India Delhi to USA British Censored Commercial Ship Cover Postage 1941 WWII

Item Specifics

Country

India

Condition

Cover (Postal History)

Stamp Format

Single

Item Description

Grade: Ungraded
Postal History Item : Item Type: Cover. Usage: Postally used. From: J. SHAH, EXPORTER, DELHI (INDIA.) To: Messrs National Oil Products Co, Harison N.J. (U.S.A) Additional Visible Features: Handwritten endorsement in red ink at the top front: "Per. S.S. President "Harrison" Sailing from Bombay on 4.5.'41". Printed sender's details on the front bottom left. Handwritten recipient address. Black triangular censorship handstamp on the front: "PASSED BY ". Postmark Date and Location: DELHI, May 4, 1941. (Visible on the reverse). Travel Time and Approximate Travel Distance: The cover was postmarked in Delhi on May 4, 1941, and intended for carriage on the S.S. President Harrison sailing from Bombay on or after May 4, 1941, to the U.S.A. Approximate Travel Distance: Delhi to Bombay (by land to reach the port): ~1,150 km (~715 miles). Bombay to New York (a likely destination port for Harrison, NJ, via sea, likely around the Cape of Good Hope due to wartime conditions): ~20,000 - 24,000 km (~12,400 - 14,900 miles). Total approximate travel distance: ~21,150 - 25,150 km (~13,115 - 15,615 miles). Historical Context (based on mailing date May 4, 1941): The date May 4, 1941, falls during World War II. India, as part of the British Empire, was at war with the Axis powers. The United States was still officially neutral, though the Lend-Lease Act (signed March 1941) was in effect, allowing the U.S. to supply Allied nations. The S.S. President Harrison was an American President Lines passenger and cargo ship. During this period, U.S. merchant vessels were still operating globally, though with increasing risk. The Anglo-Iraqi War was ongoing (April-May 1941), a brief conflict where British forces (some deployed from India) intervened against a pro-Axis government in Iraq. The Battle of the Atlantic was a major ongoing campaign. Mail, especially commercial correspondence from a British territory to the neutral USA, was subject to censorship. The "PASSED BY CENSOR" marking indicates this scrutiny. The endorsement for a specific ship suggests an attempt to use a known (perhaps perceived as safer or more direct) neutral carrier.

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03/05/2019

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Florida, United States

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Worldwide

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