| Crash site | Kinnekulle, Sweden |
| Airline | BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) |
| Aircraft | Lockheed Lodestar – G-AGIH |
| Route | Stockholm/Bromma – Leuchars/RAF |
| Crew | 3 – 0 survivors |
| Passengers | 12 – 4 survivors |
The crash
The plane with a Norwegian crew took off from Bromma airport on 28 August at 20:53. The crew soon encountered radio failure and navigation problems and came up near southern Norway, so they decided to return to Bromma. Here the weather had become too bad so the plane was redirected to the military airfield Såtenäs west of Lidköping. The crew lost orientation and at 00:30 the plane crashed on the mountain Kinnekulle 55 km northeast of Såtenäs.
A local farmer and his wife could rescue 4 passengers out from the burning wreck.
The mail
On board the plane was a large load of mail from Sweden destined for Europe and America.
Number of items in my records:
| From Sweden | ||
| To | Forwarded | Returned |
| Faroe Islands | 1 | |
| France | 3 | |
| Great Britain | 9 | 9 |
| Ireland | 1 | |
| Portugal | 1 | 5 |
| Spain | 4 | |
| Turkey | 4 | |
| Argentina | 3 | |
| Canada | 1 | |
| Colombia | 1 | |
| Mexico | 1 | |
| Peru | 1 | |
| U.S.A. | 18 | 6 |
The mail was in rather damaged condition. Some mailbags where found scattered outside the plane and others were damaged by fire. It is quite possible that not all the mail could be salvaged.
The mail was brought back to Stockholm for further processing. Quite much mail was in such damaged condition that the Swedish Post decided to return the items to the senders. These were returned in a Swedish service cover together with a label with Swedish text.
The rest of the mail was forwarded to the recipients with a special handstamp.
A.
Swedish label.
White paper with black printing.
Size: c. 74½ x 52 mm.
Translation:
Return to sender
This item has been damaged during transport on airplane which on the night 29 August 1944 crashed on Swedish territory. Post Office Stockholm 1 AVG. UTR.
This label was used on mail which was returned to the sender.
B.
Swedish handstamp.
Violet.
Size: 67 x 25 mm.
This handstamp was used on mail which
was forwarded to the recipients.
This handstamp was also used on mail
from the Falsterbo crash (1944-11-29).
Service Covers
I have recorded different types of Swedish service covers used with mail which was returned to the senders. A more detailed study is under way.
Examples of mail
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Cover from Sweden postmarked LUND 24.8.44 to the Faroe Islands. On the front is crash handstamp B and on the back is a postmark STOCKHOLM 1 1.9.44. |
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Much damaged cover from Sweden with metermark STOCKHOLM 25 VIII 44 addressed to London. Returned to sender in a Swedish service cover with label A on front and postmark STOCKHOLM 2 9 44 on the back. |
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Large cover from Sweden with metermark SOLBERGA 25. VIII. 44 to London, England. On the front is crash label A. The postmark STOCKHOLM 1 dated 4.9.44 is on front and also on the back. |
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Express cover from Sweden postmarked STOCKHOLM 25.8.44 to London. On the front is crash handstamp B and on the back are postmarks STOCKHOLM 1 1.9.44 and LONDON EC 14 SP 44. |
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Cover from Sweden postmarked STOCKHOLM 25.8.44 to Middelsbro, England. On the front is crash handstamp B and on the back is a postmark STOCKHOLM 1 1.9.44. |
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Cover from Sweden with postmarked GÖTEBORG 24.8.44 to Glasgow. On the front is crash handstamp B and on the back is a postmark STOCKHOLM 1 1.9.44. |
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Cover from Sweden postmarked GÖTEBORG 24.8.44 to Ireland. On the front is crash handstamp B and on the back. British and Irish censor labels. On the back is a postmark STOCKHOLM 2.9.44. |
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Registered cover from Sweden postmarked STOCKHOLM 24.8.44 addressed to Portugal. Returned to the sender with label A. |
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Cover from Sweden with metermark + additional stamp postmarked ESKILSTUNA 25.8.44 to Portugal. Crash label type A on the front.
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Registered cover from Sweden postmarked Stockholm with illegible date to Portugal. Crash label type A on the front. Note the 40 öre stamp which probably does not belong to this cover. Thiesen collection.
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Cover from Sweden with metermark HUSQVARNA ??.8.44 to Porto, Portugal. On the front is crash handstamp B and on the back is a postmark STOCKHOLM 1 1.9.44. |
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Cover from Sweden postmarked GÖTEBORG 25.8.44 to Barcelona, Spain. Returned to the sender in a Swedish service cover with label A on front. |
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Cover from Sweden with metermark STOCKHOLM 25. VIII 44 addressed to Valencia, Spain. The cover was so much damaged that it was returned to the sender with label type A. |
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Cover from Sweden postmarked STOCKHOLM 24.8.44 addressed to Istanbul, Turkey. Returned to the sender in a Swedish service cover with label A on front and a STOCKHOLM office hand stamp dated 5.9.1944 on the back. |
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Cover from Sweden postmarked STOCKHOLM 24.8.44 to Argentina. Returned to the sender in a Swedish service cover with label A on front. On the back is a postmark STOCKHOLM 1 * AVG UTR A * 1.9.44. |
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Cover from Sweden postmarked STOCKHOLM 24.8.44 to Canada. On the front is crash handstamp B. |
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Cover from Sweden postmarked GÖTEBORG 24.8.44 to New Hawen, U.S.A. Crash label type A on the front.
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Cover from Sweden postmarked STOCKHOLM 24.8.44 to Ohio, U.S.A. Crash label type A on the front with oval office handstamp GENERALPOSTSTYRELSENS REKLAMATIONSKONTOR STOCKHOLM 5 – 9 1944. |
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Cover from Sweden with metermark GÖTEBORG 24 VIII 44″ to U.S.A. On the front is crash hand stamp B and on the back is a postmark STOCKHOLM 1.9.44. |
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Cover from Sweden to Washington, U.S.A. Crash handstamp B on the front.
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Cover from Sweden with Metermark STOCKHOLM to New York, U.S.A. Crash handstamp B on the front. |
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The postal employee Lars Hugo Norstedt apparently worked with sorting out the mail from the crash. He kept one of the mail bag flags and some of the bundling labels, which he kept in a small notebook. |
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