Crash site	Malta airport, Malta
Airline	BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation)
Aircraft	Douglas C-47 Dakota  –  G-AGHR
Route	Cairo  –  Malta  –  Istres  –  Hurn
Crew	?  –  all survived
Passengers	?  –  all survived

 

The crash

Shortly after take off from Malta enroute to the Istres military airbase in southern France an engine lost power and the plane swung, hit a ridge and caught fire. None of the crew members or the passengers were injured, but the plane was written off.

 

The mail

On board the plane were 23 mail bags with about 350 kg of mail.
The crash was mentioned in The Palestine Gazette No. 1453 from 15 November 1945  “Loss of Mails – air mails were destroyed by fire at Malta on October 25, 1945 while in transit. These were Surcharged, Ordinary and Registered Letters from Palestine destined for the United Kingdom, United States of America, Central and South America. Their approximate date of posting was October 21-24, 1945”.
I have also recorded mail for other European countries incl. 1 cover to Denmark and 4 covers addressed to Sweden.
The mail was processed at a local  Army Post Office which used different APO postmarks. They also used a special handstamp (see below).
From Malta the mail was forwarded via London to the final destinations.

 

A.
Maltese handstamp.
Violet.
Size:  47 x 8 mm.

Reconstructed illustration !

 

 

Examples of mail

Cover from Palestine postmarked TEL-AVIV 23 OCt 45 addressed to Denmark. British Army Post Office datestamp 26 NOV 45, crash handstamp type A and British resealing label. The manuscript note on the front was written by a Danish collector, but the information that the plane crashed in Denmark is wrong. Thiesen Collection.
Cover from Palestine postmarked TEL-AVIV 23 OC 45 addressed to Stocholm Sweden. British Army Post Office datestamp 21 NOV 45, crash handstamp type A and British resealing labels. Ekenstierna Collection.
Cover from Palestine with illegible postmark dated OCT 1945 addressed to Stockholm, Sweden. Different type British Army Post Office datestamp 24 NOV 45, crash handstamp type A and British resealing labels.
Cover from Palestine postmarked TEL-AVIV 21 OCT 1945 to Stockholm, Sweden. British Army Post Office parcel post handstamp and the usual crash handstamp type A .
Cover from Palestine postmarked TEL-AVIV 21 OCT 1945 to Stockholm, Sweden. British Army Post Office parcel post handstamp and the usual crash handstamp type A . The cover is sealed with an ARMY POST OFFICE label. Thiesen Collection.