Envelope addressed to Squadron Leader B.P.T. Horsley, A.F.C....

Hammer

£1,700

Envelope addressed to Squadron Leader B.P.T. Horsley, A.F.C., Buckingham Palace, a little water stained, with handstruck cachet in red at upper left, enclosed within a "Director of Posts Singapore On Postal Service" buff ambulance envelope with handstruck cachet in red at upper left and the privileged mail violet cachet at lower right. With extract from addressee's autobiography 'Sounds from Another Room', which explains he had been asked to report on security in Malaya with a view to a Royal Visit and then joined the tour in Australia. He was asked to accompany a royal bag of films and mail to London. The bag went but due to some great foreboding Sir Peter postponed his flight by one day and arranged to collect the bag in Singapore. The bag was specifically mentioned by the Singapore Director of Posts in his report on the accident. Sir Peter describes the eerie experience of approaching Singapore the very next day flying over the scarred ground and burnt-out wreckage which could so easily have been his own grave. He also refers to scorched or stained items of mail and this item was sold by him to the vendor and thus is offered at auction for the first time. A rare pair. (2). Photo on Pages 202 & 204.