Aerial Mail - registered Western Australia to England via ship markings - 1929

Henry Brooks · July 2019

Can someone explain what the "late fee added" notation at upper left means? It obviously didn't work as per the note at lower right it was received too late to connect with the RMS Mongolia. Or was the late fee added at the port ?

Would it have gone out on the next ship? On the back there is a "Registered Perth" CDS even though the registration label is from Broome.

Would love to know how the rate was figured - it must be a rather unique rate...

Thanks for any light that can be shed - I don't really know where to start .

George DeKornfeld · July 2019

If the Australian system worked the same as in the U.S., a late fee could be paid to get mail onto a ship after the regular mail bags had already been deposited on board the vessel.

Ted Tyszka · July 2019

Postal history is not a strong point of mine, but the way I decipher it is, the RMS Mongolia ocean liner was torpedoed and sunk in 1917, so the sender of this piece was 12 years too late. But government being what it is, they charged the sender a late fee anyway. The postal service, though, did refrain from charging a "silly request fee," for wanting aerial mail delivery via boat.

(I told you I'm no good at this.)

Henry Brooks · July 2019

At 2:30 in the morning that almost makes sense !!!!

Robert Tucker · July 2019

Fascinating...I just wonder how a letter supposedly bound for transmission by sea, ended up being classified as "Aerial Mail" - the point raised by Ted. Apparently the ship struck a mine near India, and six crew members and all mail was lost, according to specific communications at the time. Later records stated she was torpedoed and sunk with the loss of 36 lives. So the mystery deepens...

Harry Patsalos · July 2019

S.S. Mongolia was still sailing in the 1920's (P&O Line) Probably this was what was meant.

George DeKornfeld · July 2019

Perhaps the cover was flown from Broome to Perth but arrived late for ship boarding. The Perth marking could be an arrival / transit marking.

https://ssmaritime.com/Mongolia-3-Rimutaka.htm

Robert Tucker · July 2019

Harry - there was more than one 'Mongolia' ship: SS Mongolia was an American vessel...

Robert Tucker · July 2019

George - that seems to make sense; being delayed for delivery to the (later version) RMS Mongolia - therefore it was never a part of the wartime disaster.

Henry Brooks · July 2019

Thanks everyone - this is what makes postal history fascinating.

George DeKornfeld · July 2019

Since the US and GB had this relationship, it seems reasonable to assume the same applied to the Aussies (although at this point, its only a guess). Here's an article about Late Fees for Supplementary Mail that provides the workings:

https://www.linns.com/news/us-stamps-postal-history/2017/march/supplementary-mail-had-a-long-history-in-new-york.html

Aerial Mail - registered Western Australia to England via ship markings - 1929

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