1954 KLM Constellation Airmail Crash Cover from Hong Kong to France
Recovered from the 14 January 1954 Rome Air Crash - Nierinck
540114a
1954 KLM Constellation Airmail Crash Cover from Hong Kong to France
Recovered from the 14 January 1954 Rome Air Crash - Nierinck
540114a Scarce crash mail originating from Hong Kong, franked with
1950s-era definitive issues totaling $0.60 and clearly postmarked
HONG KONG GPO, 12 JA 54. Addressed to Monsieur Maurice Ulzear,
Hôtel Scribe, Paris, France. Routed via BOAC/KLM European airmail
services and destined for transit through Rome-Amsterdam-Paris.
This cover was onboard KLM Flight KL633, a Lockheed L-749A
Constellation, which crashed during takeoff at Rome Ciampino
Airport on 14 January 1954. The aircraft had originated in Bangkok
and carried airmail from across Southeast Asia, including Hong
Kong, Singapore, and Indonesia. The crash resulted in multiple
fatalities, but a portion of the international mail was salvaged.
The front of this envelope bears a two-line Italian crash cachet
applied in Rome: "Corrispondenza recuperata in seguito/incidente
aereo del 14 GEN 1954" (Correspondence recovered following the air
accident of 14 January 1954) Despite significant crash-related
soiling and wear (as typical of recovered covers), the cachet and
destination address remain fully legible. A prominent example of
post-WWII airmail disaster mail, rarely seen from Hong Kong origin
to a French address. Reference: Listed in Henri Nierinck's
authoritative work "Répertoire des Accidents d'Avions Transportant
du Courrier Aérien", as entry #540114a, describing the 1954 Rome
crash involving KLM Flight KL633 and its recovered
correspondence.
1954年 KLM 康斯特雷萊申號空難郵件:由香港寄往法國 1954年1月14日羅馬空難回收郵件-Nierinck編號 540114a
此為罕見的空難郵件,起源於香港,貼有1950年代普通郵票共值$0.60,清晰蓋有香港總局郵戳日期為1954年1月12日,寄往法國巴黎史克里布飯店的Maurice
Ulzear 先生。經 BOAC/KLM 歐洲航線,預定經羅馬——阿姆斯特丹——巴黎轉運。 該郵件搭載 KLM
第KL633號班機,一架洛克希德L-749A 康斯特雷菜中型飛機,於1954年1
月14日在羅馬錢皮諾機場起飛時失事。飛機自曼谷起飛,載有大量來自東南亞(包括香港、新加坡及印尼)的郵件。儘管事故造成多人罹難,部分國際郵件仍被成功回收。
信封正面蓋有一枚由義大利郵政機關加蓋的二行文字戳記,內容如下: "Corrispondenza recuperata in
seguito/Incidente aereo del 14 GEN 1954" (譯:1954年1月14日飛機事故後回收之郵件)
雖有明顯空難引致的污損與磨損(此類回收郵件常見現象),但戳記及地址仍清晰可辨。此為戰後航空災難郵件的重要例證,來自香港寄往法國者更屬罕見。
參考資料:載於Henri Nierinck 權威著作《Répertoire des Accidents d'Avions
Transportant du Courrier Aérien,編號#540114a,描述1954年羅馬 KLM
空難及其所回收之郵件。
