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Ireland – 1943 – Transatlantic Airmail Cover – Baile Atha Cliath (Dublin) to New York (USA)

International commercial airmail cover mailed from Baile Atha Cliath (Dublin), Ireland, to Oliver Bros., Inc., New York, USA, on 12 January 1943 during the Second World War. Endorsed “Air Mail. North American Air Service”, the cover bears a total franking of 1 Shilling 3 Pence, together with Irish and British wartime censorship markings documenting transatlantic commercial correspondence routed through the North Atlantic airmail network.

Overview

Commercial airmail cover sent by R. Broderick & Sons, Dublin, to Oliver Bros., Inc., New York. Franked with one 1 Shilling and two 1 1/2 Pence Irish definitive stamps, cancelled by a BAILE ATHA CLIATH circular datestamp dated 12 January 1943, 8 PM. The manuscript endorsement “Air Mail. North American Air Service” directed transmission by the transatlantic airmail service to North America. The cover was opened by the Irish postal censorship and subsequently examined by the British censorship authorities before continuing to the United States.

Technical Details

• Country: Ireland (Eire)
• Date: 12 January 1943
• Origin: Baile Atha Cliath (Dublin)
• Destination: New York, United States
• Document Type: Commercial Airmail Cover
• Postal Service: International Airmail
• Total Franking: 1 Shilling 3 Pence (15d)
• Departure Postmark: Baile Atha Cliath circular datestamp, 12 January 1943, 8 PM
• Airmail Endorsement: “Air Mail. North American Air Service”
• Irish Censorship: “AN SCRUDOIR D’OSCAIL / OPENED BY CENSOR”, Examiner No. 150
• British Censorship: Examiner 3875 censor tape
• Sender: R. Broderick & Sons, 43 Dame Street, Dublin
• Addressee: Oliver Bros., Inc., 421 Canal Street, New York

Philatelic Description

Commercial transatlantic airmail cover carried during the Second World War from neutral Ireland to the United States. The combination of wartime Irish and British censorship, the North American Air Service endorsement and the complete commercial usage illustrates the operation of transatlantic postal communications under wartime conditions.

Postal History

The cover was dispatched through the North American Air Service, the designation used by the Irish postal administration for transatlantic airmail destined for North America. The manuscript routing instruction and the surviving Irish and British censorship markings confirm that the cover entered the wartime North Atlantic airmail network. The exact postal tariff corresponding to the 1 Shilling 3 Pence franking has not yet been confirmed from an official Irish postal tariff and therefore remains subject to further research.

Condition

• Commercial cover in well-preserved condition.
• Complete original franking.
• Clear Baile Atha Cliath departure datestamp.
• Original Irish censorship tape preserved.
• Original British censorship tape preserved.
• Minor handling wear consistent with postal use and age.

Collecting Areas

• Ireland
• World War II Postal History
• Transatlantic Airmail
• Censored Mail
• Irish Postal History
• Commercial Mail
• North Atlantic Air Routes

Philatelic Significance

This commercial wartime transatlantic airmail cover documents civilian postal communications between neutral Ireland and the United States during the Second World War. The combination of the North American Air Service endorsement, dual Irish and British censorship, and well-preserved commercial usage makes it an attractive and historically significant example of Irish wartime postal history.