India. WWII period westbound overland mail from India: 12 MAY 1943 commercial cover on business stationary from BOMBAY to JERUSALEM, franked (on back) 3½ Anna & tied by local machine cancellation; opened & resealed by Bombay censor - label tied by octogonal cachet on back & local DHC/314 censor handstamp on front; as of 29 June 1940 all mail from India to Palestine sent via Baghdad overland mail service (no transit marks as this not registered mail) - here unusually long transit time as front-stamped 27 JU 1943 JERUSALEM arrival where censored by KK/4 (octogonal cachet on front): here re-routed to BEIRUT & sent via CAIRO, whose 1 JLY transit is backstamped & passed local censor (marks on front, reverse imprints on back); per Type-10A censor day-date stamp ("8") on front, cover received for censoring in BEIRUT on 5 July + tied by unidentified 2-digit roman typeface "23" censor date key (Type-8C2); per Type-10B censor day-date stamp ("9") on back, cover released from censor 6 July whereupon front-stamped by 'Cross of Lorraine' circular censor cachet Type-1B6 & entered into civilian postal system same day & backstamped by machine slogan cancel; about 7 week transit time. As not opened for inspection by the BEIRUT censor, cover not number-signed in manuscript. Well documented postal handling with 9 censor marks of 4 postal authorities + scarce routing; overland mail to Palestine is scarce.

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