1915 (October 25), WWI “Survivor Mail” from the sinking of HMS
India, Hamar (Norway) to England, envelope posted by an
1915 (October 25), WWI “Survivor Mail” from the sinking of HMS
India, Hamar (Norway) to England, envelope posted by an interned
survivor of the Royal Navy auxiliary cruiser India, torpedoed off
the Norwegian coast on 8 August 1915 by a German submarine,
postmarked by clear Hamar c.d.s., front bearing large red Norwegian
censor label “Passerer” at upper right and pink British “Opened by
Censor” tape across the top and onto the reverse, with London
machine arrival (2 Nov) also on face, addressed to Brighton,
Sussex, condition worn and rough as expected for wreck
correspondence but intact and legible, a remarkable cover; of the
India’s complement, 22 officers and 119 men were saved, though
eleven later succumbed to exposure - their mail from internment is
very scarc. Note: this cover has at times been described as “HMS
E13 wreck mail.” The E13 incident (19 Aug 1915) occurred in neutral
Danish waters off Saltholm, with survivors interned by Denmark;
contemporary mail from that episode bears Danish postal/censor
markings. By contrast, the present item shows Norwegian postal and
censor treatment (Hamar c.d.s. and Passerer label), firmly placing
it as HMS India survivor mail.
