AUTUMN 2012

P O S T S C R I P T

THE SOCIETY OF POSTAL HISTORIANS

Volume 62: No.3 (Whole No.269) Autumn 2012

Cayman Islands – Surcharge excised and replaced with a copy (see page 131)

CONTENTS PAGE Secretary’s Notes 115 Nature in Art Meeting, 9 June 2012 117

Italy : The Siracusana Issue the 200 Lire Value and Some Post Office Services Robert Johnson 118 Raided Mail of Ireland 1920 to 1923 Graham Mark 120 Eaten by Snails and Snails Eaten by French Postman David Trapnell 124 German Tratment of Postage Due 1919 to 1923 Robin Pizer 126 Australian Postal Censorship in WW2 Ingrid Swinburn 127 South Georgia : The Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition Wilf Vevers 129 Cayman Islands Kevin Darcy 131 Walvis Bay Colin Faers 134 Free Franks : What’s in a Name Bob Galland 137

Cockermouth Meeting, 14 July 2012 142 Posètal Franchises of the French Revolutionary Government Peter Rooke 143 Manuscript Town Mark & Other Early Provincial Postmarks Malcolm Ray-Smith 145 Ireland to Great Britain Lyn Robinson 152 Gold Coast : Travelling Post Offices Ian Anderson 152 The Shetland Bus David Kindley 154 Illegal Jewish Immigrants’ Detention Camps in Cyprus Martin Davies 158

Anguilla, Service Suspended – a follow up Robert Johnson 165

The 1864 Temporary Rates Increase Between the UK, Australia and New Zealand Ben Palmer 166

Postscript 62/114

It is with regret that we have to announce the death of one of our members

Bob Swarbrick

ADRIAN ALMOND – AN APPRECIATION It was with great sadness that we heard of the sudden death of Adrian Almond who, after a short illness, died on 13 May 2012.

Adrian, who was a Fellow of this Society and also of the Royal Philatelic Society, was a larger than life character who was much loved by all who knew him. After taking a medical degree at Cambridge and training at St, Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, he took a holiday job as a locum at a general practice in Kingsteignton, Devon, where he was to remain for the rest of his life and become a pillar of the local community.

His interest in philately and postal history developed into a study of that of Devon and, following the death of Vernon Rowe, he took on the task of editing the second edition of the Devon Section of The British County Catalogue of Postal History. He also took over The Britannia Stamp Bureau from Ron Hake. Unfortunately he was unable to continue to run this auction business when his wife became seriously ill. However, his postal history interests continued and very recently he joined Philip Beale and Mike Scott Archer in writing the definitive work on The Corsini Letters. His chapter on the 374 letters written from cities and towns within the British Isles makes fascinating reading and all these letters can be given an Adrian Almond Number in future auction catalogues.

Adrian gave many displays to local philatelic societies and his last display to the SPH of Devon Postal History was given at The President’s Weekend in Coventry in November 2011 which he delivered in his own individual style with all the panache of a man who knew his subject second to none.

In recent years, Adrian extended his interest in the postal history of Devon to that of the maps of Devon from Elizabethan times and he probably amassed the most extensive collection of Devon County maps outside the British Library.

Adrian is already sadly missed by his many friends and we send our condolences to all his family. A great philatelist and postal historian who lived his life to the full.

A FEW WORDS FROM THE PRESIDENT The SPH has a problem: it is too active! The meetings over the summer have all been great events, and all very well attended. Indeed, a couple of the convenors had to put up the ‘Sold Out’ notices and unfortunately had to tell some members that they would not be able to attend. Whilst clearly disappointing for the members concerned, it is wonderful to note that the SPH is currently strong and vibrant. Handling this ‘meeting full’ situation will be discussed at the next committee meeting to see what steps we can collectively take.

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SECRETARY’S NOTES – Susan McEwen Address Changes etc Ken Clark Change email ken.clark@japanphilatelic.com Eddie Lawrence Change email elawrence764@btinternet.com Tom Mazza Change all 302 West 12th Street, Apt. 12E

New York, New York 10014 USA home: 212.924.4697 email: thomas.c.mazza@verizon.net

Richard Winter Change address & email

5432 Geneva Terrace Colfax, NC 27235, USA rfwinter@triad.rr.com

Congratulations to SPH members on their Awards at Paris 2012 Graham Booth Spoon Cancels of England & Ireland Postal History Large Vermeil Tony Eastgate Postal History of New Caledonia Postal History Large Vermeil Mike Fulford Foreign Post Offices in Ottoman Smyrna

up to 1914 Postal History Gold

John Sussex Postal History of South West Africa to 1918

Postal History Gold

Brian Trotter The King’s Head Stamps of South Africa Traditional Gold Peter McCann and Wolf Hess were on the judging panel. Congratulations to SPH members on their Awards at Indonesia 2012 at Jakarta Graham Booth The rise and fall of the American

Merchant Marine as a Trans-Atlantic Mail Carrier 1800-62

Postal History Gold

Gary Brown Aden Postal History Postal History Large Gold Hugh Feldman Mails carried by Water in the USA Postal History Large Gold +

Special Prize Ed Grabowski The era of French Colonial Group

Type Postal History Large Vermeil

Malcolm Groom Tasmanian Embossed Postal Stationery

Postal Stationery Large Vermeil

Geoff Lewis New Orleans Postal History – Stampless Mail

Postal History Large Gold

Robin Pizer French Restrictions on Civil Mail 1918-1925 in recovered or occupied areas along the Rhine

Postal History Large Vermeil

Robin Pizer Belgian British and American Restrictions on Civil Mail in the Rhineland1918-1925

Postal History Vermeil

Richard Wheatley Netherlands East Indies Mail 1789 - 1869

Postal History Large Vermeil

Richard Wheatley Netherlands East Indies King Willem III postal cards & envelopes

Postal Stationery Gold

Peter McCann was a Judge and Geoff Kellow was on the Expert Group.

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2013 SPH Programme Outline Here are the dates for your 2013 diary, flyers will be sent in due course with more information and booking details. For the Australian International Exhibition see www.australia2013.com

Date Venue Location Convener 16 Feb Green Dragon Hotel Hereford Frank Bennett 2 March Newmarket Club Newmarket Richard Payne

5 to 7 April Conference Holiday Inn Rugby -Northampton

Mike JY Roberts

20 April Mercure Altrincham Bowdon Hotel

Altrincham Bowdon WA14 2AT

Martin Davies

Sunday 12 May SPH Dinner at Australia International Exhibition

Melbourne Geoff Lewis

31 May to 2 June Plas Tan David Trapnell 6 July Burgess Hill Mike Elliot 27 July Eldwick memorial hall Bingley Max Smith Wed. 4 September Reading Pat Reid Sun 13 October Sherborne Wilf Vevers 19 October tbc Stampa Ireland To be confirmed Richard Payne 15 to 17 Nov President’s weekend Llandrindod Wells A trip to ‘Stampa Ireland’ is planned, but the Exhibition date has not yet been confirmed by the organisers! We have some new locations and Conveners, and some return visits. My thanks to the Conveners for arranging the bookings in good time. Thank you These are my last Secretary’s Notes for Postscript, suddenly five years have passed, and I’ll be handing the Secretarial briefcase to my successor at Ilkley in November. My sincere thanks go to all the Executive Committee members and Conveners I’ve worked with over these years. There have been too many to name you all. It has been a great pleasure, but then the SPH is a truly unique organisation where members participate and long may it remain so.

…… AND A FEW FROM THE EDITOR about the preparation of Postscript. In general we try to follow the ‘Royal’s Notes for Contributors’ (written by our President, Frank Walton) which is available online.

In order to reduce the amount of retyping the text for articles should be submitted in one of the following ways:

A Microsoft Word document or file saved as .txt document, sent as an attachment to an email or sent to us on disc

Text contained in an email

This is to save us having to retype the items which has become an increasing problem. We are aware that some members do not have access to these facilities so, exceptionally, handwritten items will be accepted, but all names and foreign words must be written in capital letters.

The font used is Garamond, 12 point for the main text, 11 point italic for captions, illustrations scanned in colour at 300 dpi or good quality photocopies sent unfolded. Margins are 1” all round (2.54cm).

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THE STUART ROSSITER MEMORIAL LECTURE 2012 will be held at 5pm on Friday 2 November at the Royal Philatelic Society London, when Hugh Feldman will give a talk entitled

Postal History Research – the Thrills and Frustrations. The paper to be presented is based on two of Hugh’s published works of significantly different nature and one in the course of preparation by him. The first covers the research involved in the writing of the two-volume work Letter Receivers of London 1852 to 1857: A history of their offices and hand stamps within the General, Penny and Twopenny Posts published jointly by the Rossiter Trust and the Postal History Society in 1998. The second is US Contract Mail Routes by Water (Star Routes 1824 – 1875) published by the Collectors Club of Chicago in 2008. The current work under development will also be discussed; this relates to the early contract mails by railroad in the USA. A selection of display sheets will also be put up covering both the subject of the Mails by Water research and that of the work under development related to the ‘Iron Horse’ mails. Free admission is only by non-transferable ticket on application to the Corresponding Trustee: Rex Dixon at rexdixon@btinternet.com. Early application is advised.

NATURE IN ART MEETING, 9 JUNE 2012 – Convenor : David Trapnell Displays: Charles Leonard The mails between Great Britain & Russia Maurice Porter Deal Frank Bennett 18th Century Hereford Chris Jackson UDC Malvern Roger Broomfield A little bit of Ross (Herefordshire) Bob Galland Free franks – what’s in a name? Mike Scott Archer From Valentines to the end Rob May Cameroun railways Colin Faers Walvis Bay (GEA) 1881to1915 Kevin Darcy Cayman Islands & the Boer War Rodney Frost Ceylon Grahame Lindsey Tuscan railway post Andy Harris Italian postage rates - express letters Graham Mark Irish troubles Robert Johnson Siracusana Robin Pizer German postage dues 1918 to 1930 Rex Dixon Some German postal services Richard Stroud Ionian Islands: local letters Bash Orhan Foreign post offices in Turkey Eddie Lawrence Pre-adhesive mail of the Canton River Delta Judith Viney The Trapnell Correspondence, Newfoundland Wilf Vevers Ernest Shackleton mail Ingrid Swinburn Australian WW2 censorship David Trapnell Eaten by snails - An “egg-cup display” Others attending: Peggy Harris*, Pat Jackson*, Lesley Leonard*, Gillian Lindsey*, Carole May*, Barbara Orhan*, Heather Porter*, Timothy Porter*, Hilary Scott Archer*, Mike Roberts, Tony Swinburn*, Bob Viney * = guest

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ITALY: THE SIRACUSANA ISSUE THE 200 LIRE VALUE AND SOME POST OFFICE SERVICES – Robert Johnson

The Siracusana design for the definitive series of postage stamps for Italy (in print from June 1953 to March 1961 although their usage, especially the 100 and 200 lire values, continued into the 1970s) mirrored the penny black – a head and value printed by the line engraved process unlike other Italian stamps in the twentieth century. The only difference was that ‘Repubblica Italiana’ had to be added as the name of the country under UPU rules. A summary of the issue was published in Postscript 53, p137 (May 1999) after a display of usages of this issue. All I want to do here is to take three sheets to show the use of the 200 lire stamp to pay for three different post office services in Italy.

Figure 1, above, (issued in November 1958) shows a post office passport or identity card called, in Italian, Tessera Postale di Riconoscimento. The UPU regulations had long provided for postal administrations to issue such cards but it was not compulsory for any country to issue them. Those countries that did were mostly in Europe but the UK did not issue them. The fee could not be more than that set by the UPU from time to time. The card allowed the holder, whose photograph had to be attached in the twentieth century, to conduct all items of post office business and was mainly used to authorize an employee to collect or deal with valuable items on behalf of his or her employer. The validity of the card was three years in this case, although later the period was extended to five years from the date of issue. Despite the status of the card there was a disclaimer that the Italian Post Office would not be liable for any fraudulent activities. Those wishing to look up the UPU text should look, for example, at Article 9 of the UPU Convention Tokyo 1969. The fee of 200 lire was the only specific use of the 200 lire value – otherwise it was used as a make–up value.

Postscript 62/119

Fig. 2

Figures 2 and 3 (used in December and October 1958 respectively) are part of the invoice collection service (Servizio della riscosione) operated by the Italian Post Office. It has similarities with the Assegno (COD) service but was operated separately. Any person wishing a postman to collect monies due on unpaid invoices could go to the post office in Italy, fill out a form listing the invoices to be collected in a postal district and the amounts due and, where required, stating a request for notarial protest on any unpaid items. The form would then be sent off to the named postal district. After collection the post office would remit a payable order to the person who asked for the collection and another form showing the amounts collected, the amounts not collected and the fee deducted (a % calculation). The invoices collected with a payable order would be sent from the collecting post office to the sender. The 200 lire in Figure 2 includes a registration/insurance fee and postage and was the envelope sending out the invoices for collection from Palmi to Melito both in Reggio Calabria. The 200 lire in Figure 3 is made up of a fee of 100 lire for an amount not exceeding 100,000 lire and 100 lire for the cost of the protest. These fees and postage amounts changed from time to time normally when postage rates were reviewed.

Fig. 3

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RAIDED MAIL OF IRELAND 1920 TO 1923 – Graham Mark During the unrest in Ireland after the Great War, the IRA took to raiding Post Offices, mail vans and trains in search of money, stamps and other negotiable material to fund their activities. These raids continued into the civil war period which began in June 1920. In November 1966 the late Fred Dixon, writing in Random Notes No. 115 of the Irish Philatelic Circle, listed examples of raided mail known to him. A couple of additions were mentioned in later numbers. The data comes from Dixon’s list together with items in Dr C I Dulin’s book Ireland’s Transition, later reports in Irish Philately and items which I have recorded. Full information was not always given in the sources so blanks appear in the data below. Additions and corrections to this list will be most welcome. My addresses can be found in the membership booklet.

Fig. 1 Castleconnell, Co. Limerick, 17 December 1920, paid 2d to Wexford. Marked in pencil Opened by Censor I.R.A. partly covered by a perforated, duplicated label Stolen and opened / by raiders struck with a feint datestamp 24 December 1920 at Limerick.

Postscript 62/121

Fig. 2 Dublin, 8 July 1921, paid 1d (unsealed rate) to Island Bridge (2 miles west of the city centre). Struck front and back with a handstamp in green CENSORED / BY / I.R.A. (ex Dixon)

Fig. 3 The raids were not confined to the twenty-six counties. Folded cover from Belfast, 29 March 1922, paid 2d, to Cookstown, Co Tyrone. Struck with handstamp RAIDED MAIL / CORRESPDCE. (ex Dixon)

Postscript 62/122

Date From or place of raid

To Comment

1920 May

Brownstown, Co. Navan

Manuscript cancellation. (Possibly the Post Office date-stamp had been stolen. GM)

24 June Raid at Kilfree Junction, Co. Sligo

Some mail was anonymously returned to the Post Office and was sent on with printed slips attached, dated 12 August.

July place unknown Letter from overseas to Omagh, delivered 21 July, with ms endorsement P.B.C./ I.R.A.

2 Aug Galway Re-posted at Athlone on 22 August with ms Passed by Censor / I.R.A.

6 Aug Dublin Cookstown, Co. Tyrone

Delivered 11 August, with ms P B IRA

30 Aug Killenaule, Co. Tipperary

Dublin Date-stamped Dublin 7 September 1920, with black crayoned Censored / I R A

10 Sept Nurney, Co. Carlow

Killkenny Addressed to the Anglican Bishop. Cover marked in pencil Censored by I R A

3 Dec Co. Limerick Sixmilebridg, Co. Clare

Cover with ms Passed by Censor / I.R.A. closed with a duplicated, perforated label with Stolen and opened / by raiders

17 Dec Castleconnell, Co. Limerick

Wexford Cover with penciled Opened by Censor I.R.A., partly covered by a duplicated, perforated label Stolen and opened / by raiders tied by feint Limerick datestamp 24 DE 20 Figure 1

1921 12 Feb

Allihies, Co. Kerry

Re-dated at Allihies on 14 Feb, and re-sealed at Bantry next day, with red ink Found open / Recovered from Raided mails. B

April Cork Local letter, re-sealed with rough label marked in pencil C by I.R.A. and re-dated 25 April

15 June Essex Churchtown, Dublin

CENSORED / BY / I.R.A. in black front and back and a plain closure label.

8 July Dublin Island Bridge, Dublin

Local letter with handstamp in green CENSORED / BY

/ I.R.A. Figure 2

July Waterford Waterford Local letter resealed with cyclostyled label CENSORED

BY - I.R.A. / 9th. JULY. 192. At this time the Waterford Post Office appears to have allowed the IRA access to all correspondence

3 Dec Arklow, Co. Wicklow

Greenock, Scotland

Acknowledgement postcard to Bank of Scotland, with handstamped CENSORED BY IRA on front and back

1922 29 Mar

Belfast Cookstown, Co. Tyrone

Delivered 7 April, with hand-stamped RAIDED MAIL /

CORRESPDCE Figure 3

2 Aug Charleville, Co. Cork

London Pencil notation No stamps available, charged single deficiency 2d due collected at Holloway 5 August. Post offices stocks were kept at a minimum to reduce possible losses to raiders.

16 Aug London Limerick Very battered cover with perforated label Stolen by Raiders / and tampered with. Forwarded from Limerick in an ambulance cover dated 16 October 22

August Co. Kerry Letter endorsed No stamps obtainable (no further details from Dixon)

29 Sept Drogheda, Co. Meath

Dundalk, Co Louth

Obsolete ½d pc used without additional stamps. Surcharged 1d (single deficiency), Postage Due collected by two overprinted ½d stamps, cancelled 3 Oct 22

Postscript 62/123

Date From or place of raid

To Comment

3 Oct Cork R.A.S.C., Bere Island

Cover endorsed in red ink Recovered / from Raided / mails and re-posted at Bray 9 October 1922

Nov Letter officially re-sealed on 9 November 1923, with pencilled C B I.R.A. It was also scorched so may have been recovered from the fire at the GPO in the Rotunda

21 Nov Cork Cover with double rimmed oval cachet OGLAIƓ NA

hEIREANN / 20 NOV 1922 / PASSED BY CENSOR. The Irish wording was the name of the Irish Army

15 Dec Dungarvan, Co. Waterford

Dublin Cover with printed label Censored by National Army

16 Dec Waterford Kilkenny Addressed to a prisoner in Killkenny Gaol, marked with handstamp PASSED BY I.R.A. / PRISON CENSOR

Dec Co. Wexford Dixon commented: when were the Co Wexford raids in which the cancellers were stolen? Resulting improvisations are known from Foulksmills, Castlebridge, Wellington Bridge and Tacumshin

1923 January

Co. Wexford Sheets of 1d stamps were stolen in a raid and left lying in the open so that the gum was washed away. They were recovered, roughly re-gummed, and put into use. Dixon’s best examples were stated to be from Wexford 9 January and the Dublin and Wexford TPO, 30 January 1923

29 Jan Ballybunnion, Co. Kerry

Teignmouth, Devon

Pencilled Censored by / IRA, closed with stamp margin (Irish se watermark) with Taken by raiders in ms ink

January Dublin Dublin Local letter with pen ms Cen I.R.A.

Fig. 4 Cover from a builder at Clonskea to Dundrum (both on the south side of Dublin City), the enclosed invoice was dated February 1923. Passed, probably by the finder, to the military authorities and stamped OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE / 8MAR 1923 / G.H.Q. PORTOBELLO

BARRACKS. Handed over to the Post Office where it was resealed with an official, overprinted label and marked RECOVERED FROM / RAIDED MAIL

Postscript 62/124

EATEN BY SNAILS and SNAILS EATEN BY FRENCH POSTMAN – An “egg-cup” display – David Trapnell In preparing an item for the President’s Egg Cup Competition [Figure 3] I thought some preliminary research was needed. To explain the significance of this study and show the object would have driven the “gongers” demented. So here is the “science” together with the previously unheard-of instructional endorsement. My first (and serious) aim was to show what genuine snail-eaten paper looks like.

British slugs and snails die if they dry out. So they hate dry, hot weather and love wet, warm nights. They work/eat at night (when it’s cool) and roost during the day. Moist shade is better at all times. Sometimes a rural letter box, usually one in a wall (making a pathway to the box opening), makes a suitable day-time roosting place.

So I asked my postman friend if he knew of a box with this problem. “Yes – so bad we have put snail bait in the box”. I asked him to take the snail-killer out and, after he had cleared it on the Saturday of a May bank-holiday in 1999, I posted three (already used) envelopes addressed to myself. They thus had more than 60 hours of warm weather before the next clearance, to give the snails the longest chance to enjoy breakfast without even leaving their roost. To make the most of this ground-breaking scientific study, I dipped the end of two envelopes in weak Bovril to give the snails a choice of flavour. The letter box was a small one, so I had no control over how the covers landed in the bottom of it and I had to assume that no more letters would be posted on top of mine before the snails got to them.

Of the three covers, two had been eaten and one of these bore a Post Office “Eaten by snails” label [Figure 1]. The characteristic feature of both eaten parts is the edge rolled upwards, even in parts where only the surface layer of paper was eaten [Figure 2]. The uneaten cover may well have been buried by the others in the box. Whether it spurned the Bovril bit or just landed on the other end of the cover first, the snail did not record. The contents of each envelope were much less eaten [Figure 2].

Figure 3 shows the previously-unrecorded manuscript endorsement Found without contents. Snails eaten by French postman. I am indebted to my co-operators for their help in the creation of this treasure.

Fig. 1 Snail-eaten cover, the left part stained by Bovril, and a Post Office Eaten by snails label with an arrow pointing to the eaten area. The addressor can’t spell!

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Fig. 2 Magnified image of part of the second envelope showing the upward-rolled edge of the eaten areas, both full thickness and partial (on the right).

Fig. 3 Cover from the Manche départment, France, with a customs declaration ESCARGOTS and a British Post office label and manuscript endorsement Found without contents. Snails eaten by French postman.

---------

Postscript 62/126

GERMAN TREATMENT OF POSTAGE DUE 1919 TO 1923 Robin Pizer This display concentrated on the recovery of missing postage from the sender. Often the German Post Office returned a letter to the sender either with a cachet requesting extra postage or with a label attached with the same request. The label had to be torn off before the letter was reposted and often its remains are an indication that the postmarks on the stamps will be different. An unusual example is illustrated here where a letter posted in Berlin C25 on 27 September 1919 addressed to the Pay Office of the Ministerial Military and Building Commission in Berlin NW40. It was franked 10pf which was the local letter rate up to 20g. Thus the letter must have weighed over 20g for which the postage was 15pf. So it was underpaid by 5pf and the postage due for a local letter was then double the missing amount rounded up to a multiple of 5pf. Thus 10pf was raised in blue crayon on the front of the envelope.

Postscript 62/127

The recipient extracted the letter from the envelope and attached their own notice Quittung über zur ückerhalten Porto (receipt for recovered postage) to the back of the envelope requiring the Post Office to return the envelope to the sender in Berlin NO43 who was liable to pay the postage due. The Post Office in Berlin NW40 applied their Entlastet postmark dated 20 September 1919 so cancelling the requirement to collect the postage due from the recipient. The envelope was then marked Zurück meaning return (to sender) and was sent back to the office of posting Berlin C25 who applied their own Entlastet postmark dated 30 September 1919 before forwarding the envelope to Berlin NO43 where the sender lived. In 2000 displays of German postage due treatment 1906 to 1989 were given and written up in Postscript Volume 51, No.4, December 2001 p.130 to135.

AUSTRALIAN POSTAL CENSORSHIP IN WW2 – Ingrid Swinburn With the outbreak of war in September 1939 postal censorship was introduced, this followed the lines of the censorship in WW1, but there had to be some modifications with the threat from Japan, the north of the mainland and the islands that Australia administered, such a Papua New Guinea and Norfolk Island. For the purpose of administration the country was divided into seven Military Districts, which roughly corresponded to the State Boundaries, with the main Censor Station located in the state capitals, some additional towns were added as the war progressed. At the beginning of the war the different territories used slightly differently designed labels and hand stamps, later they used more or less the same designs. Labels printed in red on white paper with the wording ‘Opened by censor’ and a squared diamond censor’s hand stamp with the censor’s number in it. As in Great Britain the censors were each given a number which they used while they were censors. The Military Districts were as follows:

No.1 Northern Territories and Queensland with censor stations in Brisbane, Thursday Island, Townsville, Cairns and Rockhampton

No.2 New South Wales with censor stations in Sydney and Newcastle

No.3 Victoria with a censor station in Melbourne

No.4 South Australia with a censor station in Adelaide

No.5 Western Australia with a censor station in Perth

No.6 Tasmania with censor stations in Hobart and Launceston

No.7 Northern Territories with a censor station in Darwin. After Darwin was bombed by the Japanese in December 1941 military censorship replaced civilian censorship, civilian mail was sent to Adelaide to be censored. Some was thought to be censored at Alice Springs

No.8 Papua, an Australian overseas territory with a small censor station at Port Moresby

Postscript 62/128

When collecting Australian wartime mail the most interesting things were letters that came with the envelopes, with news of some of the restrictions that were placed on them, something we would think might not apply as they seemed so remote from the action. I include one in my display which talks of restrictions on haulage companies, they must list everything that is in the lorry, even down to small presents, if it was not on the manifesto there could be a large fine. It could also be difficult to make journeys by plane, even if you had a seat on a plane, as a civilian you could be turned off if some military personnel needed a seat. The journey by train could be considerably longer. The writer talks of a 2½ hour plane journey taking 17 hours by train!

Postscript 62/129

SOUTH GEORGIA : THE SHACKLETON-ROWETT ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 1921 TO 1922 – Wilf Vevers

After the end of the First World War Sir Ernest Shackleton commenced plans for an expedition to the Arctic but with his plans well advanced the Canadian Government, his principal backer, suddenly withdrew its support. At this point John Quiller Rowett, a friend of Sir Ernest, agreed to take on the financial liability of the expedition but with it being too late in the year to catch the Arctic open season it was decided that they would sail south to the Antarctic to carry out scientific research in that region.

Shackleton had already purchased the 125 ton Norwegian wooden sealer Focoa I which he renamed Quest [Figure 1] and which in his honour was elected to the Royal Yacht Squadron. Having been extensively altered, the vessel finally sailed from St Katherine’s Dock on 17 September 1921. Calls were made at Plymouth, Lisbon, Madeira, Cape Verde Islands and St Paul’s Rocks before arriving at Rio de Janeiro on 22 November. During the course of the voyage the engine had given considerable trouble so it was decided to spend extra time at Rio in order to try and overcome the problems and then go straight to South Georgia rather than via Cape Town which had been the original plan.

Fig. 1

On 18 December the Quest finally sailed from Rio and arrived at Grytviken, South Georgia on 4 January 1922. In the early hours of 5 January Sir Ernest Shackleton died but his second in command, Commander Frank Wild, decided that the expedition should continue as he believed that it would have been Sir Ernest’s wish. Accordingly, on 16 January Quest sailed for the whaling station at Leith Harbour to take on additional stores before eventually sailing for the South Sandwich Islands on 18 January.

Before leaving Commander Wild made arrangement for Sir Ernest’s body to be taken to Montevideo for onward shipment to England. It was carried on the whaling transport Professor Gruvel which sailed from South George on 19 January. When the ship reached Montevideo they found a telegram from Lady Shackleton requesting that Sir Ernest be buried at South Georgia. Accordingly the body was returned on the Whaling transport Woodville which reached South Georgia on 27 February and on Sunday 5 March 1922 Sir Ernest was buried in the churchyard at Grytviken.

Postscript 62/130

When the Professor Gruvel left South Georgia on 19 January she also carried seven bags of mail and in one of those bags would have been the envelope to Aberdeen shown as Figure 2. This envelope was written by JWS Marr (Scout Marr) to his mother. It was franked by 2d SG.62. paying the British Empire rate for a letter of between ½ and 1oz that was in force from 1 January 1922 until 30 April 1948. The stamp was cancelled on 16 January 1922 by c.d.s. SG.1 and the ship’s cachet QUEST R.Y.S. in violet was applied to the envelope. To date only five examples of this cachet are said to have been recorded, of which two relate to South Georgia. The other example is dated 5 May 1922 and is on what appears to be a self-addressed envelope to Walter Stewart, one of the government officers on the island.

Fig. 2

James Marr was born in Aberdeenshire on 9 December 1902 and was at Aberdeen University when in 1921 he was selected as one of the two Boy Scouts to go on the expedition. On his return to Scotland he completed his BSc and MA in 1925 and later that year acted as zoologist on the British Arctic Expedition to Iceland. He then joined the Discovery Expeditions to the Antarctic and in 1943 was appointed as leader of Operation Tabarun which set up a number of bases in the Falkland Islands Dependencies. After the end of World War 2 he continued his work as a principal scientific officer with the National Institute of Oceanography. He died on 29 April 1965.

Scout James Marr, hanging on up the mast of Quest

Postscript 62/131

CAYMAN ISLANDS – Kevin Darcy For a few months in late 1900 early 1901 Jamaican and Cayman stamps were used concurrently in the Cayman Islands. It has been suggested that the Cayman stamps were used as locals and the Jamaican for overseas use. However, it is just as likely the Cayman stamps were used by favour until their official date of issue, 19 February 1901. At this time there were two post offices on the on the islands; Georgetown, Grand Cayman and Stake Bay, Cayman Brac. A third post office opened at East End, it is thought in late 1901. No mail appears to have survived from this office in its early years. A small group of Queen Victoria covers were shown from empire to foreign registered rates. Also a postcard to Germany and one of the two recorded covers from Cayman Brac. Queen Victoria's death in January 1901 resulted in the higher value stamps, 2½d to 1/-, bearing the head of Edward VII. The period 1902 to 1907 shows the use of these stamps on cover from three aspects: routes, rates and destinations. Most mail was routed through Jamaica, some through Cuba and, occasionally, direct to the gulf ports of the USA. An unusual cover in 1902 was shown from Georgetown to USA with transits of Cayman Brac and Jamaica, changing schooners on both occasions. Unlike the early 1890s when virtually all the mail went to Jamaica, we see most mail to USA and some to UK. Also shown were covers to Jamaica and Canada. More exotic destinations are rarely encountered but an example at 1d empire rate to the Bombay dockyard , India, was shown. A particular type of mail is seen from Cayman Brac. Approximately half the mail in 1902 to 1907 period is addressed to sailors on schooners. The majority of males from the island were away at sea working cargo vessels or schooners plying the Caribbean islands, USA Gulf ports and South America, alternatively working on the turtling grounds of the Bay Islands and the Nicaraguan coast. Mail would be sent addressed to the Schooner at a c/o address to be picked up when the schooner called. The alternative, as in Figure 1, mail is sent to a c/o address for onward transmission when the schooner called into port as notified in the daily newspaper. In March 1907 a new set of stamps was issued with values to 5/- for revenue purposes. Within months the Commissioner realised large foreign orders had reduced his stock of ½d stamps. He applied to the Governor of Jamaica for a surcharge to be produced using the 1d stamp. This was reluctantly arranged by the Governor with a warning and reprimand. The Commissioner made a request at the same time for a new series of stamps to be produced for postage and revenue, not just postage. The new surcharge stamps overprinted One Halfpenny on 1d, were issued at the Georgetown PO on 30 August 1907. One of the first reports of the issue was in Ewens Weekly Stamp News of 12 October 1907. With this news there was a surge in demand for these and other Cayman Island stamps. However with the restrictions put on the sale of these stamps the orders could not be fulfilled. About a dozen correctly rated items are recorded with this issue. Examples showing a PPC with single surcharge for printed matter rate, covers with five and six examples for the foreign letter and registered empire rate were shown. The Commissioner had correctly predicted that, even allowing for the surcharge, the low value stamps would run out within six months. By late November with the ½d value already being exhausted, the 1d and surcharge ran out almost simultaneously. The Commissioner decided to produce local surcharges using the 5/- stamp surcharged ½d and 1d. These would suffice until the arrival of the two low values of the new postage and revenue series due at the end of the following month. Two examples shown were sent by Miss Parsons the Postmistress, one with values to the foreign letter rate; the other with the two surcharges and 2½d with 4d values for his order of the lower four values of the 1907 series which could not be fulfilled until the surcharges became available.

Postscript 62/132

We are told that on 11 February 1908 the steam yacht Zenaida called at Georgetown and an offer to transmit a mail the following day to Cuba was accepted. Lack of 2½d stamps resulted in the 2½d on 4d surcharge. What we have not been told is that there were two mail sailings in the previous ten days and the inaugural regular monthly mailboat sailings were due in just over two weeks. Most mail that sailed on the Zenaida did not have surcharged stamps. Just two covers are known to have survived intact with the surcharge. A small number of used surcharges cancelled Fe 12 08 cut off covers are known. The item shown, in Figure 2, was a cover with single surcharge to USA sent a fortnight after the Zenaida sailing on the first mailboat sailing. The enclosed letter [Figure 3] from the postmistress explains she cannot fulfil his order as stamps are sold out. She is sending him a single surcharge inside and another franking the cover. She informs him there were two sheets put on sale at the post office which sold out quickly. It was known that two of the four sheets surcharged were purchased by a local speculator. When she was questioned further about the surcharge she admitted there were four sheets produced, only two being sold over the counter, the other two being acquired by the Commissioner. A cover, shown in Figure 4, with the surcharged stamp excised and replaced with a photocopy of the actual stamp which had been removed. It, initially like one of the surviving two covers, was in the post office with stamps paying postage already cancelled, the postmistress added an example of the surcharge cancelled on the 12th with annotation. References: Cayman Islands Schooner Mail. BWISC Journal, 184, 13 March 2000 Zenaida Mail and its Surcharge. BWISC Journal, 214, 15 September 2007

Fig. 1A Letter redirected to a schooner

Fig. 1B Reverse of Fig 1A

Postscript 62/133

Fig. 4 Surcharge excised and replaced with a copy

Fig. 3 Letter enclosed in Fig. 2

Fig. 2 Cover with a single surcharge

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WALVIS BAY – Colin Faers Walvis Bay was discovered by the famous Portuguese Navigator, Navigator, Bartolomeo Diaz on 8 December 1487. He anchored his ship, the Sai Cristavao, in the bay which he named O Golfo Santa Maria da Conceicae but the Portuguese made no formal claim to the area. It is the best natural harbour on the coast of South West Africa and Britain established a fishing station there in the 19th century. Walvis Bay, otherwise Walvischy Bay, Walfish Bay, Walvisbaai was also a stopping off point for the Norwegian whaling fleets on their way to the Antarctic. Walvis Bay, an enclave of some 440 square miles, was formally annexed by the British on 12 March 1878 with Major D Erskine appointed its first Magistrate. In 1884 Britain agreed to the annexation of the enclave by the Cape of Good Hope thus ultimately becoming part of the Union of South Africa. According to Putzel’s handbook a Cape Postal Agency existed there from about 1852 which would make it the first post office in South West Africa. The first Post Office in the surrounding German South West Africa was not established in Otyimbingue until 1888. However Putzel goes on to say that no identifiable mail has been recorded before the transfer to the Cape and that nothing is known about any postmarks of 1852. My earliest card dated from 1894. As with other Cape Colony Post Offices, a barred oval numeral canceller (BONC) was used (although not always) in conjunction with one of the early single line circular postmarks. This was numbered 300. Walvis Bay used Cape Colony stamps and Postal Stationery. Until the Germans developed their port at Swakopmund to the north, examples of early German Colonial mail sent via Walvis By to connect with steamers to Cape Town and thence to Europe can be found with the BONC 300 cancel. They are however rare. Figure 1 shows a Cape of Good Hope ½d green card with additional ½d franking for the foreign rate. Addressed to Leipzig from Walvis Bay May 11 1897 with 2 strikes of the 300 BONC (Putzel B 1) and with single ring WALFISH BAY cancel with letter E at top. (Putzel B3.) Leipzig arrival mark also on front

Fig. 1

Postscript 62/135

Two other early cards are the 1d brown card from Walvis Bay to Cape Town dated NO 23 1894 by steamer with Cape Town squared oval arrival postmark NO 28 1894, a journey time of 5 days [Figure 2], and an inward card from ACCRA, Gold Coast via Cape Town dated 25.3.1895. It has a single ring Cape Town transit cancel dated May 8 1895 on reverse and Walfish Bay arrival mark MY 20 1895, (a journey time of nearly 2 months) [Figure 3].

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Putzel records this postmark as appearing with the letter E at the top reversed (B3a). I have several examples in my collection and show a card dated JA 7 03 with 2 strikes of the reversed E [Figure 4].

Fig. 4

Postscript 62/136

A variety which is not listed in Putzel’s handbook is where the day slug is missing and the day inserted in ink. This is shown on a card to Swakopmund dated FE 19 03 with the 19 handwritten in ink [Figure 5]. There would appear to be some confusion with regard to the date as the Swakopmund arrival postmark is dated 18/2 02.

Fig. 5 Again unlisted in Putzel, I have a card to Windhuk where the day and month slugs are reversed; the date reading 2 MY 05 instead of the normal MY 2 05. The rarest of the Walvis Bay cancellation is, however, the manuscript cancel B.5 of June 1909. In this month a fire destroyed the Post Office and cancellers. The State Archives at Winhoek state From records available to us the date of the fire was June 1909, unfortunately I cannot give you the precise date. The Post Office at that time was housed in a wing of the Residency,. A temporary Post Office was set up in the house of Dr Sinclair, who died unexpectedly a week after the fire. (Putzel.) Figure 6 shows a wrapper addressed to Mr F Kastner, SMS Panther, Swakopmund. Kastner was the Zahlmeister (Paymaster) aboard the SMS Panther based at Swakoplund. This Danzig built 1,000 ton gunboat was used from 1908 to 1911 to conduct a survey of the whole of the coast of German South West Africa.

Fig. 6

Bibliography: The Comprehensive Handbook of the Postmarks of German South West Africa/South West Africa/Namibia by Ralph F Putzel.

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FREE FRANKS: WHAT’S IN A NAME? – Bob Galland An article and display based on articles from 1784 and 1986! (Ref. 1 & 2)

This display illustrated some of the ways in which the franking privilege of Members of Parliament was indicated on letters to be carried free of postage. Sections in italics are direct quotes from the 1784 article. Endorsements were usually written on the lower left corner of the letter. Instructions were given to members of both Houses of Parliament:

…if a peer to write his name only…’

Fig. 1 Entire dated 16 August 1660 (1661). Manuscript 3(d) deleted. Signed by Earl Clare, unusually on the lower right.

…if a bishop his christian, or contraction of his christian name, with the title of his see…

The See could be represented either by its traditional or English name. Once a bishop had been nominated to the Crown he had to be Elected, with permission from the monarch and subsequently consecrated. From nomination to consecration the bishop added elect to his name.

Fig. 2 Entire signed Free Edw: Chichester. Edward Waddington was bishop 1724 to 8 September 1731

Fig. 3 Wrapper signed J Cicest. Cicestre or Cicest were traditional names for Chichester.

John Buckner was bishop 1798 to 2 May 1824

Postscript 62/138

…if a commoner, his christian, or contraction of his christian name, and surname… Frank was to be included somewhere, though this did not always happen. The word Frank was afterwards almost entirely diluted… for example to Free, ffrank or F.

Fig. 5 Free on entire dated 6 January 1689. Headed ffor their maties Service (William and Mary)

Fig. 4 F on entire dated 21 May 1685

Fig. 6 ffrank with signature on Evening Post Fig. 7 Frank with signature on Evening Post dated March 11-13 1714 dated July 30-August 2 1715

In the reign of George II, (1727 to 1760) members became very cautious in what manner they wrote their titles or names on these covers which they only franked and gave away, leaving the direction to be written by the person who had procured their signature, as many forgeries and frauds had been attempted, by writing promissory or other notes etc over their titles or names, artfully erasing the word free. Various means of avoiding this circumstance were used, before and after the reign of George II. Thus the practice of abusing the franking privilege explains some of the variations seen in the way franks were written.

Postscript 62/139

…connecting the word Free with their title…(or name)

Fig. 8 The word Free joined to signature

…drawing a line through their signature…

Fig. 9 Envelope showing line through signature and signature from the contained letter without a line through it

… confining it (the signature) between two lines…

Fig. 10 Line above and below signature Fig. 11 Last letter in signature extended to line below and above

Postscript 62/140

… writing the word Free between their Christian and surname…

Fig. 12 Wrapper with D. Free Howell

Fig. 13 Wrapper with Geo: / Free Porter

…the word free with their Christian name over their surname… Fig. 14 Letter dated 24 November 1743 with Free Phil / Musgrave

… franked…letters on that part of the cover which was between the town…and the county. … wrote their names on franks in a different manner from what they did when they wrote them in their own private character, using flourishes and other devices as marks of distinction.

Fig. 15 Entire Showing slight variations is signature inside and out. The Crown Free datestamp with flat topped 3 with large N code (JL37b, 4) is thought to be unique on cover

Postscript 62/141

The Act of 1764 (4 Geo. III Cap. 24) required the whole superscription to be written by the member franking the letter. If that were impossible due to illness someone else could frank letters once permission was given by the Postmaster General. The Act of 1764 (4 Geo. III Cap. 24) required the whole superscription to be written by the member franking the letter. If that were impossible due to illness someone else could frank letters once permission was given by the Postmaster General.

Fig. 16 Pair of certificates confirming authority for Lady Louisa Lygon to sign on behalf of Earl Beauchamp because of bodily Infirmity

This meant that using the signature for fraud should have become more difficult and that there could be a relaxation in how the frank was made. Nevertheless, it is clear that the way in which the frank was signed continued in the different styles already established. N concludes: …hoping that the readers of this paper will excuse me for having taken up a few minutes of their time on a subject, which, though some of them perhaps will think a trifling one , yet others, I hope, will esteem neither useless nor unentertaining. References 1. N (anonymous) On the Privilege and Modes of franking Letters, Gentleman’s Magazine and

Historical Chronicle, 1784, 54 Part the second, 646-649 2. Scott JGS On the Privileges and Modes of Franking Letters, Postal History, 1986, 240, 11-12 3. Colton JE The Franking System Archbishops and Bishops, Notebook, 2006, 165, 14-20 4. Lovegrove JW Herewith My Frank, Second Edition. KB Printers Limited, Bournemouth,

1989

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COCKERMOUTH MEETING 14 JULY 2012 – Convenors : Mike Roberts and Mike Mapleton A record number of members attended the meeting in unusually good weather by 2012 standards. Three were exhausted by their efforts on Silloth-on-Solway Golf Course on the previous day when Mike Fulford won the inaugural SPH Championship from a field which included Tony Tudor and Mike Mapleton. Without using repressive methods - the posthorn sufficed - we were treated to short displays from the following members and guests:

Rex Clark Berwick-upon-Tweed Rex Dixon Bohemia and Moravia Ian Anderson Gold Coast TPOs. John Birkett-Allan West Indies Fleurons John Jackson Netherlands Indies – 1945 to 1949 Malcolm Ray-Smith Manuscript Town Marks Edward Klempka* Unusual G.B. Ken Norris Recent Scottish Postal Markings Peter Maybury French Mail to and from Brazil John Sussex Machin Rates and Routes Paul Woodness Postal History of Cos John Forbes-Nixon The 1870 GB Postcard Ian Evans 2G Psychodelia Peter Rooke Franchise Postmarks of the French Revolution Peter Kelly 1900 Paris Exhibition David Kindley Shetlands Wilfred Vevers Falkland Islands Missent Mail Martyn Cusworth LATI - Italy to South America Chris Rainey Crimean War Richard Stock Sudan Nick Martin* Belgium Max Smith Penny Post of the Indian Airways Maurice Porter By Private Ship from the West Indies to GB Lyn Robinson Early Postal Services from Ireland to Great Britain Malcolm Fenning Peter Williamson and the Edinburgh Penny Post Hans Smith Austrian Post in the Holy Land Alan Wishart Early Scottish Postmarks Tony Tudor WW2 Martin Davies Cyprus Internment Camps Philip Longbottom Dutch Registered Letters

Also attending were - Mike Fulford, Tony Walker*, Margaret Morris, Heather Porter*, Paul Wregglesworth*, Andrew Norris, Susan McEwen, Frank and Ann* Bennett, Iain Dyce, Chris Hitchen, Ann Ray-Smith*, Mike and Susan* Roberts, Jenny Stock*, Linda Tudor*, Valerie Vevers*, Frank and Liz* Walton, and Ewa Mapleton*. * = Guest.

By kind permission of the Cockermouth Museum, we had a starting display in the form of a massively enlarged photograph of the Cockermouth Post Office circa 1900 with the staff posing outside. A seedy looking bearded postman in the front row was deemed to be a lookalike for one of the convenors. No account of this meeting could possibly omit a mention of a display by Ian Evans which was vulgar enough given the garish covers from Gibraltar and Glasgow (2G) but which plumbed new depths as our man struggled to match his 'nether garment' to a S.G. colour fan. It is a measure of the wonderful tolerance of our members that this performance was actually applauded.

Postscript 62/143

POSÈTAL FRANCHISES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT 1789 TO 1795 – Peter Rooke LES ÉTATS-GÉNÉRAUX, the near equivalent of the British Parliament – the French Parlement being more judicial than legislative – first met in 1302 and thereafter infrequently until 1614 and then not at all until 1789. It was at this last meeting that The Tiers État (the Third Estate or commoners) declared itself on 17 June to be part of a Constituent Legislature. It reaffirmed this declaration on 20 June with the famous Oath of the Tennis Court at Versailles and on 9 July this was accepted by Louis XVI. On 6 October it moved to Paris where it installed itself in the Manège attached to the Palais des Tuileries. This 18 sheet display showed examples of postal franchises available within this complex and emerging governmental period. L’ASSEMBLÉE NATIONALE existed from 17 June 1789 until 20 September 1792 and was granted a Postal Franchise by the Decree of 12 October 1790 and approved by Louis XVI on 19 October. All such official mail had to bear a paraphe (a multi-oval letter a) as verification of entitlement to use this franchise. There were three cachets in use, each numbered, for the three clerks in the Franchise Office. ass. Nationale 1. is illustrated below.

Fig. 1 April 1792 Paris to the Mayor and Municipal Officers at Martigues

LA CONVENTION NATIONALE replaced the previous body, with the establishment of ‘La Première République’, 21 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 and the postal franchise was transferred to this body. The Bureau de Correspondence Générale in the meantime used the former Royal Bureau cachet with the word Royal and the three Fleurs de Lys removed [Figure 2].

Fig. 2

Franchise cachets were used by the Comité de Salut Public using the new Revolutionary Calendar. This body was responsible for the Reign of Terror when over 300,000 opponents of the regime were arrested and 17,000 executed and it held sway in this period of the revolution.

Postscript 62/144

The Comité de Salut Public had inherited six ‘Ministries’, which it distrusted so these were replaced by twelve ‘Commissions’, directly responsible to the Comité each of which was allocated a postal franchise cachet for use in the pursuance of its duties. These Commissions covered all aspects of the administration of the new French Republic, including its preparations for war.

Fig. 3 A wrapper sent by The ‘Commission de l’organisation du movement des armées de Terre No1’ to Le Havre then re-addressed to Cherbourg. Oval seal cachet, of this body, on the reverse

Fig. 4 le 21 Brumaire l’an 3me (11 November 1794) letter from the Commission des Armes, Pudres et Mines sent to the Agent for the district of Semur-en-Auxois: a demand for a survey of all useable weapons, side-arms and fire-arms, including those to be made so, available in the district – ensuring the triumphs of the Republic

Postscript 62/145

MANUSCRIPT TOWN MARKS AND OTHER EARLY PROVINCIAL POSTMARKS – Malcolm Ray-Smith Until the Royal Mail was opened to public access in 1635 postmasters provided stabling for horses and in some cases employed the post boys to ride them but did not handle cash. With the public post came a need to account for postage and the general practice was for letters to London to be paid for upon delivery there, whereas those sent from London had to be prepaid; this kept control of the takings under the management of the office in London. All letters going to or from London were put in a locked pouch for each postmaster and listed on a waybill so that all were accounted for. However letters not to, from or through London were known as bye letters, carried loose in a separate bag, on which the postage had to be prepaid and generally came to be regarded as a perk of the postmaster who first received the cash since no foolproof system existed to identify the place of posting. After 1635 special rules applied to letters going via London as the post office chose, whenever possible, to collect postage from the sender. This was strictly applied to letters addressed abroad (in an era before we had postal treaties with foreign powers), which had to be returned to the sender if the postmaster failed to collect prepayment, and he had also to endorse the letter with the amount collected and the place of posting. This enabled the office in London to check what postage had been paid and to deduct the amount collected from the next quarter’s salary of the postmaster who held the cash. It lead to the earliest recorded manuscript town mark used in 1636. By the 1680s the post office arranged with local entrepreneurs that they could keep the postage on bye letters in their area – in return for paying rent for this privilege - and this delegated to the bye post renters the problem of collecting cash from the sub-postmasters handling the money for prepaid local letters. Robert Tayer of Chichester was one such bye post renter who attracted criticism due to his late submission of his accounts which led to the office requiring him to adopt a distinctive mark on all letters from his area going to London. Early examples are known as “Hot Cross Buns” and were succeeded by the “One in a Circle” symbol. Other marks, known as “The Tudor Rose”, are found on letters coming to London on the Portsmouth road and may also have been marked by Tayer as his system is known to have extended well into Hampshire. Examples are included in the display. It is thought that bye post renters’ complaints may ultimately have led the Postmasters General to approve the introduction of hand struck town marks early in the 18th century, but the brevity of their usage suggests that, in general, the postmasters disliked the idea as its purpose was to prevent them retaining the postage by showing where each letter was handed in. Thus manuscript town marks are still found, especially in smaller places, after the introduction of the hand struck marks. It was not until Ralph Allen took control of the Cross and Bye posts in 1720 that the use of hand struck town marks, combined with waybills, eventually enabled proof of pilfering by specific postmasters to be established and honesty was forced upon them. I believe that it is fair to claim that most of the early manuscript town marks are rare.

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An Exceptionally Early Manuscript Town Mark – Civil War “Haste, Post Hast” Letter The only recorded example of a Provincial Official Express Letter with a TIMED ANNOTATION written during the Second Civil War of 1646 to 1649.

Ffor his Matys Speciall affairs To his noble and much honoured

Cousin Sir Philip Musgrave Barn-at Kendale thes present

Hast hast has Leave this wth the post hast postmaster att Kiswick wth diligence Keswick to bee preferably sent to Kendale PH: Curwen The reverse is annotated with the timed arrival at “Ridall” and the further attempt to secure delivery

Sir, I received this Letter at 4 a’clock in the afternoon this Sunday att Rdall

which I sent to Mr Brathwait of Amble side thinking he would have caused

it to have been sent unto you but he sent (it) back again, so if I had not hyred This bearer to might have laid by the

Way, whatsoever Consequence it be of. So I rest, yor humble servant

William Huddlestone

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Restored Royalist Entire Dated Work, (Workington) Sept 23th (sic), probably 1648 – Scottish Manuscript Town Marks

Entire from A. Mitchell in Aberdeen Dated 11th November 1676

Andrew Russell / Marchant / in / Rotterdam

From Aberdeen 7

pd 5d London

Posted before Edinburgh had been issued with a BISHOP MARK – but showing them applied upon arrival in London OC / 5 & NO / 20 Two of the earliest recorded manuscript town marks of Scotland

Entire from John Stibenfone dated Sterlinge this 27 of Septr 1681 Mr Andrew Russall mer= / chant In Rotterdam / Holland Endorsed Sterling 5 at Sterling

and pd to Lond / 5

at Edinburgh

Postscript 62/148

Hot Cross Bun Entire from Charles Moore dated July 23th 1686

These / ffor Mr. Geo: Moore Marcht. at Porters / =key neare ye Customs

- House in / London

Postage 2d Faint Bishop mark JY / 26

THIS FIRST ENGLISH PROVINCIAL POSTMARK was introduced by Robert Tayer, by 1673 the Postmaster of Chichester, by 1682 by-post renter for the branch road leading directly into London, who was persuaded by Col. Roger Whitley to “provide a stamp to distinguish yours from other letters … larger than the stamp at the office”.

July 23th 1686

Dear Brother

I have rec’d of John Burgess of Guildford #

yor order of ye sum of four pounds & seventeen

shiilings, and given him receipt, the eight

pounds he hoped you would abate. You may

please to signifie how you will have the money

disposed on, but I hope you will come and fetch

it. I and six men are very busie in getting in

our tith, wch will be soon if God continue this

seasonable weather. We have a great many

hard words but no blows. Pray present my due

respects to every body I am

Yor most Loving Brother

Charles Moore

Other letters from this correspondence are dated from WORPLESDEN a village near Guildford.

A fine seal

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Recorded 1681 to 1686 : A Superb Late Example The Guildford “I in Circle” mark

This rare mark is believed to have a direct connection to the Hot Cross Bun marks of the Chichester Road. So far all the rrecorded examples are from a correspondence discovered by the late Martin Willcocks described in an article published by James Grimwood-Taylor dated 15th March 2000. It appears that the I in circle served the same purpose as the Hot Cross Bun in distinguishing letters brought to London on the Chichester Road for which Robert Tayer of Chichester was the by-post renter. The 4 listed by J G-T all appear to be applied by a box-wood handstamp – akin to those used for Bishop marks in London, and tracings suggest that the same 19/20 mm diameter handstamp was used to produce them all. So far all of the examples found were written by Charles Moore at Worplesdon and sent to his brothers George or John Moore in London and charged 2d

Entire from Charles Moore dated Worplesdon January 25th 86/7 These ffor Mr John Moore Marcht att Porters=key

near the Custome =House in London

Postage 2d Bishop Mark IA / 26

The last of the I in circle marks listed by James Grimwood-Taylor

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The Tudor Rose

THE SECOND AND THIRD EXAMPLES OF WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE A VERY ERLY PROVINCIAL HANDSTAMP

For Mr Cotton at ye Flitch Of Bacon in ye butchers Row neere Temple Bar

These

Postage 2

On the reverse is the second of the three

recorded strikes of the “TUDOR ROSE”

For Mr Fox bookseller

in Westminster hall These

Postage 2

Both letters are from Col Richard Norton and dated on a Saturday : the first n 14th August 1686 with a Bishop Mark AV / 16 (Monday) and the second dated 11th December with a Bishop Mark with flat top 3 : DE / 13 The place or person responsible for this marking can not be proved and it is found ONLY on three letters all written by Col Richard Norton of Southwick Park near Portsmouth. All are to varying parts of London and took more than a day to reach London due to being posted late in the week. The only local renter who we know was required to use a handstruck mark at so early a date is Robert Tayer of Chichester who held a contract to “farm the posts” across a wide part of Sussex and into parts of Hampshire. Although a post ran on each day from Portsmouth to London, expect Sunday, it is possible that this letter was sent to London via an outlying part of Tayer’s agency, and that this “Tudor Rose” mark was applied to evidence to the Clerk of the Road in London the source from which it came. It is possible that this mark reflects a special service used only on Saturday?

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Early Manuscript Town Marks

Postage to London had to be PREPAID on letters addressed overseas. In the era before Town Marks, the fact that this had been done was recorded by showing the town of posting as a manuscript endorsement, often with the amount collected. This enabled London to keep track of who held the money and avoided the latter being sent back for postage to be paid.

Doncaster Entire from Edward Stuart

dated 20th December 1690

To Mrs Ann Asheton

at Hamburgh

these 8

Postage to London = 3d (over 80 miles), plus 8d

For the packet rate to Antwerp Makes the total 11d

Post paid at Doncaster in England

In all to Antwerp Elevenpence

Entire dated 8br ye 29th 1698 (new Style)

Manuscript York and 4

Mr Mathew Frank

At Hamburgh 8

these present

pd 11d / ffranco Amsterdam

London Bishop mark OC / 21

In 1697 the Treaty of Rysack ended the first stage of a

war with France. Four small packet boats “of no force

but remarkable for speed” had been built in 1694 by

Edmond Dummer – the Surveyor to the Navy – and

these continued the packet service from Harwich to

Helvoetluis, the port nearest to Amsterdam. Letters

continued overland to Hamburg. A letter leaving

London on Tuesday night reached Amsterdam, winds

permitting, on Friday and Hamburg on Monday.

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IRELAND TO GREAT BRITAIN – Lyn Robinson My display was of mail between Ireland and Great Britain, mainly by Port Patrick and Donaghadee. Included a privately carried letter from 1714 with letters and rates shown up to 1794. A ship letter from Jamaica to Dublin in 1793 was actually brought to Greenock and then travelled by the Port Patrick - Donaghadee packet. The one exception would normally have taken the same route but for some reason went from Dublin to Holyhead, then to London and Edinburgh before finally travelling to Inverrary.

GOLD COAST : TRAVELLING POST OFFICES – Ian Anderson Proposals to build a railway in the Gold Coast were made as early as 1862, but construction of the Gold Coast Government Railway (G.C.G.R.) did not start until 1898 from Sekondi on the coast. The earliest cancels were circular datestamps inscribed G.C.G.R. with station names and these were shown on stamps and pieces. The G.C.G.R. became the Western Line when extended to Kumasi in 1903. Between 1909 and 1923 the Eastern Railway was built between Accra and Kumasi. Finally, the east/west Central Line from Huni Valley to Kade was added by 1929. TPO markings applied on the train came into use in 1914 with UP signifying travel away from the coast and DOWN towards it. A range of covers was displayed with an array of postmarks including two notable registered ones. The first in 1920 to Switzerland showing the TPO 4 cds with a handwritten registered ‘label’ [Figure 1].

Fig. 1 The second example in 1927 bears the WESTERN TPO2 date-stamp but with a printed registered label which has been supplemented by “W” and “2”. Note also the spelling on the label of Seccondee compared to the receiving Sekondi registered date-stamp [Figure 2].

Postscript 62/153

Fig. 2

The postage paid on both pre-paid registered stationery envelopes includes a 6d fee for registration on the train and only 3d to travel from the Gold Coast via UK to Switzerland. As a general rule no fee was charged for a letter traveling on the train but it was levied for posting on the train. If this was not paid a cachet was applied but it is not clear who was expected to pay the sum owed on this 1935 cover to London [Figure 3].

Fig. 3

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THE SHETLAND BUS – David Kindley

The Shetland Bus was the nickname of a clandestine special operations group that made a permanent link between Shetland, Scotland, and German-occupied Norway from 1941 until the German occupation ended on 8 May 1945. From mid-1942 the official name of the group was "Norwegian Naval Independent Unit" (NNUI). In October 1943 it became an official part of the Royal Nowegian Navy being renamed the "Royal Norwegian Naval Special Unit" (RNNSU). The envelope: Army Censor type A2, nr 3341 under S50 Universal machine cancel, MacKay type 1480; Post Office number for Inverness cancelling GVI 2.1/2d dark blue, SG 466. Self-censored by L.H.Mitchell, Capt. On the flap there is an embossed, circular, The Lowestoft Coaling Co. Limited.

The recipient: Harry Pegg rose through the ranks in the Navy, commissioned Gunner RN in 1907, at the end of WWI was Chief Gunner and retired from the Navy as Lt Cdr in 1933. He is not in the March 1940 Navy List so must have been recalled after that. On 25 April 1941 he was appointed Base Gunnery Officer HMS Badger, the minesweeper base at Harwich with the rank of Lt Cdr (retired). The rank of Captain is not mentioned but if he commanded a ship, however small, whilst at Grimsby the courtesy rank of Ship’s Captain would apply.

The sender: Leslie H. Mitchell was appointed (war service) Captain on 9 April 1940 and (temporary) Major on 2 May 1942. He served in the Norwegian campaign and was sent to Shetland in December 1940. He was joined by the then Lt David Howarth RNVR in June 1941. He based himself at "Flemington". Mitchell and his wife left Flemington in August 1942 for "Dinapore", Scalloway. He left Shetland in November 1942.

In Lt Cmdr Howarth’s book, Mitchell’s organisational skills, sense of humour, lack of self-importance and ability to get on with people were all praised. Mitchell worked for S.O.E. but the operation was nominally, very nominally at times under the control of the local Naval Commander.

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The letter: The letter is delightfully and discretely, indiscrete. Written by an officer it is self-censored by the writer. The address is given as c/o N(aval) Officer) I(n) C(harge). Lerwick, Shetlands, and dated 27.1.41. Many hints are dropped - It is the nearest one can get to the other side and is a very interesting spot. ……Just now with the snow everywhere it looks extraordinarily like the other side. …… This town is very like Aalesund. The results of the little bits of stuff you were able to give me were very useful and something concrete has emerged. ……He must call on you whenever some little Grimsby special is needed. …… The people in these islands are very interested in everything Norwegian …… The letter is signed off Har det bra Norwegian literally meaning have it good.

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Commentary: This is the first, and only, letter that the author is aware of that indicates the postal arrangements of the Shetland Bus operations. Mitchell as an army officer was able to censor his own mail and therefore A2, nr.3341 is connected. This letter went to Inverness to enter the postal system anonymously, probably via the Navy. The return address, c/o N.O.I.C. Lerwick, Shetlands, fits in with the nominal control of the operation. The recipient, a RN commissioned Gunner, is the person most likely to have been able to find things to go bang in the night and to do so surreptitiously. The envelope itself Lowestoft Coaling Company Limited is probably additional cover to ward off the curious.

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Flemington, now Kergord House.

Personal note: The letter may well have been written in Flemington, now Kergord House, in Weisdale where I have been privileged to spend the night in one of the rooms used by agents in passage.

1949 cover with the 6d value of the KGVI UPU issue postmarked WEISDALE LERWICK SHETLAND addressed to Mr R.K.Winton owner of Kergord and from whom it was commandeered by Mitchel.

Sources and Thanks: David Shaw for spotting the incongruity between the address and the postmark. Frank H Schofield for information on Harry Pegg and the Navy Lists. The Gordon highlanders Museum for access to the Army lists. Howarth David, Lt Cmdr. The Shetland Bus, 1st Ed, Nelson, London, 1951. Henderson D.H. Dr. The Shetland Bus. Lecture in series Scotland's Secret War. The National Library of Scotland, 26/7/05. Scalloway Junior High School web site on The Shetland Bus.

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POSTAL SERVICES OF THE ILLEGAL JEWISH IMMIGRANTS’ DETENTION CAMPS IN CYPRUS – Martin Davies At the end of World War II tens of thousands of Jewish displaced persons and survivors of Nazi concentration camps attempted to reach the shores of Palestine contrary to the British Government policy of limiting immigration. On 12 August 1946 the British Government announced Instructions have been given to the Palestinian Authorities as to the immigration of illegals into the country. Accordingly, illegal immigrants arriving in the country shall in future be sent to Cyprus or elsewhere, and will be accommodated there in camps until a decision can be taken regarding their future … Special detention camps were set up in the British Crown Colony of Cyprus to keep Jews, many of whom had spent years in Nazi concentration camps, under detention. On 13 August 1946 the immigrants on board the ships Yagur and Henrietta Szold were the first to land in Cyprus and the following day the camps received their first group of immigrants. Until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 some 52,000 illegal Jewish immigrants were sent in 40 ships to Cyprus. A quota of immigrants amounting to 750 per month were then, from December 1946, allowed to travel to Palestine and until the establishment of the State of Israel some 27,000 persons were transferred from Cyprus within limits of regular and special quotas, the latter applying to children under 18, parents with babies, old persons etc. on 14 May 1948 when the State of Israel came into being approximately 25,000 persons were still in the camps. By the end of August 1948 almost all persons not of military age had left the camps and on 18 January 1949 the then British Foreign Secretary (E Bevin) announced that in view of the improvement of the situation the Government is now prepared to allow Jews of military age detained in Cyprus to leave the Island as soon as transport can be provided for them by the Jewish authorities. Between 24 January and 10 February 1949 all remaining detainees were brought to Israel from Cyprus. There were two separate blocks of camps:

1. Summer camps (Karoalos) with secondary camps, numbers 55, 60, 61, 62 and 63 2. Winter camps (Dehkella) containing the secondary camps, numbers 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69

and 70 The Cyprus detainees were free to send and receive correspondence, postal communications being channelled principally through three authorities. Firstly, the Cyprus postal services; secondly, the postal services of British Military Forces in charge of the camps; and thirdly various Jewish authorities. Until the interruption of postal services with Palestine in March/April 1948, outgoing mail was prepaid with regular Cyprus postage stamps at the then prevailing postal rates, eg 2 piastres for letters to Palestine and these were mainly cancelled by either Cyprus postal services or the postal services of the British Military Forces in charge of the camps. Mail prepaid with Cyprus stamps and sent officially through Cyprus postal channels is found with the regular

Map of Cyprus showing locations of the detention camps Dekhelia, Zylotymbou and Karaolos

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postmarks of Famagusta (main port of the immigrants embarkation) and of Nicosia (capital of the island). In addition two special single cancellers exclusively used for mail of the camps Xylotymbou/Cyprus and Karaolos/Cyprus. Three Jewish authorities were involved in the postal history of the Cyprus immigrant detainees all of which came into being after regular postal communications with Palestine were severed in March 1948. Firstly, the postal services organised by the immigrants in their camps for forwarding of mail to Palestine/Israel; secondly, the organisation of the Committee for Cyprus detainees inside the State of Israel located at Tel Aviv; and thirdly, the Israel post.

Certificate showing three examples of a temporary rubber handstamp used out of the Camp Orderly Room at Xylotymbou. The Commandant of the Camp has certified the use of the cancellations stating that they will be discontinued as soon as the Army Post Office provides a normal cancellation.

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10 October 1947 envelope addressed to Palestine from Karaolos camp. The sender shows his address as Camp 62 Cyprus

31 July 1947 envelope to Palestine from Karaolos camp. The sender shows an address of Camp 61 Cyprus

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11 June 1947 envelope sent to England from Xylotymbou Cyprus. Sender’s address is shown as Camp 67 and also indicates the ship Holedet which the sender had arrived on

25 June 1947 envelope sent to England by

same sender as previous envelope shown in

Camp 67

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20 September 1947 envelope sent from Xylotymbou Cyprus to Palestine. Sender shows address of Camp 68 special camp in Cyprus

Unstamped letter addressed to Palestine and therefore

presumably written before the establishment of the State of

Israel on 14 May 1948. The letter would have been carried by hand by an immigrant permitted to leave Cyprus and shows that the sender was in special Camp

60 and shows the unofficial handstamp of the Jewish

Central Post in Karaolos

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Envelope sent from Hungary in February 1948 addressed to an internee in Staff Special Camp 65 in Cyprus. Clearly by the time of arrival the addressee had left Cyprus and gone to Palestine. The envelope has been processed through a Field Post Office and then forwarded to Palestine. The method of forwarding is not clear but would probably have been carried by hand by one of the immigrants.

Envelope sent on 20 December 1947 from Camp 70 at Xylotumbou addressed to Palestine and showing the sender was at Camp 70 Cyprus

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Envelope sent on 12 April 1948 addressed to Palestine from sender at Camp 70 sent through Famagusta civil Post Office because the Camp canceller had been discontinued. The envelope bears an unusual cachet Camp Mail Postage Paid which appears again to be an unofficial internal camp handstamp presumably because the postage was actually affixed in the Famagusta Post Office following pre-payment at the Camp. This, however, is not proven. Immigrants interned in the Cyprus camps organised their own unofficial post in some camps. This letter bears a Jewish National Fund charity label struck Secretariat Camp 69 sent to another Camp 64 in the Xylotymbou group.

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Letter dated Nicosia 22 September 1951 signed by the Acting Postmaster General providing dates of the Jewish Immigrant camps opening, receipt of date stamps and closing of the camps. Reference is made to the closing of the office of Commissioner of Jewish Camps on 9 July 1949 nearly one and a half years after the establishment of the State of Israel. The information concerning camp date stamps is not appropriate for all the camps.

ANGUILLA, SERVICE SUSPENDED – Robert Johnson As a follow-up to Bill Gibbs’ article on Independent Anguilla I show the following letter from the GPO giving a refund. Mail services to Anguilla were suspended between 12 February 1969 and 7 July 1969. British troops occupied Anguilla, at the request of the St Kitts-Nevis Government, following the attempted secession of Anguilla from the then constitutional arrangements between the three Islands.

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THE 1864 TEMPORARY RATES INCREASE BETWEEN THE UK, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND – Ben Palmer

The recent article by Colin Tabeart (Postscript #264 Summer 2011 pages 90-93) on the doubled general ship letter rate inspired me to look through my records of New South Wales covers (I keep extensive records of important postal history of the Australian States) and examine some problematic covers known to me. Colin’s assertion that the other Australian Colonies did not institute any change is supported by my census in that not a single example from any of them has been seen or recorded by me. However, it is because of reading Colin’s account of this fascinating situation that the pre-paid rate of 1/8d on a cover from Walcha (18 September 1864) to Brunswick (German States and illustrated below) suddenly became much clearer and I realised that the events of the latter part of 1864 provided me with the exact reason for 6d overpayment of the ordinary 1/2d via Southampton rate that applied to Brunswick. Until now all the literature written on the subject has only placed a context on mail to the UK but I can now demonstrate that mail transiting via the UK also bore the additional 6d payment. Surprisingly, this cover and another sent two weeks later (3 October 1864) to Brunswick from Sydney (different correspondence) are the only two examples of non UK destination mail I record that are subject to the surcharge. All the covers illustrated are owned by me and are currently in my exhibition collection Letter and Printed Matter Rates of New South Wales 1850-1912.

The following represents a summary of all the mail to UK during the rate increase by each of the available routes with a note on the total franking and the stamps each bore to help clearly identify them.

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Marseilles ? (22 July 1864) to England 1/4d [1/- Diadem and a pair of 2d De La Rue] (10d via Marseilles rate and 6d surcharge rate). This cover also bears a Great Britain 1d line-engrave stamp to pay for redirection upon arrival.

Sydney (22 July 1864) to Scotland 1/10d [1/- Diadem and 8d Diadem and 2d De La Rue] (10d via Marseilles rate and 6d surcharge and 6d late fee).

Sydney (22 August 1864) to Renfrewshire, Scotland 1/4d [pair 8d Diadem] (10d via Marseilles rate and 6d surcharge rate).

Sydney (22 August 1864) to London 2/8d [2 x 1/- Diadem and 8d Diadem] (double 10d via Marseilles rate and double 6d surcharge rate). This example represents the only double weight cover during the temporary increase period.

Hinton (21 September 1864) to Georgefield, Dumfrieshire 1/4d [1/- Diadem and pair 2d De La Rue] (10d via Marseilles rate and 6d surcharge rate).

Sydney (22 September 1864) to Worksop, Nottinghamshire 1/4d [2 x 6d Diadem and 2 x 2d De La Rue] (10d via Marseilles rate and 6d surcharge rate).

Sydney (22 September 1864) to Bristol 1/4d [1/- Diadem and 2 x 2d De La Rue] (10d via Marseilles rate and 6d surcharge rate).

-David Feldman (Geneva) (28-31 May 002) Lot 10738.

Sydney (22 October 1864) to London 1/4d [1/- Diadem and 2 x 2d De La Rue] (10d via Marseilles rate and 6d surcharge rate)

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Sydney (22 October 1864) to London 1/10d [2 x 8d D and 6d D] (10d via Marseilles rate and 6d surcharge rate and 6d late fee). Southampton Sydney (17September 1864) to Mere, Wiltshire via Sydney and Bath 1/- [1/- Diadem] (6d via Southampton rate and 6d surcharge rate).

Sydney (21 September 1864) to Dartford, Kent 1/- [1/- Diadem] (6d via Southampton rate and 6d surcharge rate).

Newcastle (20 October 1864) to Dublin 1/- [1/- Diadem] (6d via Southampton rate and 6d surcharge rate).

Sydney (21 October 1864) to Edinburgh 1/- [1/- Diadem] (6d via Southampton rate and 6d surcharge rate).

Sydney (22 October 1864) to Stirling, Scotland 1/- [1/- Diadem] (6d via Southampton rate and 6d surcharge rate).