Posted : July 22, 1941 at Jesselton

Possible Route : Surface transport to Manila; Pan Am FAM 14 to San Francisco; US domestic airlines to New York; Pan Am FAM 18 to Lisbon; BOAC to England.

Notes : Airmail cover from North Borneo endorsed Via America and By Air Throughout, indicating Pan American Airways two-ocean airmail service by transpacific and transatlantic clipper to Europe. The franking of $2.05 paid the single two-ocean air rate to the UK, and includes the scarce usage of the $2.00 high face value stamp. There is a triangle PASSED FOR TRANSMISSION NORTH BORNEO 8 censor handstamp at center.

Rate : $2.05 + 2c War Tax

Posted : Nov 28, 1941 at Paramaribo, Suriname

Route : FAM 6-10 to Miami; USA Domestic airlines to San Francisco; San Francisco to Honolulu by ANZAC Clipper; offloaded at Hilo during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; Censored by the I.C.B. in Honolulu ; Released by I.C.B. and sent from Hawaii back to San Francisco; USA domestic airlines from San Francisco to Miami; FAM 22 across the South Atlantic to Africa, to connect with BOAC; BOAC through Cairo to India; Censored in India; at some point determined undeliverable; sent to the Dead Letter Office at Bombay; Marked Returned To Sender Service Suspended ; sent back to Paramaraibo arriving there July 20, 1942.

Notes : This cover is a wonderful example of an item in transit during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the interruption of mail service due to World War II. The cover was flown on the Last Pre-war flight of ANZAC Clipper, which departed San Francisco on Dec 6, 1941, and arrived in Hawaii during the Japanese attack. After being offloaded at Hilo, the cover was sent to the I.C.B. (Information Control Branch), where it was censored and Released By I.C.B. 32. The cover was then flown back to San Francisco and on to Miami, where it was backstamped Feb 3, 1942. From Miami, the cover was flown across the South Atlantic by FAM 22 to either Leopoldville or Lagos to connect with the BOAC Trans Africa service to Cairo, and from there by Horseshoe route to the Dutch Indies. It got at least as far as India, where it was censored again, and eventually sent to the Dead Letter Office in Bombay, marked several times - Return To Sender. The cover arrived back in Paramaraibo on July 20, 1942, where it was back stamped. Despite the somewhat rough condition, a wonderful and rare example of interrupted mail.

Rate : 1.375 Guilders

Posted : Nov 19, 1941 at New York

Route : US domestic airlines to San Francisco; FAM 19 PACIFIC Clipper departed San Francisco on Dec 1, arriving in Auckland on Dec 8, which was Dec 7 in the USA.

Notes : On Dec 1, 1941 the Clipper named PACIFIC, under command of Captain Robert Ford, departed San Francisco on what would be an historic last pre-war flight. After an overnight stop in Los Angeles, the clipper began the journey across the Pacific to Auckland, NZ on Dec 2. It was in flight between Noumea and Auckland, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Continuing on to Auckland, the clipper arrived there on Dec 8 (New Zealand date), which was actually Dec 7 in the USA. The mail was offloaded, and this cover was delivered the next day - Dec 9, by New Zealand Post. The addressee of the cover wrote a note on the front - "Arrived Auckland Dec 9th, Japan declares War", His initials - "ADB" (A D Baldwin), are hand written in the lower left corner. Meanwhile, with the aircraft in Auckland Harbor, the Captain and crew waited for instructions from Pan Am as to how to proceed. After some understandable delay due to the advent of War, it was determined that the safest route back to the USA would be to fly to New York. And so, on Dec 15 the Clipper departed Auckland, with no mail aboard to conserve fuel, for the return trip to the USA. After stops at Noumea, Gladstone, Darwin, Surabaya, Trincomalee, Karachi, Bahrain, Khartoum, Leopoldville, Natal, and Trinidad, the clipper arrived in New York on Jan 6, 1942, completing the first ever Around The World Flight by a commercial aircraft.

Rate : $1.00 - Double the 50c Clipper rate to New Zealand, paid by a $1.00 Prexie solo use.

Posted : Sep 9, 1941 at Habbaniya

Probable Route : BOAC Horseshoe Route from Habbaniya through India to either Singapore or Sydney, to connect with Pan American Airways Pacific Clipper service to San Francisco; USA domestic airlines to New York; Pan Am Atlantic Clipper service to Lisbon; BOAC or KLM to England; domestic transport to Northants.

Notes : The brown and red India censor label at left confirms that this cover traveled eastward on the Horseshoe route through India, to either Singapore or Sydney to connect with Pan American's Pacific Clipper service. The cover has an RAF Censor 9 handstamp which ties the label to the cover. Habbaniya was a regular overnight stop on the Horseshoe route. The franking is 100 fils, but there is a manuscript "T" in blue indicating Postage Due, and "230 c" (230 centimes) handwritten in red below the "T". This is the only two-ocean airmail cover from Iraq that I have ever seen.

Rate : 100 fils - Short Paid with Postage Due indicated.

Posted : Nov 12, 1941 at Colora, MD

Route : US domestic airlines to San Francisco; FAM 14 China Clipper departed San Francisco on Nov 19, arriving at Singapore on Nov 28; BOAC Horseshoe route from Singapore to Rangoon; back stamped Rangoon G.P.O. Dec 3, 1941.

Notes : The last pre-war flight of CHINA Clipper departed San Francisco on Nov 19. After a 5 day delay at Honolulu, the clipper proceeded on to Singapore, arriving there Nov 28; on Nov 29, the Clipper departed Singapore for the return trip to San Francisco, arriving on Dec 6. Due to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the US entry into World War II, this was the last Pre-war flight of CHINA Clipper. This cover is back stamped in Burma on Dec 3, confirming that it was carried on the last outbound flight of the CHINA Clipper.

Rate : $.70 - Pacific Clipper rate to Burma.

Posted : Feb 9, 1940 at Montreal

Route : Domestic airlines to San Francisco; FAM 14 California Clipper departed San Francisco on Feb 14, arriving in Hong Kong on Feb 20; from Hong Kong to either Bangkok or Singapore to connect with the Imperial Airlines / BOAC route to Sydney,Australia; then by Australia Airlines to Melbourne; back stamped San Francisco Feb 10, Hong Kong Feb 21, and Melbourne March 4.

Notes : Spectacular franking with 14 copies of the $1.00 Chateau de Ramesay stamp plus 5 other issues on this large commercial cover from Montreal to Melbourne. Since the FAM 19 route to Sydney had not yet begun, this cover went by Pan Am's FAM 14 route through Hong Kong, to connect with the Imperial / BOAC route to Australia. This is the highest franking I have seen from Canada during this period.

Rate : $14.50 - This cover is 16 times the $.90 rate plus $.10 Registration Fee.

Posted : May 15, 1941 at Lisbon

Possible Route : FAM 18 Atlantic Clipper from Lisbon to New York, censored in Bermuda; USA domestic airlines to San Francisco; FAM 19 HONOLULU Clipper departed San Francisco May 31, arriving at Noumea June 3; Back stamped New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Noumea.

Notes : Registered two-ocean airmail cover to New Caledonia, a rare destination for a cover originating in Portugal. There is a PC 90 Censor tape from Examiner 464 at Bermuda, and also a Censor tape from New Caledonia.

Rate : 41.75 escudos, 5 or 6 times the normal rate.

Posted : May 23, 1940 at Boston, MA

Route : USA domestic airlines from Boston to San Francisco; Pan Am Fam 14 Philippine Clipper departed San Francisco June 4, arriving in Hong Kong June 11; from Hong Kong to the Dutch Indies by KNILM; backstamped Hong Kong June 11, 1940.

Notes : Rare use of the $5.00 high value 4th Bureau issue on this large cover to the Dutch East Indies. The Hong Kong back stamp of June 11, 1940 confirms that this cover was flown on the Philippine Clipper, which arrived in Hong Kong on that date. The cover was censored in Hong Kong and the Dutsch Indies.

Rate : $5.60 - 8 times the normal rate.

Posted : August 18, 1941 at La Chaux-De-Fonds

Route : By rail from La Chaux-De-Fonds through Geneva to Lisbon; FAM 18 Atlantic Clipper to New York; USA domestic airlines to San Francisco; FAM 14 Clipper from San Francisco to Hong Kong or Singapore; BOAC Horseshoe Route Service to Durban.

Notes : Amazing airmail cover from Switzerland to South Africa, that traveled approximately 25,000 miles to arrive at its destination. The cover has a Bermuda P.C. 90 Censor tape from Examiner 906, confirming the two-ocean air route via Atlantic and Pacific Clipper service. The normal flying distance between Geneva and Durban is approximately 5200 miles. Because of the route changes caused by World War II, this cover traveled 19,500 extra miles. This cover traveled one of the longest all airmail routes in History!

Rate : 2.40 Swiss francs - .30 base rate + 2.10 Air surcharge

Posted : July 28, 1940 at FPO 122

Probable Route : Field Post Office 122 located in Palestine in 1940, to Tiberias probably by surface; from Tiberias to Singapore by BOAC or KLM; from Singapore to Sydney by BOAC Horseshoe route; by TEAL to Auckland; Pan Am FAM 19 from Auckland to San Francisco; USA domestic airlines to New York; FAM 18 Atlantic Clipper to Lisbon; from Lisbon to London by BOAC; domestic transport to destination.

Notes : One of the longest all-airmail routes in history - two-ocean airmail cover from Palestine to England, one of only two covers seen franked with Geroge VI stamps of Great Britain and only 5 covers previously reported known from Palestine to England by the two-ocean route. A V 2 handstamp in red was applied at Singapore, along with the triangle censor 49 hand stamp. The absence of any Hong Kong markings suggests that this cover was flown to Sydney, Australia by BOAC to connect with Pan Am's Pacific Clipper service at Auckland. There is a British Crown Censor 1064 boxed hand stamp. The cover was originally sent to Lancing, Sussex, with arrival date stamp of Sep 4, 1940, and was forwarded from there to Chippenham.

Rate : 3sh - two-ocean rate

Posted : July 7, 1941 at Fort Bayard, Kouangtcheouwan

Route : Fort Bayard to Hanoi to Hong Kong probably by surface or French Air Line; Fam 14 from Hong Kong to San Francisco; USA domestic airlines to New York; FAM 18 Atlantic Clipper service from New York to Lisbon; from Lisbon, probably by surface to Morocco.

Notes : The cover has the manuscript endorsement "via Pan American Airways & transatlantic", which was the standard way for postal clerks or senders from Indo China and the Orient to indicate the two-ocean airmail route via Pacific and Atlantic Clipper service. The stamps are from Indo China overprinted for use in Kouangtcheouwan. The franking is 2 piastres, which I have seen on one other two-ocean cover from Indo-China to Algeria. This area has been ceded back to China, and is now called Zhanjiang. There is a Mellal, Morocco arrival marking dated Sep 9, 1941. This a rare combination of origin and destination, and a truly rare route.

Rate : 2 piastres

Posted: Nov 29, 1940 at New York

Route : USA domestic airlines to San Francisco; FAM 14 California Clipper departed San Francisco on Dec 4 arriving in Hong Kong on Dec 14; from Hong Kong to Rangoon by CNAC; then by BOAC Horseshoe route to Dar Es Salaam; forwarded from there inland to Morogoro probably by surface; backstamped Hong Kong Dec 14, Dar Es Salaam Jan 14, and Morogoro Jan 17.

Notes : Scarce rate and destination for Pacific Clipper airmail, censored in Hong Kong with an additional Boxed Censor hand stamp possibly from Dar Es Salaam.

Rate : $.85 - uncommon rate