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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

  1. POST 53/42 (Papers listing changes to postage rates on correspondence to British forces abroad since 1925)
  2. 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.')
  3. PO HM Forces Overseas rates leaflet, British Commonwealth and Foreign Post Amendment (No. 2) Warrant 1957, POST 53/42
  4. PO HM Forces Overseas rates leaflet, British Commonwealth and Foreign Post Amendment (No. 5) Warrant 1965, POST 53/42
  5. Post Office Guide February 1971
  6. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Scheme 1971
  7. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.5) Scheme 1973
  8. 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
  9. 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)
  10. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.13) Scheme 1977
  11. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.2) Scheme 1979
  12. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.4) Scheme 1980
  13. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.6) Scheme 1981
  14. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Scheme 1982
  15. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.3) Scheme 1984
  16. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.8) Scheme 1988
  17. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.9) Scheme 1989
  18. 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.)
  19. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.13) Scheme 1991
  20. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.15) Scheme 1993
  21. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.16) Scheme 1996
  22. PO HM Forces Overseas Postal Rates leaflet, Post Office Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.18) Scheme 1999
  23. Royal Mail Group plc Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.7) Scheme 2003
  24. Royal Mail Group plc Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.9) Scheme 2004
  25. Royal Mail Group Ltd Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.15) Scheme 2008
  26. Royal Mail Group Ltd Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.16) Scheme 2009
  27. Royal Mail Group Ltd Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.17) Scheme 2010
  28. Royal Mail Group Ltd Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.19) Scheme 2011
  29. Royal Mail Group Ltd Overseas Letter Post Amendment (No.21) Scheme 2012 deleted all references to aerogrammes in general and Forces aerogrammes in particular