacific airmail rate to China.
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Bermuda to China
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