‘VIC’ VISSER BECHUANALAND
Postal History
Postal History
VV577
BECHUANALAND PROTECTORATE / Air Mail 1932 (22nd January), printed illustrated envelope ‘By the First Air Mail from Cape Town to London – per Imperial Airways.’ Addressed to Kenya and bearing a KGV 2d and 3d pair (SG 93, 94) tied by neat LOBATSI (22 Jan) double circle datestamps. With large ‘FROM KIMBERLEY’ cachet handstamped in violet and with Kimberley (27 Jan) transit datestamp. Nairobi arrival (7 FE) and Nairobi Poste Restante (8 FE) arrival backstamps. Scarce example of the acceptance of airmail from Bechuanaland for the first flight of the regular service from South Africa to England.
 
Note: unfortunately, the aircraft ‘City of Basra’ was damaged on take off from Salisbury on the 29th January and the relief aircraft, the ‘City of Delhi’ was forced to land in a swamp near Broken Hill due to a violent storm. The mail bags were carried to Broken Hill and were forwarded northward via the 'City of Baghdad' as part of the second Cape to London airmail.
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