Auction 321 - 332 Europe & Overseas Great Britain & British Commonwealth - Day 3

Imperial Airways G-ADVB "Corsair" Crash at Faradje, Dangu River, Belgian Congo 15 March 1939: Registered Envelope from Mozambique to Paris, dated 10 March 1939, carried by the Imperial Airways Short S23 seaplane "Cambria" on 12 March 1939, which left Durban, South Africa for England, the plane picked up mail in Beira, Mozambique, Mombasa and landed in Kisumu on 13 March, mail was then transferred to "Corsair" leaving Kisumu on 14 March which lost its way in bad weather and made a forced landing on the river Dangu near Juba, Sudan. All but one of the adhesives are washed off, bearing French special cachet 'AVION ACCIDENTE" in black, applied in Paris only on mail from Mozambique. There are only two covers known from Mozambique - one other recorded in 'Air Crash Mail of Imperial Airways' which was thought to be the only example. Nierinck 390315c.rnRef: "Air Crash Mail of Imperial Airways and Predecessor Airlines", by Kendall C. Sandford, page 164.