Page 34 - DILMUN 11

■

■

(5.10.33), to Singapore and Alor Star (13.12.33),
to Brisbane (12.12.34), are amongst these
l interesting souvenirs of early flights. The return ^TSTE^
flight Singapore — London must have run into
some difficulty which prevented landing at ll FEB 51
* Bahrain (or, perhaps the mail was badly sorted ?).
Covers despatched from Singapore on 29.12.33
were transit-stamped at Baghdad 6.1.34 and Bas­
rah 8.1.34, and did not reach Bahrain until Type 21 Type 22
I 16.1.34.
The Airgraph Service was available for civilian
use by September 1942. They were written on *
I standard forms (Instructions in English only) and 2 Cl NO o
the Bahrain date-stamp (Type 5 C) sometimes
S3
appears to the right of the address panel. The
t Airgraph Censorship mark was applied in Bombay
(DHC/1).
Type 23

l Post Offices at Muhurraq and Awali K - 121” (Type 13) for a short time, and it is
known used there on October 25th, 1948. The first
British type cancellers (Types 21,22 and 23) were
I probably in use before the end of 1948; but, as no
date-stamp records were kept locally before 1962,
X 7
uj 2 M/iR.47 b ui|30 OCT4 6)p it is not possible to record precise dates. Type 21 is
also known in 1956 - 57 with a sans-serif 1 in place
I X X of the asterisk above the date : Type 22 was struck
in violet in 1950 - 51 and in black from 1952.
Type 13 Type 14 The town of Awali lies in the middle of the island
l and is the administrative centre of Bahrain Pet­
It was in 1946, on June 1st, that Bahrain's roleum Company. For a number of post-war years
the Company had operated a Mail Office for the
second post office was opened, on an experimental benefit of its own and its employees’ postal
i 31st, 1948, it used Type 13 and 14 cancellations on requirements; stamps could be bought, letters
basis, at Muharraq. From that date until March
could be posted and incoming mail was distributed
both registered and ordinary mail. The amount of
— but it was merely an “appendix” to Manama
mail sent from this office was not great and only
i two covers have been recorded. Type 13 is known Post Office. However, on July 1st, 1950, it became i
on a cover to USA (4.10.47) bearing a 2a. and a a Post Office, operated — initially — by the Com­
pany on behalf of the British Postal Agencies; and
pair of 8a. stamps (BAHRAIN overprints on soon using its own cancellers.
i India); and is also known struck on various dates
between 11.7.46 and 10.12.47 in a Post Office
Savings Bank Book. Type 14 was used to cancel a Bilingual Stamps and Cancellations
I similar RT~on a cover to England (30.10.46).
The British Agency took over two post offices in
1948, the main office in Manama, the capital, and
; a branch office at Muharraq, the large town near *j*Jt
the airport. A third post office was opened at
Awali in 1950, in which year Manama Post Office 6 JU 57
i i
moved from near the Customs House to a new BAHRAIN
location opposite Baab al Bahrain.

Manama continued to use Indian cancellers
Types 5C, 6 and 9 throughout the remainder of The Local stamp Type 29
1948 and, in the case of Types 5C and 9, well into
1949. Muharraq retained its “Experimental P.O.

21