An
Aerogram or
Air Letter, also called an aérogramme, is a thin lightweight piece of foldable and gummed paper for writing a letter for transit via
airmailAirmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
, in which the letter and
envelopeAn envelope is a packaging product, usually made of flat material such as paper or cardboard, and designed to contain a flat object, which in a postal-service context is usually a letter, card or bills. The traditional type is made from a sheet of paper cut to one of three shapes: the rhombus , the...
are one and the same. Most postal administrations forbid enclosures in these light letters, which are usually sent abroad at a preferential rate.
The majority of aerograms have an
imprinted stampIn philately an imprinted stamp is a stamp printed straight on to a piece of postal stationery such as a postcard, letter sheet, lettercard, aerogramme or newspaper wrapper....
, however, some countries, such as
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
,
RhodesiaWhen the former colony of Northern Rhodesia changed its name to Zambia on independence in 1964, the colony of Southern Rhodesia changed its name to just plain 'Rhodesia'. The change had not yet been officialy ratified when Rhodesia declared itself independent on 11 November 1965...
and
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
, sell unstamped aerograms. The unstamped aerograms are referred to as 'formular aerograms'.
An
Aerogram or
Air Letter, also called an aérogramme, is a thin lightweight piece of foldable and gummed paper for writing a letter for transit via
airmailAirmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
, in which the letter and
envelopeAn envelope is a packaging product, usually made of flat material such as paper or cardboard, and designed to contain a flat object, which in a postal-service context is usually a letter, card or bills. The traditional type is made from a sheet of paper cut to one of three shapes: the rhombus , the...
are one and the same. Most postal administrations forbid enclosures in these light letters, which are usually sent abroad at a preferential rate.
The majority of aerograms have an
imprinted stampIn philately an imprinted stamp is a stamp printed straight on to a piece of postal stationery such as a postcard, letter sheet, lettercard, aerogramme or newspaper wrapper....
, however, some countries, such as
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
,
RhodesiaWhen the former colony of Northern Rhodesia changed its name to Zambia on independence in 1964, the colony of Southern Rhodesia changed its name to just plain 'Rhodesia'. The change had not yet been officialy ratified when Rhodesia declared itself independent on 11 November 1965...
and
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
, sell unstamped aerograms. The unstamped aerograms are referred to as 'formular aerograms'. They can be issued by either postal authorities or by private companies. Senders are required to write their name and address on the reverse.
History
The aerogram was largely popularised by its use during the Second World War (1939-45), after Lieutenant Colonel R. E. Evans, Royal Engineers, Assistant Director Army Postal Service Middle East Force (MEF), proposed that a lightweight self-sealing letter card that weighed only 1/10 oz be adopted by the British Army for air mail purposes. He recommended its use to Sir Anthony Eden, the Secretary of State for War during his visit to the Middle East, in late 1940. By January the following year, General Archibald Percival Wavell, the Commander-in-Chief, MEF was told by Eden that "Your Assistant Director Army Postal Services may forthwith introduce an Air Mail Letter Card Service for the Middle East. Use British stamps from all countries, including Egypt."
On 1 March 1941, the air mail service between the Middle East and the UK was started, using a combination of
Imperial Airwaysright|thumb|BOAC Speedbird logo, adopted following the merger of UK airlines in 1939, it was commissioned by Imperial Airways who rarely used it on their own planes prior to 1939. According to Adenair who also used it under their BOAC ownership, it was designed by Theyre Lee-Elliot...
seaplaneA seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories: floatplanes and flying boats...
s and military transport. The private nature of the air letter ensured its popularity among its users and that popularity, with its lightness, brought about its continued use as today's civilian air letter (aerograms) and the British military "bluey".
The production of United States aerograms has ceased, and when the stock of aerograms has been depleted, including the current USPS 60¢
Voyageurs National Park aerogram that is still on sale, they will not be reprinted.
External links
- Letter Post Manual (Universal Postal Union
The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, and hence the worldwide postal system. Each member country agrees to the same set of terms for conducting international postal duties...
, Berne, 1985). Sets out UPU regulations applicable to aerogrammes.
- Royal Engineers Museum Army Postal Services (1939-45)- origins of Aerogram
- Aerogramme Society website a comprehensive source on aerogram related topics