Delayed Mail During the Centennial Period

Mail can be delayed for a variety of reasons : fire, theft, crashes, postal strikes, etc. This article looks at a few examples of delayed (interrupted mail) during the Centennial period.

1. Fire

The charred cover below from Midland (December 18, 1972) to Scarborough was damaged in transit according to the Scarborough post office handstamp.





The next cover was delayed because of a fire in Montreal.


Montreal machine cancellation, April 13, 1972




2. Theft

This letter from Toronto to Montreal (December 21, 1971) was found following a theft and its delivery was obviously delayed. The Montreal Customer Service handstamp is dated January 14, 1972.






3. Air Crash

On July 5, 1970 an Air Canada DC-8 flying the Montreal-Toronto-Los Angeles route crashed after aborting a landing at Toronto International Airport killing all 100 passengers and 9 crew members.


Air Letter from Pakistan to Hamilton




The second cover comes from an unidentified air transport incident. The letter was mailed from Vancouver to Old Town, Maine on July 27, 1967. The letter sustained fire damage and its delivery was delayed for one month.

The Portland Maine post office applied a "Received in bad condition at..." handstamp and applied the Portland barrel cancellation on August 28, 1967. A manuscript explanation was provided : "Damaged in Air Transport"







4. Missent

This cover sent from Calgary to South Godstone, England on February 22, 1970 was "MISSENT TO GUYANA".




The next cover was mailed to the Ryukyu Islands but was missent to the Philippines and eventually returned to its sender in Canada because of the delay.


Halifax to the Philatelic Agency, Ryukyu Islands, March 29, 1972.

From 1945 through 1972, the Ryukyu Islands comprising the present-day Japanese Okinawa Prefecture were under U.S. military rule. Ryukyu Islands postage stamps were printed by the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands. On May 15, 1972, the U.S. ceded the islands to Japan. The last day of use of Ryukyu Islands stamps was June 3, 1972, after which only Japanese stamps were valid:


The sender was either ordering stamps or sending covers to be serviced on the last day of use of Ryukyu Island postage stamps, addressing the letter to the "Last Day Services Substation". There was a deadline for such requests. Unfortunately the letter which was mailed from Halifax on March 29, 1972 was missent to the Philippines, and by the time it was forwarded to and received by the Ryukyu Islands post office in September 1972, the deadline had passed.

Philippines
The Manila receiver cancel was applied on April 6, 1972:



The Philippines Post Office opened the letter by mistake, sealed it, and wrote this note on the sealing paper :


"Missent to SPD Bureau of Posts, Mla, Philippines-Opened by mistake"

The letter was then forwarded from the Philippines to the Ryukyu Islands.

Ryukyu Islands
The letter appears to have been received in September, 1972, past the deadline for the service requested by the sender.

A return label was affixed explaining that the letter was refused for delayed arrival:



The Naha, Ryukyu cancellation, September 5, 1972, denoted either the date the letter was received from the Philippines or the date the letter was returned to the sender:



The Halifax post office did not apply a receiver cancellation.

Request For Additional Delivery Service During the Centennial Period

A Delivery Notice card was left with an addressee when mail articles could not be delivered because there was no answer at the door when delivery was attempted. The Notice Card advised that the article would be held for a specified number of days only. The addressee could pick up the article at the Post Office listed on the card or could telephone ( number provided on the card) for the item to be delivered. The Additional Delivery service fee was 25c per item.

Additional Delivery service applied to registered mail, parcels, C.O.D., postage due, and newspapers and magazines.

An Additional Delivery label was affixed to the item which was to be redelivered:



There were at least three printings of the Additional Delivery labels during the Centennial period:

• 33-86-107 (9-67)
• 33-86-107 (4-68)
• 33-86-107-5-69

Hamilton to Toronto, October 10, 1969
Two unsuccessful attempts at delivery
Additional delivery requested for October 24, 1969 (Label 33-86-107 (9-67))
Postage due stamps paying the 25c fee



Miami to Winnipeg, April 3, 1970
Two unsuccessful attempts at delivery
Additional delivery requested (Label 33-86-107 (9-67))
Postage due stamps paying the 25c fee



Calcutta to Calgary, cancellation date indistinct (4/9/71 written on parcel)
Registered Book Post + A.D. (Advice of Delivery)
Calgary receiver dated December 14, 1971 and Customs handstamp December 15, 1971
"No Answer Dec. 15/71"
Additional delivery requested (Label 33-86-107 (9-67))
Postage due stamps paying the 25c fee



Ottawa to Don Mills, May 14 1971
Delivery Card left May 17 1971
Additional delivery requested for May 19, 1971 (Label 33-86-107 (4-68))



Cardiff to Toronto, March 11, 1972
Two unsuccessful attempts at delivery
Additional delivery requested for March 16, 1972 (Label 33-86-107-5-69)
Postage due stamps paying the 25c fee



Montreal local correspondence, June 23 1972
The letter was undeliverable and processed at Station M, General Delivery section. General Delivery section cancel dated : 27 VI 12 VII.
The letter was to be returned to sender on July 12, 1972 if not claimed
Additional delivery requested for June 28, 1972 (Label 33-86-107-5-69)
Postage due stamps paying the 25c fee

Canadian Satellites 1962-76
Souvenir Mail

This article deals with the Canadian satellite program from 1962 to 1976 showing souvenir mail created to mark each of the following satellite launches:

 1. Alouette-I (1962)

2. ISIS Program
a) Alouette-II (1965)
b) ISIS-I (1969)
c) ISIS-II (1971)

3. Telecom Canada (Communication Satellites)
a) Anik-I (1972)
b) Anik-II (1973)
c) Anik-III (1976)4. Communication Technology Satellite "Hermes" (1976)

Today's vibrant Canadian aerospace industry owes its existence to the pioneering efforts of the scientists who participated in the Canadian satellite programs discussed in this article.


1. Alouette-I
 
On September 29, 1962, with the launch of Alouette-I, Canada became the third nation after the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A. to design and build a space satellite. Alouette-I was a tremendous success. With a design-life of one year to study the ionosphere, Canada's first satellite continued providing scientific observations for ten years.

In 1958 the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) invited international collaboration for its satellite program. Dr. John Chapman and Eldin Warren scientists at Canada's Defence and Research Telecommunication Establishment (DRTE) submitted a proposal to design and build a satellite to monitor the ionosphere from above. The DRTE proposal was accepted and after three and a half-years of design and construction, Alouette-I was flown to California and launched from the Pacific Missile Range, Vandenburgh on September 29, 1962.

Dr. John Chapman (1921 - 1979) , the father of Canada’s involvement in space and satellite telecommunications, was inducted into Canada's Telecommunications Hall of Fame in 2005.



The above cover commemorating the launch of Alouette was autographed by Dr. John H. Chapman,



and by Dr. Dr. Hartley Zimmerman, chairman of the Defence Research Board, who suggested the name "Alouette" for this first Canadian satellite:




The insert illustrates Alouette's mission:



Here are examples of other souvenir covers marking the Alouette launch:

Poland and Alouette

In 1966, Poland issued a set of three stamps commemorating satellites from France, USSR and Canada:



 
Alouette stamp

Romania and Alouette

In 1993, the Romanian post office produced a commemorative cancel featuring the Alouette to pay tribute to Romanian scientist Theodor V. Ionescu whose theory of multiple gyromagnetism was demontrated by the Alouette satellite:

 
Bucharest, Romania, February 17, 1993




2. ISIS

After Alouette-I, Canada negotiated with NASA and entered the joint International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies (ISIS) program in which four satellites would be built and launched, three from Canada and one from the U.S. The three Canadian satellites in the ISIS program were Alouette-II (1965), ISIS-I (1969), and ISIS-II (1971). The Canadian government's intention was that by the end of the program there should be a Canadian aerospace industry.

a) Alouette-II

The first Canadian ISIS satellite launched was Alouette-II from Vandenburgh, California, November 29, 1965:







This letter was inserted in the above cover:







 

CANADA COMMEMORATES ALOUETTE-II

On January 5, 1966, Canada Post Office issued a 5 cent commemorative stamp, designed by Harvey Thomas Prosser, celebrating the Alouette-II launch.

Essay

National Archives of Canada

Approved Model

National Archives of Canada

First Day Covers

Usages

An unpaid letter taxed double the deficiency (10 cents) from Pembroke to Cobden, January 8 1966
Alouette-II stamps paying the tax, Cobden MOON cancellation, January 10 1966


b) ISIS-I











c) ISIS-II








3. Telecom Canada

In 1969, the Canadian government shifted its focus to communications satellites creating Telesat Canada, a joint venture between the federal government and Canada's major telecommunications carriers. On November 9, 1972, the first geostationary domestic communications satellite, Canada's Anik-I was launched. The first Anik series, developed by Hughes Aircraft Company, consisted of three satellites: Anik-I (1972), Anik-II(1973), and Anik-III(1976). The satellites were designed for a seven year life-span but remained active for ten years. Subsequent Anik series were successfully launched but are not within the scope of this article.Telecom Canada meter:


a) Anik-I





















Inserts:





b) Anik-II
 












c) Anik- III








Dandan Guam Tracking
May 10, 1975


4. Communications Technology Satellite Program

In 1971 Canada entered into an agreement with NASA to develop and launch an experimental Communications Technology Satellite (CTS). CTS was designed and built in Canada by a joint government and industry team. CTS was successfully launched on January 17, 1976 from Cape Canaveral. On May 21, 1976, it was officially inaugurated and named Hermes by Governor General Jeanne Sauve. Hermes was the first satellite capable of broadcasting television and radio programs directly to inexpensive home receivers.