Page 121 - The Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia

sent to Basra by road. First Flight covers from Kuwait for Imperial
Airways extended service to Calcutta could not be despatched directly
and joined the flight at Basra on 16.7.33.
The Kuwait Air Mail stamps were issued in 1933 at the behest of
the Political Agent (Lieut.-Col. II. R. P. Dickson, C.I.F.). According to
the Catalogue the 2a., 3a. and 4a. were issued in 1933 and the 6a. in
1934; Abdul Sattar, who arranged with the Director of Posts in
Baghdad for the issue of these stamps, maintained that all four values
came on sale together in 1933. There remains, however, some doubt
about this as the covers sent by the Imperial Airways First Flight on
their extended service to the Far Fast on December 13th bear only the
three lower values, although the postage paid sometimes amounted to
15 annas; moreover, the 6a. does not appear to have been recorded
used before July 20th, 1934. The numbers issued of the 2a., 3a. and
4a. are 10,512; 48,096 and 3,312 respectively; the 3a. overprint
exists on a clear double print of the basic stamp and is exceedingly
rare both mint and used.

Genuine

Forged

!' Bogus
■