Today in Postal History

This censored airmail cover was sent from Oslo just after the end of World War II in Europe.
It was censored in Norway and then again in England.
The Norwegian censor tape is at the front left while the English censor tape is at the right.
There are two versions of the Norwegian censor tape - small shields and large shields.
These are the more common small shields.*
There is another brown tape below the right hand tape.
Does this indicate a third censoring?

The cover was postmarked with a roller cancel across the top which left two CDS.
Note the interesting, but common, triple double pairs of arcs used as killers between the CDS.

The three stamps are 20ø red Lion Rampant from the issue of 1940.
This is an example of a short lived rate.
Access to airmail services reopened after the wartime hiatus on May 16.
The initial premium rate for airmail to Europe was 10ø per 5 gr.
The basic international rate was 30ø .
The 60ø  franking on this cover provides for three times
the 5 gr.  airmail rate (15 gr.) and the international rate.
This airmail rate was reduced on July 24 to 20ø per 15 gr.
Until September, 1945, mail to Asia or Africa went air only to England,
and by surface mail from there, hence the airmail surcharge was the same as for Europe.*
There is a nice pale blue airmail etiquette and a boxed handstamp 'By Air to England.'

The destination was Lourenço Marques, a district of
Portuguese East Africa (now Maputo in Mozambique).
Lourenço Marques is on the Indian Ocean coast about 375 km east of Johannesburg.

Independence came for the People's Republic of Mozambique on June 25, 1975,
oddly enough one day less than 30 years after this cover was postmarked.

The cover was sent by K. R. Pedersen to Elisabeth Pedersen - probably relatives.
It is also quite likely the recipient was a missionary.*

In the aftermath of the war it appears that mail took quite a while to get to
eastern Africa as the Lourenço Marques octagonal receiver is dated August 18!

Index