Description
1936 Imperial Airways Athena destroyed by fire at Delhi double rate covers. (Eustis 632).
Imperial Airways Armstrong Whitworth AW15 G-ABTK Athena, Delhi for Calcutta, was destroyed by fire at New Delhi airport. Oxygen bottles instead of compressed air were used to start the engines. 78 of 113 mailbags were recovered, 35 undamaged and 43 damaged by fire.
G-ABPI Arethusa took over the recovered mail on 30 September and delivered it to Singapore on 2 October. The QANTAS DH86 VH-UUA Adelaide left there on 3rd October and arrived in Brisbane on 6th October.
Both covers addressed to Australia are double rate and have been cancelled with cachet Type C (88 x 12.5 mm with 4.5mm letters).
