Post coming aboard

[Keith Tindell]

I have just been in the post office to post a birthday card to Australia, £2.20 ,expensive game these days. But it got me thinking of the days at sea, we used to be able to buy those little air mail fold up letter things, cannot remember what they were called now. The anxious wait for the mail to come aboard, and the first contact from home for several weeks, and then the rush to reply and get the return sent off before sailing days, and another five weeks or longer back at sea, no wonder so many marriages went aground in those days. Today I expect the ship has Internet, so contact by email, and even Skype. What a huge change in the world in the last 50-60 years, kt

[Frederick Lacey]

Keith, I think they were just called air mail letters, I remember they had the words Par Avion on the front,
light blue and very thin paper and light in weight, so didn't cost much to post.....F

[Ivan Cloherty]

'Aerogrammes' I think they were called, not allowed to put anything in them, not allowed to write anything on the exterior except addressees and senders details, couldn't even put SWALK otherwise it was considered as a letter and charged accordingly, think they cost 6d (old money) in the UK

[John Callon]

They were called Air Letter Cards or ALC's for short. They had to be posted before the vessel arrived in territorial waters. All of the ALC's were put into a large envelope with an enclosed statement showing how many cards were in the bundle and their destinations. The envelope had to be securely sealed with the words "British Air letter Cards posted on the British ship m.v./s.s.................. on the high seas". They were then given to the ships agents for posting when the vessel entered port.
Regards
John C

[j.sabourn]

Another cheaper way of correspondence rather than a telegram was a SLT ships letter telegram, believe the shore station used to send on receiving via snail mail. An ex R/O will know more. Was a fortune to make a Radio Telephone call home well over a weeks wages for some. The only ones that I knew who used to give a free call once a week were the Norwegians, just before it got cheap. One these days just uses their own mobile. Are usually only away from home a dog watch in any case and most don't bother. JWS

[Shaun Gander]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/21/bu...imageslideshow

SDG

[happy daze john in oz]

Keith #1, not arrived yet. LOL

For us to send to UK it costs $2.75 and with around $2 to the GPB it makes your post a bit more expensive than ours it would appear

[Ivan Cloherty]

Another cheaper way of correspondence rather than a telegram was a SLT ships letter telegram, believe the shore station used to send on receiving via snail mail. An ex R/O will know more. Was a fortune to make a Radio Telephone call home well over a weeks wages for some. The only ones that I knew who used to give a free call once a week were the Norwegians, just before it got cheap. One these days just uses their own mobile. Are usually only away from home a dog watch in any case and most don't bother. JWS

SLT's were beyond my salary capabilities when I was at sea

[Jim Brady]

I remember those "tanner" Airmail Letters I bought some and took them with me and posted them back home from Canada on my first trip,they got there OK.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Captain Kong]

Since the Royal Mail was Privatised the price of Post has gone up a lot and the Service is diabolical.
In the last 12 months I have sent 8 cards to TAHITIM
None has arrived. they charged £2.20p each,
I complained to the Head Office. I asked if they knew where Tahiti was, they said NO, she went and got a Manager, I asked if he knew where Tahiti was , he said West Indies?. I told him a Christmas card was returned to me in May, stamped BOGOTA, Columbia, not known here.
The address I sent it to was in .......PAPEETE, TAHITI, FRENCH POLYNESIA. SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN. I asked , if it is addressed to there why did one go to Bogota and all the others disappeared. He had no answer, I sent him a small chart of the South Pacific Ocean with Tahiti pin pointed on it. also the Longitude and Latitude of Papeete. Captain Cook and Captain Bligh found it without charts or Sat nav. I have since posted two more and not one has arrived. I even wrote on the envelope,,,,, VIA PARIS FRANCE.
No delivery. An Air France plane flies to TAHITI every day , for a 24 hours and ten minute flight to Tahiti, They still do not arrive.
They must have a huge warehouse full of mail for Tahiti,

These people must be the Dumbest people on the planet.
I bet they could find Bangladesh or Pakistan.

Brian