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Lot No. 910

Auction No. 25
Category World Airmails
    Airmails
Est. $500
Status Archived

 

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Sweden 1934 (31st Dec) Stockholm to Swedish Chamber of Commerce, Sydney underfranked cover with 95ö for 10gms & with "Taxe perçue" cachet carried on Imperial Airways service flight IE303. This is recorded as having experienced three incidents, two significant, comprising the Sylvanus after leaving Athens on 9th Jan 1935 force-landed at Mirabella with engine trouble, then the Arethusa leg was delayed at Jodhpur on 12th Jan also due to engine trouble before the Athena, which had assumed the service at Singapore on 15th Jan, a day behind schedule, attempted to make up time hence the pilot flew throughout the night which was prohibited. Halfway across the Timor Sea the aircraft encountered a violent storm reaching the Australian coast after 4½ hours just before dawn. The pilot was unable to sight Darwin Airport opting instead to follow the coast eastward & force-landing at Point Stuart on 16th Jan on a beach 100 kms from Darwin. After being refuelled by a Qantas DH71 (which was damaged upon take off), Athena continued on to Darwin departing just one day late. Confirmed by Berlin-Sassnitz Hafen Bahnpost 1.1.35) oval cancel & Air Mail Sydney 20 JA 35 b/s. One of the two covers recorded from Sweden on this eventful flight. Good to fair cond. Ex Perry

 

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