Welcome to Rainer's
Overland Mail Baghdad-Haifa Pages
 

 

  

The Overland Mail Baghdad-Haifa is a relatively little known part of the middle east postal history, formed after the 1st world war by two young New Zealanders (Captain Norman Nairn and Driver-Mechanic Mr. Gerald Nairn) who had served with the Royal Army Corps

These Pages try to explain primarily the postal history aspect of this company, however, for a good measure also historical facts and background information's like company pamphlets and other miscellaneous items are shown.

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This picture gives you an idea how adventurous the mail transport and travel through the desert has been.

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HELP REQUIRED / REQUESTED (Updated 14 July 2018)Whereabouts of known items (Updated 14 July 2018)
Norman Collins Archive, REQUEST FOR HELP TO IDENTIY ITEMS!  (Updated 20 APRIL 2017) 

Whats new!

March 9, 2023 Previously unrecorded Route Instruction Handstamp, now listed as HS-N71, on cover from Masdjed-Soleiman, Iran (26 February 1931) to Chicago, Illinois, added.
February 25, 2023 Postal Card from Montevideo/Uruguay (20 April 1929) to Baghdad added. Route Instruction "Via Desierto Haifa-Baghdad"
December 30, 2022 A Imprinted Envelope apparently issued and used by the Deutsche Bank, Konstantinople (Constantinople) has been found. No further details known. The envelope is now listed as IE-N13
November 29, 2022 Years after having discovered the first previously unrecorded Route Instruction Handstamps I listed at that time as HS-N01 i could find another cover with the Route Instruction Handstamp, now listed as HS-N01 (4a & b) because that cover bears two such a handstamp on front and reverse side of the cover.
Postage rates and cover from German Reich after the "Anschluss" (Annexation) of Austria added
Postage Rates and cover from the Protectorate Bohemia & Moravia added.
June 10, 2022 A collector friend informed me about a Imprinted Envelope, now listed as IE-N12, used on cover from Teheran / Iran to Beyrouth / Syria. That cover however was sent by Air Mail and the Overland Mail Imprint has been modified by manuscript writing.
April 16, 2022 Three previously unrecorded Route Instruction Handstamps (HS-N68, HS-N69 and HS-N70) have been added. Two out of the three have been reported to my by other collectors for which I am thankful..
March, 20, 2022 The earliest recorded cover with Route Instructing Handstamp HS-74 (1) added. This is the cover recorded with this date in the Handbook by Norman Collins.

March 19, 2022

Cover from Basra to Vaduz / Liechtenstein with Route Instruction Handstamp type HS-20 (4) added. HS-20 was known as used from R.J. Elowe but the sender of the new cover is A.H. Cohen, but handstamp is more or less identical as the one used by Elowe. However, the handstamp on that cover is in red colour. Could it be that this handstamps had been used at the Post Office in Basra?
Finally i could add a cover with Route Instruction Handstamp HS-21 (3), handstamp measured by me.

March 17, 2022

Postage rates and Overland Mail surcharges for Bahrain had been modified to reflect the latest state of research.
Results of FIP exhibition London 2022 for this website added.

March 1, 2022

A cover with a handstamp almost identical to HS-48 but from a different sender as usually found with HS-48. The cover is dated 7 January 1926, sent from Bagdad to France. The size of the handstamp is almost identical with HS-48, however, the "N" in OVERLAND is broken. Until i find another similar cover i list this handstamp as HS-48 (VAR).

February 5, 2022

I could purchase this Iraq Postal Card, sent via the Overland Mail Baghdad-Haifa. The sender is Meir Heskel Murad and this sender is recorded having used Route Instruction Handstamp Type HS-07. However, the Route Instruction Handstamp on this card looks a bit different, the bottom wavy line seems to be shifted to the left or is shortened on the right, something i cannot explain how this happened..., or is it a new, previously unrecorded, type of Route Instruction Handstamp since also the size differs considerable, yet it is used by the same sender as the original type.

January 6, 2022 All details of the Belgium Post that i am aware of related to the Overland Mail and its surcharges and routes have been added. Some questions still remain but it is a beginning.
January 4, 2022 Finally i am able to confirm that also the Belgium Post had surcharges for the Overland Mail implemented. The respective page will be updated at the earliest.
Additional decrees from the Austrian Post pertaining the regulations for mail to be transported by the Overland Mail have been added.

 

For older updates, please view the "Revision History" Page!