Forces Air Letter Rates to H.M.Forces 1948-2012
These items originated in the air letter forms sold at post offices during the war for a cheaper 6d rate. Until 2008 they offered a discount air rate compared to the usual letter rate, usually equivalent to the minimum surface letter rate. They were originally referred to as a "Forces Air Letter", with the term "Forces Aerogramme" being used in some contexts from 1st February 1982.
All mention of Forces Air Letters as a separate category were deleted from the Post Office Schemes from 30th April 2012 by the Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.21) Scheme.
Date | Rate | Date | Rate | Date | Rate | Date | Rate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1946 (6 Mar) | 1½d | 1947 (15 Sep) | 2½d | 1957 (1 Oct) | 3d | 1965 (17 May) | 4d |
1971 (15 Feb) | 1½p | 1971 (1 Jul) | 2½p | 1973 (10 Sep) | 3p | 1975 (28 Apr) | 5p |
1975 (29 Sep) | 6½p | 1977 (13 Jun) | 7p | 1979 (20 Aug) | 8p | 1980 (4 Feb) | 9½p |
1981 (26 Jan) | 11p | 1982 (1 Feb) | 12½p | 1984 (3 Sep) | 13p | 1988 (5 Sep) | 14p |
1989 (2 Oct) | 15p | 1990 (17 Sep) | 17p | 1991 (16 Sep) | 18p | 1993 (1 Nov) | 19p |
1996 (8 Jul) | 20p | 1999 (26 Apr) | 19p | 2003 (8 May) | 20p | 2004 (1 Apr) | 21p |
2008 (7 Apr) | 36p | 2009 (6 Apr) | 39p | 2010 (6 Apr) | 41p | 2011 (4 Apr) | 46p |
2012 (29 Apr) | Last day of defined rate |
Notes
- POST 53/42 (Papers listing changes to postage rates on correspondence to British forces abroad since 1925)
- POST 53/42, British Commonwealth and Foreign Post Warrant 1948, Post Office Circular 3rd September 1947 ('the wartime arrangement under which letters up to 1 ounce in weight prepaid 1½d. and postcards prepaid 1d. addressed to members of the forces overseas have in general been forwarded by air will cease with effect from the 15th of September ... the public should be advised, if air transmission to the forces overseas is desired, to use the special lightweight "Forces letter" which will in future be the most advantageous form of air communication and the postage on which will be 2½d.')
- PO HM Forces Overseas rates leaflet, British Commonwealth and Foreign Post Amendment (No. 2) Warrant 1957, POST 53/42
- PO HM Forces Overseas rates leaflet, British Commonwealth and Foreign Post Amendment (No. 5) Warrant 1965, POST 53/42
- Post Office Guide February 1971
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Scheme 1971
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.5) Scheme 1973
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, (first) Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.9) Scheme 1975. A rate of 4½p was given in the Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.8) Scheme 1975 taking effect 17th March 1975, but the leaflet issued to list the new rates that introduced merely gave the 5p rate and stated that it would come into operation on 28th April as per the subsequent Scheme. The mentioned 4½p rate is assumed to be an error pending further information
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, (second) Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.9) Scheme 1975 (the number of this Scheme was duplicated in error)
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.13) Scheme 1977
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.2) Scheme 1979
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.4) Scheme 1980
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.6) Scheme 1981
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Scheme 1982
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.3) Scheme 1984
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.8) Scheme 1988
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.9) Scheme 1989
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, and technically Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.11) Scheme 1991.
(The Schemes published in the London Gazette in 1990 jumped from No.10 to No.12, with the missing No.11 apparently being the one which would have contained the rates in the leaflet. Replacement No.11 and No.12 schemes were published in March 1991 to correct what appears to have been a blunder.) - PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.13) Scheme 1991
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.15) Scheme 1993
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.16) Scheme 1996
- PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.18) Scheme 1999
- Royal Mail Group plc Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.7) Scheme 2003
- Royal Mail Group plc Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.9) Scheme 2004
- Royal Mail Group Ltd Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.15) Scheme 2008
- Royal Mail Group Ltd Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.16) Scheme 2009
- Royal Mail Group Ltd Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.17) Scheme 2010
- Royal Mail Group Ltd Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.19) Scheme 2011
- Royal Mail Group Ltd Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.21) Scheme 2012 deleted all references to aerogrammes in general and Forces aerogrammes in particular