Sir Ernest Hotson, former governor of Bombay and an avid philatelist.

Transatlantic First Flight Cover postmarked from St John’s, then sent to Botwood for first flight to Dublin, Ireland and London, England. Addressed to Sir Ernest Hutson, Alexandra Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, England. The hotel was destroyed during WW2, when it suffered a direct bomb hit on the night of May 11, 1941.

Message on front reads: “Flight delayed by fog, recv’d on 29/6/1939 8am”

Due to fog delay, which held up The Clipper in Shediac, covers sent from St John’s and other outlying areas have a postal cancellation different from when the actual flight took place.

This information is congruent with, “The Air Mails of Canada and Newfoundland” 6th edition, 1997, page 168

Side Notes:

On July 22, 1931, while governor of Bombay, Ernest Hotson was shot at twice, in an assasination attempt in Poona, India. The first shot struck him in his coat, just above his heart, but was deflected by a metal stud, and the second shot missed.

The would be assasin, Vasudeo Balwant Gogate, spent the next 6 years in prison, with his cellmate being Mahatma Ghandi. “India’s Revolutionary Inheritance”, page 118.

The product is a used flight cover from Newfoundland, Canada, issued in 1939 during the reign of King George VI. The cover features a hand-stamped cancellation and was sent via Pan Am by Sir Ernest Hotson from Bombay, India to the Governor of Newfoundland. The cover is related to the topic of aviation and has a multi-color design. The certification and modification status are unknown.