India 1951 Crash Mail Cover Salvaged Night Airmail Dum Dum Bombay Calcutta

Item Specifics

Country

India

Condition

Cover (Postal History)

Stamp Format

Single

Item Description

Grade: Ungraded
Indian cover salvaged from the Dum Dum night airmail crash of 1951. Stationery postage: Two 1 Anna meter postage, Ashoka Lion Capital. Addressed: From: Patel India Ltd., 190, Hornby Rd., Bombay 1. To: Mr. Kanu Patel, Bombay Photo Stores Ltd., 33-34 Park Mansion, PARK Street, CALCUTTA. Additional visible features: The cover bears a large, two-line purple cachet reading: "SALVAGED NIGHT AIR MAIL / DUM-DUM CRASH 21 ST. NOV' 51." Postmark and Transit: Postmark: Bombay G.P.O., dated November 20, 1951. Day of the week: Tuesday. Travel Distance: The approximate air distance between Bombay (Mumbai) and Calcutta (Kolkata) is 1,030 miles (1,660 km). The cover was postmarked in Bombay on November 20, 1951, for carriage on the night airmail service. The flight crashed at Dum Dum Airport (Calcutta) in the early hours of November 21, 1951. Historical Context: Event: The cover was carried on a Deccan Airways Douglas C-47 Dakota aircraft (registration VT-CUX) operating the nightly airmail service from Nagpur to Calcutta. In the early hours of Wednesday, November 21, 1951, the aircraft crashed while on approach to Dum Dum Airport (now Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport) in Calcutta. Mail that survived the crash and subsequent fire was salvaged by postal authorities, marked with the special "SALVAGED" cachet, and forwarded to the addressees. Locations Today: Sender's Location: The sender's address, 190 Hornby Road in Bombay, is now 190 Dadabhai Naoroji Road in Mumbai. The area remains a major commercial and heritage district. Recipient's Location: The recipient's address, 33-34 Park Mansion on Park Street in Calcutta, is a historic residential and commercial building that still stands on what is now officially known as Mother Teresa Sarani in Kolkata. Combined Shipping: We offer combined shipping. You pay the shipping fee for one item, and all other eligible items purchased in the same order will ship free. For heavier lots, shipping will be calculated. You may proceed with your purchases, and any overpayment on shipping charges will be refunded.

Seller Information

Seller

2wayrus (833)

Registered Since

03/05/2019

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99.5%

Store

2colllect

Item Location

Florida, United States

Ships To

Worldwide

Returns Accepted

No

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