Page 63 - The Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia

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i' covers having been sent by the first flight to Greece on October 5th
t' (back-stamped at Athens on October 10th). By this same flight, covers
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were despatched to England (received October 13th) and to South
Africa (received October 17th).
I
3P In subsequent years, the extension of Imperial Airways’ Far East
routes saw the frequent despatch and receipt of first flight covers, some
'.V of which are by no means common: from Rangoon (5.10.33), to
Singapore and Alor Star (13.12.33), to Brisbane (12.12.34) are amongst
these interesting souvenirs of early flights. The return flight Singapore-
I London must have run into some difficulty which prevented landing at
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 Basrah 8.1.34, and did not reach Bahrain until 16.1.34.
as Despite the increasing use of air mail it was still unusual for
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values over 6 annas to be used, and the higher rates were invariably
defrayed by the use of a number of low denomination stamps. Indian
air mail stamps of 1929, up to 4 annas, are frequently seen; but the
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1931 Inauguration of New Delhi and 1935 Silver Jubilee issues were
not placed on sale in Bahrain.

Apart from the Ordinary Indian stamps there was occasional use
of Indian “Service” stamps in Bahrain. Low value Queen Victoria and
King Edward stamps with the “On H.M.S.” overprint and King George
stamps with “SERVICE” overprint were probably used by visiting
Government Officials, as well as from the office of the Political Agent.

THE OVERPRINTED STAMPS
It was probably on political, as much as on economic, considera­
tions that it was decided that Bahrain should be provided with distinc­
tive stamps, albeit no more than an overprint on the contemporary
Indian stamps (Multi-Star Wmk) of King George V.
On August 10th, 1933 thirteen values to Rs5 were issued, to be
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followed by the 3p. in December. Between 1934 and 1937 the lower
values with inscription ‘POSTAGE’ appeared, and in 1937 the 2a. was
overprinted on the ‘Small Die’ basic stamp.

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