1 / 2
ENCHERES COTE D'OPALE - DEBACKER & RICHMOND
129
-
FRANCE AVIATION PIONEERS – EXTREMELY RARE DAMAGED AIRMAIL EN…
See original version (French)
129
-
FRANCE AVIATION PIONEERS – EXTREMELY RARE DAMAGED AIRMAIL EN…
See original version (French)
Estimate €170
Voluntary lot
Description
FRANCE AVIATION PIONEERS – EXTREMELY RARE DAMAGED AIRMAIL ENVELOPE from the LASSALE MISSION, the first rapid air link between France and Indochina.
LETTER INTENDED FOR THE STOPOVER IN BANGKOK, THAILAND
Victor Lasalle, an officer with the 31st Aviation Regiment of Tours. He was killed whilst piloting his Farman Nieuport-Delage 641 aeroplane when it struck a dune in the Libyan desert, at Syrte in Tripolitania, on 15 December 1929 during an attempt to make a rapid flight between Saigon and Paris. He had departed from Le Bourget on 14 December via Istres, Algiers, Tunis and Benghazi… (and therefore did not reach Benghazi). The aeroplane and the bodies of the crew – Lasalle, Faltot and Rébard – were found eight days later by Italian military personnel. VICTOR LASALLE is buried at La Salle Cemetery in Tours. Part of the 19 kilos of mail was recovered and returned to Marseille, where it arrived on 3 January 1930.A ‘COURRIER ACCIDENTE’ stamp was applied and the mail was re-routed by ship to SAIGON.
REGISTERED LETTER posted from Tours on 5 December 1929 for the French military airbase in BANGKOK / SIAM. Postage: 13 francs (3 F Merson purple + 10 F Merson green, registered post label and red ‘BY AIR’ label). ON THE FRONT: ‘COURRIER ACCIDENTE’ IN SCRIBBLE + on the reverse, three date stamps: returned to Marseille on 3 January 1930 for final re-routing to Bangkok, large postmark from the main office in Bangkok dated 25 January + the addressee being unknown (as indicated in red ink on the front: ‘Unknown return’), postmaster’s mark for final return to the sender on 11 March 1930 (handwritten text signed on the reverse).
Pierre SAULGRAIN catalogue: rarity index three R RRR.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like