David Morrison
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CRIMEA WAR. 1855 envelope to Paris with a pair of 20c tied by ...more
CRIMEA WAR. 1855 envelope to Paris with a pair of 20c tied by a
rectangle of dots with ‘ACCG’ in the centre. Alongside is an ARMEE
D’ORIENT QUARTIER Gal. 9 FEV 55 cancel. A Paris 22 FEV 55 arrival
cancel is on the back. The whole force sent by France to the Black
Sea was 309,268 soldiers. 70,000 were killed or died in the
hospitals, or were otherwise missing. It is considered that 93,000
were wounded and survived. This compares to 22,000 British deaths
S S KALYAN 1921 A severe gale in the eastern Mediterranean around ...more
S S KALYAN 1921 A severe gale in the eastern Mediterranean around April 12 1921 caused havoc with shipping in the area. The Kalyan had a large quantity of sea water get into her holds and the mail was badly damaged, which was only noticed when it was offloaded in Marseille on April 18. Various cachets in English, French and German were applied, depending on where the letter was going to. This envelope, addressed to Paris, has the French two line cachet ‘ACCIDENT EN MER / CORRESPONDANCE INNONDEE’
1915 German Postkarte to Lome, Togo, bearing a ½d on 5pf, ...more
1915 German Postkarte to Lome, Togo, bearing a ½d on 5pf, overprinted C. E. F. (Cameroons Expeditionary Force) cancelled DUALA 25. 11. 15. Full message on the back. A scarce stamp on commercial card
1974 aerogramme to Johannesburg with a K.U.T. 70c cancelled NAIROBI ...more
1974 aerogramme to Johannesburg with a K.U.T. 70c cancelled NAIROBI 19 NOV 1974. A violet bilingual "RECOVERED FROM AIR CRASH ON 20 NOVEMBER 1974 AT NAIROBI / HERWEN VAN LUGRAMP OP 20 NOVEMBER 1974 TE NAIROBI." cachet is on the front of the aerogramme. This letter was on Lufthansa Flight 540 that crashed shortly after take-off from Nairobi, killing 59 of the 157 passengers and crew
‘PRESTWICK 1954’. The B.O.A.C Stratocruiser was on a flight ...more
‘PRESTWICK 1954’. The B.O.A.C Stratocruiser was on a flight from
Heathrow Airport, England, to New York, United States with
scheduled stop-overs at Manchester Airport, in Northern England and
Prestwick Airport in Scotland. Due to the bad weather it was
decided to fly directly to Prestwick and the flight was delayed
while it waited for a Manchester passenger to be brought to London.
It was 03:30 in driving rain when ’Cathay’ was about to land at
Prestwick; it landed short of the runway forcing the port landing
gear into the wing causing the aircraft to overturn and burst into
flames, killing 28 of the 36 on board. Among the 250 bags of mail
cargo was a £900,000 consignment of diamonds for a New York address
This cover to the USA has a violet boxed ‘SALVAGED MAIL / AIRCRAFT
CRASH / PRESTWICK 25-12-54’ cachet
1931 CAROLINA , BRAZIL. On 3 February 1931 a Pan American ...more
1931 CAROLINA , BRAZIL. On 3 February 1931 a Pan American Grace
Airways Fairchild FC-2 was en route from Rio de Janeiro to New York
when it crashed at Carolina, Brazil. There were no fatalities but
the recovered mail was badly damaged by fire. This cover to
England, endorsed ‘via New York’ was in this incident. Very
uncommon
1939 “CHALLENGER” MOZAMBIQUE. On the 1st May 1939, the ...more
1939 “CHALLENGER” MOZAMBIQUE. On the 1st May 1939, the Imperial
Airways Short S23 Class Flying Boat “Challenger” struck a boat
while coming in to land at Lumbo, in Mozambique, killing two
members of the crew. The mail was recovered and forwarded on the
flying boat ‘Canopus’. Mail was processed on arrival in South
Africa. This cover from Southampton has the boxed two line
bilingual – English and Afrikaans - explanatory
cachet. In the lower left corner is a circular handstamp with a knight in armour with a sword and 'CHALLENGER' written around the top. Could this have been an envelope from on board the plane?
1954 PHILIPPINES AIRLINES DOUGLAS DC6, ROME. On its’ approach ...more
1954 PHILIPPINES AIRLINES DOUGLAS DC6, ROME. On its’ approach into
Ciampino Airport, Rome, the aircraft went into a steep dive and
crashed into the ground killing all on board. Severe turbulence was
suggested as to the cause of the crash. This badly burned cover
from Japan to London has the Italian cachet ‘Corrispondenza
recuperate in sequito / incidente aero del 14 GEN 1954’. There is
also a red manuscript ‘Salvaged From P.A.L. Aircraft Crash’ and
initialled
1954 PHILIPPINES AIRLINES DOUGLAS DC6, ROME. On its’ approach ...more
1954 PHILIPPINES AIRLINES DOUGLAS DC6, ROME. On its’ approach into
Ciampino Airport, Rome, the aircraft went into a steep dive and
crashed into the ground killing all on board. Severe turbulence was
suggested as to the cause of the crash. This badly burned cover
from Japan to London has a black ‘AIRCRAFT CRASH / DAMAGED IN
P.A.L. AIRCRAFT CRASH’ and a purple ‘DAMAGED IN / P.A.L. AIRCRAFT
CRASH’ both on the front of the cover.
1939 BRITISH AIRWAYS AT VORDINGBORG, DENMARK. On 15 August 1939 ...more
1939 BRITISH AIRWAYS AT VORDINGBORG, DENMARK. On 15 August 1939 a
British Airways Lockheed Electra was on the London – Amsterdam –
Copenhagen – Malmo – Stockholm flight when approaching Copenhagen a
fire broke out. The pilot landed the plane in the sea near
Storstroem Bridge. He managed to escape but the passengers all
died. The badly damaged mail was recovered the following day and
eventually forwarded. This cover from Birmingham to Vasteras,
Sweden, was forwarded in a transparent ambulance envelope with an
explanatory note, printed in Malmo. Very uncommon
1939 ‘CENTURION’. On 12th June 1939 the Imperial Airways Short ...more
1939 ‘CENTURION’. On 12th June 1939 the Imperial Airways Short S23
C Class Flying Boat “Centurion” was caught in a severe gust of wind
when coming into land on the Hooghly River near Calcutta. The plane
crashed and the passengers and crew were rescued. Much of the mail
was severely water damaged. This cover from Sydney has a weak two
line cachet ‘SALVAGED MAIL / EX CENTURION’, but an addition boxed
cachet ‘DAMAGED BY / SEA WATER / IN AIRPLANE / ACCIDENT’ has been
added
CITY OF DELHI, 1932. The City of Basra was carrying mail on the
first ...more CITY OF DELHI, 1932. The City of Basra was carrying mail on the first regular service to the U.K. that left Cape Town on 27 January 1932, but while taxiing got a wheel stuck in soft earth on the runway and was damaged. The mail was then transferred to the City of Delhi but that encountered a violent storm and was forced to land in a swamp 50 miles from Broken Hill, Rhodesia. Aircraft were sent out in search of the City of Delhi and a ground party reached it on 1st February. The mail was sent by native bearers to Broken Hill where it was put on the City of Baghdad for the flight to London. An interesting cover that needed three flights to get to its destination due to two damaged planes. This cover from Cape Town (27 JAN) was sent to Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia where it received an arrival backstamp of 4 FEB 32, 8 days after its’ departure
KATHERINE RIVER. On 18 January 1939 the Guinea Airways ...more
KATHERINE RIVER. On 18 January 1939 the Guinea Airways plane
“Koranga” hit a tree on take off from Katherine, near Darwin, and
crashed into the Katherine River killing all four crew members.
This cover from Catterick Camp in Yorkshire to Freemantle in
Western Australia has an explanatory label, printed and affixed in
Perth
NEW YORK. A small 1954 envelope from Messina, Italy, (16.12.1954)
to ...more NEW YORK. A small 1954 envelope from Messina, Italy, (16.12.1954) to New York that was on a flight that crashed into Jamaica Bay on December 19 after circling the airport for 2½ hours. A violet two line ‘Damaged due to air mail interruption / near N.Y. Int’l Airport DEC 19 1954’ cachet is on the front of the cover. The DC-6 was on its 4th attempt to land at New York-Idlewild when it struck the pier which supported the left row of runway 04 slope line approach lights. The aircraft crashed in flames and sank in Jamaica Bay. The aircraft was on a flight from Roma-Ciampino to New York via Milan, Paris, Shannon, Gander and Boston. 26 of the 32 passengers and crew were killed
S S ANGKOR. 1923 cover to Saigon from France that was on the S ...more
S S ANGKOR. 1923 cover to Saigon from France that was on the S S
Angkor which sailed from Marseilles bound for Haiphong, via
Yokoyama, when a fire broke out in No. 3 hold on 15th October at
Perim Island approaching the Red Sea. Attempts were made to
extinguish the fire but it was only when it arrived at Djibouti
were they finally able to extinguish the fire. This cover that was
damaged by both fire and water has a pink label attached explaining
the damage. On arrival in Saigon on 2 November, the cover was taxed
with a bisected French 50c stamp. These bisects are only found on
covers from the Angkor. This is the cover illustrated in Hoggarth &
Gwynn’s Maritime Disaster Mail. Usual faults as found on wreck
covers, but a fine example of this particular incident
1935 ‘MARBOE’. 1935 partially burned cover to Holland with a ...more
1935 ‘MARBOE’. 1935 partially burned cover to Holland with a 42½c
cancelled BATAVIA 12.7.35. The letter was on the K.L.M. DC 2
‘Maraboe’, that early in the morning of Wednesday 17th July started
off from Bushire airport which was known for its uneven and bumpy
runway. The plane ran 300 metres and at a speed of 120 km/h it hit
a bump on the runway and the right landing gear was sheared off and
a fuel pipe caught fire. Crew and passengers were unhurt, but the
plane was completely destroyed in the fire. An ambulance cover
accompanies the damaged cover with an type-written explanatory note
at the top. This ambulance cover does not appear to belong with
this cover. It is possible that as the cover was not too badly
damaged, it may have been forwarded without an ambulance cover.
However, the two go well together to explain wat happened that
morning in Bushire. Uncommon
U.S.A. The T.W.A. flight from Los Angeles to New York crashed ...more
U.S.A. The T.W.A. flight from Los Angeles to New York crashed when
the DC 3 struck a tree with its’ wing during a steep turn when
flying close to the ground. The pilot Capt. P. W. T. Scott was
killed along with two passengers. 12 were injured. Recovered mail,
which was all damaged, received an
explanatory printed slip. This damaged cover is from San Bernadino (Jan 22) to New York. (Stanford Ref 410123)
FRANCE MAIL ROBBERY. 1989 cover to Paris with a Fr2.20 ...more
FRANCE MAIL ROBBERY. 1989 cover to Paris with a Fr2.20 cancelled
Calais 24 8 89. A boxed cachet is on the front of the cover
‘CORRESPONDENCE RETARDEE / ACCIDENTELLEMENT EN SERVICE’ An arrival
cancel of 4.12.89 is on the back – a delay of 104 days. It is
believed that this cover was in a mail robbery and later recovered.
Very uncommon
1918 FIRE ON PARIS – BRUSSELS TRAIN. A picture post card to ...more
1918 FIRE ON PARIS – BRUSSELS TRAIN. A picture post card to Belgium
cancelled Besancon 20 12 18 that was on the Paris to Brussels train
that had a fire on board on the 21st or 22nd December. Little
detail is known as to what happened but the mail received a violet
two line cachet ‘CORRESPONDENCE RETARDEE / PAR SUITE D’UN INCENDIE’
CRASHED IN THE ATLANTIC JULY 9 1930. After many attempts, the
plane, ...more CRASHED IN THE ATLANTIC JULY 9 1930. After many attempts, the plane, a Latécoère 28 “Comte de la Vaulx” left Bomfin, Natal, Brazil, at 4 a.m., for France across the South Atlantic. As a result of oil leakage, it had to land on the ocean 250 miles from Dakar, but luckily near the relief ship “Phocée”. Mail was transferred to the ship and later to a faster ship to Dakar. This cover is from Buenos Aires to Paris No special cachet was applied but the Paris 16 VII 1930 is indicative it was on that flight
ARGANA, MOROCCO. On MAY 2 1939 the Air France Dewoitine 338 ...more
ARGANA, MOROCCO. On MAY 2 1939 the Air France Dewoitine 338 “Ville
de Dakar” en route from Dakar, Senegal – France, crashed at Argana,
Morocco. The 192nd flight of the tri-engined plane, with a crew of
six and six passengers, left Dakar for Casablanca at 6 a.m. Shortly
after 3:30 p.m. a message was sent. It spoke about storm clouds and
heavy cold. The plane was discovered 160 kilometers southwest of
Marrakech where it crashed against a mountain and started to burn.
A single line AVION ACCIDENTE cachet was applied to the back of the
recovered mail
1988 FRANCE. On 29th January an airplane chartered by the
Aeropostale ...more 1988 FRANCE. On 29th January an airplane chartered by the Aeropostale service for a flight from Toulouse to Paris crashed on take off after an engine failure. The plane was destroyed but the crew escaped unhurt. A red three line cachet was applied to recovered mail
1892 outer wrapper, with the original letter dated 27th March, ...more
1892 outer wrapper, with the original letter dated 27th March, to
England from FEZ with a Gibraltar 25 Centimos cancelled by the
TANGIER AP 3 92 duplex ‘A25’ canceller. A Kew arrival cancel is on
the front of the cover. This letter was probably carried by courier
that left Fez on Wednesday 30th March at 09.30 arriving in Tangier
4 days later. Apparently, at that time there was a shortage of
envelopes in Fez, hence the use of a wrapper. An early letter from
Fez
FRENCH POST OFFICE. 1862 folded letter to Livorno, Italy, with ...more
FRENCH POST OFFICE. 1862 folded letter to Livorno, Italy, with a
strip of four 80c tied by numeral 5080 cancels. An ALEXANDRIE 29
SEPT 62 cancel is on the front of the letter as well as a boxed
‘PD’ and oval handling agent cachet
1871 Ballon Monte Paris Siege Gazette of 9 January that also has ...more
1871 Ballon Monte Paris Siege Gazette of 9 January that also has a
lengthy message to ALEXANDRIE, EGYPT. A vertical pair of 20c
correctly pays the 40c rate, the stamps cancelled by a ‘1’ in
dotted stars. A further 1c stamp has been used on the back to seal
the letter. A PARIS 10 JANV 71 dispatch datestamp is on the front
of the letter, on the back is TOULON 16 JANV 71 transit c.d.s. This
departed on the Ballon ‘LE KEPLER’ that left Paris on January 11th.
It was the 56th balloon flight out of Paris during the Franco –
Prussian War. A very scarce destination. Behr certificate
1916 censored Gold Coast 3d registered postal stationery ...more
1916 censored Gold Coast 3d registered postal stationery envelope
overprinted TOGO / ANGLO-FRENCH / OCCUPATION to Keetmanshoop, South
West Africa, with a 2d and 1d overprinted stamps added all
cancelled LOME 30.11.16. London 3 JAN 17 and Keetmanshoop 7 FEB 17
transit and arrival cancels are on the back. A very unusual
destination
David Morrison
Lot A4458
Fixed Price
375.00 GBP
(app. 432 EUR)
(app. 432 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G2303 (D)
Fixed Price
150.00 GBP
(app. 173 EUR)
(app. 173 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G2794 (D)
Fixed Price
325.00 GBP
(app. 374 EUR)
(app. 374 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G2969 (D)
Fixed Price
75.00 GBP
(app. 86 EUR)
(app. 86 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G3577 (D)
Fixed Price
40.00 GBP
(app. 46 EUR)
(app. 46 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G3581 (D)
Fixed Price
75.00 GBP
(app. 86 EUR)
(app. 86 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G3602 (D)
cachet. In the lower left corner is a circular handstamp with a knight in armour with a sword and 'CHALLENGER' written around the top. Could this have been an envelope from on board the plane?
Fixed Price
125.00 GBP
(app. 144 EUR)
(app. 144 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G3612 (D)
Fixed Price
125.00 GBP
(app. 144 EUR)
(app. 144 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G3613 (D)
Fixed Price
125.00 GBP
(app. 144 EUR)
(app. 144 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G3614 (D)
Fixed Price
175.00 GBP
(app. 202 EUR)
(app. 202 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G3643 (D)
Fixed Price
60.00 GBP
(app. 69 EUR)
(app. 69 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G4193
first ...more CITY OF DELHI, 1932. The City of Basra was carrying mail on the first regular service to the U.K. that left Cape Town on 27 January 1932, but while taxiing got a wheel stuck in soft earth on the runway and was damaged. The mail was then transferred to the City of Delhi but that encountered a violent storm and was forced to land in a swamp 50 miles from Broken Hill, Rhodesia. Aircraft were sent out in search of the City of Delhi and a ground party reached it on 1st February. The mail was sent by native bearers to Broken Hill where it was put on the City of Baghdad for the flight to London. An interesting cover that needed three flights to get to its destination due to two damaged planes. This cover from Cape Town (27 JAN) was sent to Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia where it received an arrival backstamp of 4 FEB 32, 8 days after its’ departure
Fixed Price
90.00 GBP
(app. 104 EUR)
(app. 104 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G4717
Fixed Price
180.00 GBP
(app. 207 EUR)
(app. 207 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G4849
to ...more NEW YORK. A small 1954 envelope from Messina, Italy, (16.12.1954) to New York that was on a flight that crashed into Jamaica Bay on December 19 after circling the airport for 2½ hours. A violet two line ‘Damaged due to air mail interruption / near N.Y. Int’l Airport DEC 19 1954’ cachet is on the front of the cover. The DC-6 was on its 4th attempt to land at New York-Idlewild when it struck the pier which supported the left row of runway 04 slope line approach lights. The aircraft crashed in flames and sank in Jamaica Bay. The aircraft was on a flight from Roma-Ciampino to New York via Milan, Paris, Shannon, Gander and Boston. 26 of the 32 passengers and crew were killed
Fixed Price
115.00 GBP
(app. 132 EUR)
(app. 132 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G4998
Fixed Price
450.00 GBP
(app. 518 EUR)
(app. 518 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G5127
Fixed Price
85.00 GBP
(app. 98 EUR)
(app. 98 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G5201
explanatory printed slip. This damaged cover is from San Bernadino (Jan 22) to New York. (Stanford Ref 410123)
Fixed Price
80.00 GBP
(app. 92 EUR)
(app. 92 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G5744
Fixed Price
150.00 GBP
(app. 173 EUR)
(app. 173 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G5892
Fixed Price
195.00 GBP
(app. 225 EUR)
(app. 225 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G5937
plane, ...more CRASHED IN THE ATLANTIC JULY 9 1930. After many attempts, the plane, a Latécoère 28 “Comte de la Vaulx” left Bomfin, Natal, Brazil, at 4 a.m., for France across the South Atlantic. As a result of oil leakage, it had to land on the ocean 250 miles from Dakar, but luckily near the relief ship “Phocée”. Mail was transferred to the ship and later to a faster ship to Dakar. This cover is from Buenos Aires to Paris No special cachet was applied but the Paris 16 VII 1930 is indicative it was on that flight
Fixed Price
95.00 GBP
(app. 109 EUR)
(app. 109 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G5940
Fixed Price
95.00 GBP
(app. 109 EUR)
(app. 109 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot G5954
Aeropostale ...more 1988 FRANCE. On 29th January an airplane chartered by the Aeropostale service for a flight from Toulouse to Paris crashed on take off after an engine failure. The plane was destroyed but the crew escaped unhurt. A red three line cachet was applied to recovered mail
Fixed Price
55.00 GBP
(app. 63 EUR)
(app. 63 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot P4903
Fixed Price
135.00 GBP
(app. 155 EUR)
(app. 155 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot P5122
Fixed Price
350.00 GBP
(app. 403 EUR)
(app. 403 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot P5179
Fixed Price
3250.00 GBP
(app. 3743 EUR)
(app. 3743 EUR)
David Morrison
Lot P5192
Fixed Price
250.00 GBP
(app. 288 EUR)
(app. 288 EUR)
Current Time: Tuesday January 27th 2026 - 09:11 MET