THE FORCES POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY · THE FORCES POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 241 AUTUMN 1999...

THE

FORCES POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

241

AUTUMN 1999

An exract of a map of Turkey in Europe prior to the First Balkan War

{SKOPJE was known to the Turks!aS USKUP)

ISSN 9051-7561 VOL.XXV No.l

CORTEN'f.§

tfATO ,W, KOSOVO

NEW SELF-INKING DATESTAKPS OF BRITISH FORCES

POST OFFICES

FORCES POSTAL HISTORY OF HONG KONG 1939 TO 1997

Part Seven - BFPS,Foreign ·& Commonwealth Aspects

ALBANIA ReaeJilber 1913

FOR THE RECORD

End of the First Bri t .ish Army Df the Rhine

World War I Postal Instructions in Newspaper

The •weston•covers:Update and Correction

Prisoners of War WWI Red Cross Lists 1917

BOOKSHELF

A Priced Checklist of Indian Base & FPOs

1914-1926

QUERIES

Query No~239 Russian Camp at Tilburg

Query No.240 Censored Seychellois cover

Query No.241 Serbian Army in North Africa

Q~ERY REPLIES

Query No.233(240/299) RFA 'Pearleaf'

Query No.234(240/300) North Schleswig Allied

pag_e. 1

Page 11

Page 12

Page 17

Page 18

Page 19

0

Page 21

Page 26

!Jage 26

Page 27

Page 32

Page 28

Forces for Plebiscite Page 28

Query No.237(240/301) H.K.s.st.Angelo,Malta Page 31

FPHS Newsletter No. 241 Page 1 Autumn 1999

NATO and KOSOVO By John Daynes

BACKGROUND & EXTRACTION FORCE

lt is almost a decade since the self-government enjoyed by the Kosovars as a province of Serbia was ended and the Serbs began persecution . By 1998 this has become so unbearable that many families fled from their homes and sought refuge either in the mountains or in neighbouring Albania.

In May 1998 the North Atlantic Council issued a statement deploring the use of violence. As a warning to Serbia NATO staged Exercise Determined Falcon over Albania and Macedonia in June.

By September NATO issued an Activation Warning for a limited air campaign in Kosovo and the United Nations Resolution 1199, adopted on September 23rd 1998, made it clear that President Milosevic must; stop repressive actions against the civilian population, seek a political solution to the Kosovo crisis and take immediate steps to alleviate the humanitarian suffering.

On 13th October NATO commenced Operation Determined Force and the threat of NATO force secured an agreement with Serbia to a cease-fire and an end to the repression of Kosovars. Diplomatic efforts backed by the threat from NATO led to the creation of the 1500 strong OSCE Verification Mission. This was backed up by a NATO air verification mission. A NATO extraction force was established in neighbouring Macedonia in case the monitors got into difficulty.

Cachet of a OSCE Monitor No 19

Serbia gave an undertaking to withdraw Serb forces to level that existed before February 1998 but failed to keep the undertaking. The situation led to the Rambouillet talks. Although the Kosovo delegation accepted the Rambouillet Accords Yugoslavia did not. The Talks were adjourned on 19th March and on 20th March the International Monitors were withdrawn from Kosovo.

BURMA COMPANY 2 8 :MAR 1999

(

1 KINGS OWN BORDER

Above: Burma Company I Kings Own Border Regt was the UK unit with the Extraction Forte. Based in Skopje, Macedonia using BFPO 555 and FPO 67

The NATO Operation for the Extraction Force was Determined Guarantor. Contributing Forces were:

France (Lead Nation) Battalion, 12 Hel icopters, Engineers. Germany: Infantry Company Netherlands: Chinook Helicopters, Engineers, Ambulances Italy: Infantry Company, Helicopters United Kingdom: Infantry Company, Engineers Extraction Force Headquarters: about 300 from ten NATO nations

20 FD SQN

Above: The cachet of 20 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers in Skopje, Macedonia

FPHS Newsletter No. 241 Page 2

·N ..--------~ -"Ma!ce I;ENTIN

Major ~ Fm~cb Army Frccch Framework Dt!jllldc Commll!ldet

: ! . · . .

lj ::.

Op, P!!termlned Qu.arantor E~ractipn FQrc~ KQ$QVO

,·! · ... : : · ' .·.· . ;,: : . . • :·

John Daynes

25A Mill Road

Burnham on Crouch

Essex England

Autumn 1999

Above: A cover from Brigadier General Marcel M. Valent in, The French Commander of Operation Determined Guarantor. The initialled cachet is in English and refers to the French Framework Brigade.

The french Contingent used Bureau Postal Militaire 662

The German contingent was based at Tetovo and used FELDPOST 731 Code "P' It should be noted that only code "P' was used in Macedonia at this time and other Examples of Feldpost 731 were used elsewhere


OPERATION ALLIED FORCE 24th MARCH 1999 - 20th JUNE 1999

The Secretary General of NATO authorised the Alliances military wing to commence air strikes against Serbia. The air attacks commenced the following day- 24th March. The Supreme Allied Commander Europe [General Wesley Clarke] had delegated authority for the implementation. The Commander in Chief of Allied Forces Southern Europe at Naples was the Joint Force Commander. The day to day decisions in respect of the air war were taken by the Fifth Allied Tactical Air Force at Vicenza, Italy. Serbia agreed to withdraw its forces and the Military Technical Agreement was signed on 9th June and UN resolution 1244 was approved the following day when Operation Allied Force was suspended. NATO troops then entered Kosovo and following confirmation that the Serbs had complied with the Agreement Operation Allied Force was ended on 20th June 1999.

The following gives information about the units and postal history ofOp Allied Force starting with details of the Royal Air Force. I am aware that the information is far from complete and would welcome additions and corrections.

· OP DEtJBERATE FORGE BFPO 569 -~~"··~1,

·':" ........ ;: •:. :

JOI·IN DAYt<ES

26A t>ULL ROAO

8URNHAM ON CROUCH

I!.SSt'.X C~6PZ ENGlAND

UNITED KINGDOM. A cover from the R.A.F. base at Gioia del Colle with the Operation Deliberate Forge cachet and the new forces post office postmark which included the location and BFPO number.

UNITED KINGDOM

The Royal Air Force contribution to Operation Allied Force was;

Canberra PR9 [l] 39 Sqn Photo Reconnaissance Unit Gioia del Colle AB Italy

Harrier GR7 [12] 1 Sqn Offensive Gioia del Colle AB Jtaly

Sentry AEW [2] 8 Sqn AEW A viano AB Italy

Tornado [8] 14 Sqn Offensive RAF Bruggen Germany

Moved early June to Solenzara, Corsica, France

Tristar K [2] 216 Sqn Air-air refuelling Ancona Italy

VCIO K [4] 101 Sqn Air-air refuelling RAF Bruggen Germany

In addition there were aircraft on HMS Invincible


The Royal Air Force station at Giola del Colle was the main Harrier base. Prior to Operation Allied Force the Harriers on the station had been part Op Deliberate Forge- the Force with commitments to both Bosnia and Kosovo. The Canberra stationed here was part of Operation Eagle Eye- providing cover for the OSCE Monitoring Mission in Kosovo. The British Force Post Office number was 569 using Picld Post Office 707 dotestamp this was supplemented in late May by the new named datcstamp [for illustration see previous page] which like all the RAF Bases in Italy was used during Operation Allied Force on ordinary mail. The RAF part was known as Operation Engadine.

The R.A.F. Airborne Early Warning Force using Sentry AEW E-JD aircraft from number 8 Squadron was based at Aviano. The British Forces Post Office number was 571 using datestamp F.P.O. 940 again the new named datestamp was introduced in late May. The cachet illustrated below was used both before and during Operation Allied Force.

17 JUN1998

AVfANo,· ·IT/\LY.: -·----M.d

, .. ·

Air-air refuelling facilities were provided by 216 Squadron R.A.F. based at Ancona. This detachment also had an Operation Deliberate Forge cachet it used British Forces Post Office 573 with datestarnp foield Post Office 764 again the named datestamp was introduced in late May.

RAF:·oEl.ANCONA OP DELIBERATE FORGE ·

2 0 APRJ999 . .

ADMIN OFFIC'I:···, • j,· •

' : .

The R.A.F. detachment at Solenzara in Corsica enabled to RAF Tornados to shorten their journey to their targets. They commenced bombing missions from there on I st June. Using B.F.P.O. 562 with the second FPO 67 datestamp the other 67 continued to be used in Macedonia (I3FPO 555)

'. ;

RAFO(T··,_:·:SOl EN ZARA .

. ADMf.N;, ~FFICE

; • '· :: ' . ; •' , •: ; , t <I ·' ~ ·; ~ •1 \ :. ' • I : •

FPHS Newsletter No . 241 Page 5 Autumn 1999

THE NATO AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING FORCE

In the early 1970's NATO studies showed that an airborne early warning (AEW) radar system would significantly enhance the Alliance's air defence capability. In December 1978 NATO agreed to provide such a force which is the largest commonly-funded acquisition programme.

The NATO Airborne Early Warning Force [NAEWF] was granted full NATO command headquarters status on October 17th 1980. While NATO AEW supports the two major NATO COMMANDS, Allied Command Atlantic and Allied Command Europe, SHAPE exercises administrative control of the force.

For Operation ALLIED FORCE NAEWF had two operational elements; First the NATO E-JA Component at Geilenkirchem, Germany operating 17 Boeing E-JA aircraft

manned by integrated crews from I I nations. There are Forward operating bases at Trapani, Italy (the main FOB for Allied Force), Aktion, Greece and Konya Turkey.

Secondly No 8 Squadron of the Royal Air Force based at Waddington with a forward base at Aviano Italy. [for postal history of this unit see the Royal Air Force section]

As the only truly NATO unit involved in Operation Allied Force the unit is of particular interest. The cover shown below is from the FOB at Trapani. The Canadians maintain a CFPO at Geilenkirehen and the cachets shown are also from there and were used prior to Operation Allied Force.

' t-3A Or:TI\CHM~t~r · N.l\ E.W. rorce

FOnWABO OPEnATING 131\SE rrapanHiirgi

OPERATION ALLIED FORCE

JOHN DAYNES

25A MILL ROAD

BURNHAM 01~ CROUCH

ESSEX Cr.'QBPZ ENGLAND

NATO AEW- The Air Base postmark reads "91028 BIRGI AEROSTAZION (TP)B". The circular cachet reads "N.A.E. W. Force - E- 3A DETACHMENT- FORWARD OPERATING BASE- TRAP ANI- -UFFICIO SPROVVISTO(?) BOLLO.

CFPO 5053 from Gielenkirchen Germany

CFPO • BPFC

19 99 -·05- 0 •1

~053

NAEWF E~~.~.d6 m1~6g:tiht/PIO · .. ' .~R~~~~ ~g~:~o~AANtN<t Post: net"\ ·'~007" ~ E • 3 A COMPONENT

0. 5i30 GeJ:e:;nldr~hen · 5130 GEILENKIRCHEN, FRG


NATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS EXCEPT UK & USA

IJELGIUM *

f-16A [10) 2/10 Wing CAP/Offensive Amendola AB Italy

CANADA * Cf-188A [14) 425,433,441 Sqns CAP Aviano AB Italy CFP05047

DENMARK "'"' F-16a[6] Esk 730 CAP Grazzanise AB Italy

FRANCE *

Jaguar A [6] EC 007 O!Tensive lstrana AB Italy

Mirage [15] EC 002, 003, 005 ER003 CAP/Offensive lstrana AB Italy

In addition there were aircraft on the Carrier Foch in the Adriatic

GERMANY ***

Tornados [ 14] AG.51, JbG 32 Suppression/Offensive Piacenza AB Italy

ITALY ***

F-1 04S-ASA[8) 5 Stormo Quick reaction alert Cervia AB Italy

f-104S -ASA[I2) 4, 9 & 37 Storrno Quick reaction alert Amendola AB Italy

Tornado [ 12] 53/36 Stormo CAP/OlTensive Gioia del Colle AB Italy

Tornado [6] 6 Stormo Offensive Ghedi AB Italy

Tornado [4) 50 Stormo Offensive Piacenza AB Italy

NATO ***

E-3A [4) NATOAEWF AEW Gielenkirchen Germany-with forward element at

(see also separate entry) Trapani/Pre AB Italy

NET HERLANDS *

F-16 [19] 306, 322/323 Sqns CAP/Offensive Amendola AB Italy Veld post

NORWAY ***

f-16a [6] various CAP Grazzanise AB Italy

PORT UGAL *

F-16A [5] Esq 201 CAP A viano AB Italy

SPAIN *

Ef'-18A [6] Ala 12/15 CAP A viano AB Italy

TURKEY

f'-16 CID [12] various CAP Ghedi AB Italy

* POSTAGE STAMP OF OWN COUNTRY

** OWN COUNTRY AND IT ALl AN STAMPS

*** ITALIAN POSTAGE STAMPS

Although the lists relate to the Allied Force aircraft in May later more aircraft were allocated sometimes to new bases e.g. USAF in Hungary and Turkey.

FPHS Newsletter No. 241

... ~· ··,·· ;;:_ · ~ . ·· . . ~ ·,

. ' . '; :: ·~: :. . ' .. ~ ' ' .

'. ESKADBl4~E:730 ex-i~tatlh:n·s.~ry.~S.tru~ · .

. "'-. .- t360QVojens .: ..... ·. ·. ·· ~.o ;

DENMARK

Page 7 Autumn 1999

··~· · · .. ·.·, · .. ··· · .. ... ~-~ . -. ~ .... ..... _.

BELGIUM. The Belgians and Dutch had a combined "Deployable Air Task Force" at Amendola

CANADA The Royal Canadian Air Force's code name is Operation Echo. The cachet seems to have been used only by the second RCAF deployment which served from 28th Dec 98 to 31st March 99 used reads: "TASK FORCE A VIANO ITALY" and was applied either directly on covers or on labels stuck on covers The RCAF had their own Canadian Forces Post Office- numbered 5047 and a United Nations postmark

38° STORM r.) UFr'' CtO COMANDO

M1 GlOtA DEL COLLE (BAi

ITALY The cachets used at 36 Stormo at Gioia Del Colle


GERMANY

Cachets used by the Luftwaffe

PORTUGAL Cachets of201 Esquadra

ESlJlJ.\[I!~A 201 !.~O."'H:. HEAL

SPAIN- The Spanish contingent "ICARO" Consisted of 311 Squadron & 31 Transport Sqn

OPERATION ALLIED FORCE

Page 8

JOHN OAYNES

25A MiLL ROAO

BURNHAM ON CROUCH

ESSEX C~'(] 8PZ ENGLAND

Autumn 1999

MACENZA

NETHERLANDS The DATF Cachet is in black and the RNLAFDET F-1 6 (Royal Netherlands Air Force Detachment ofF-16 aircraft] cachet in red. The Veldpost was at Amendola numbered 77.

FPHS Newslette r No. 241 Page 9 Autumn 1999

OPERATION ALLIED FORCE 24th MARCH 1999- 20th JUNE 1999

UNITED STATES

Aircraft Type Unit Role Location

16th AIR EXPEDITIONARY WING, AVIANO AB ITALY

B-JB [5) 28th Bomber Wing Offensive RAF Fairford U.K.

B-2A [2] 509th Bomber Wing Offensive Wh item an AFB MO USA

B52H [8] 2nd & 5th Bomber Wg Offensive RAF Fairford U.K .

KC-13R/T [10] vanous Air-air refuelling Jstres AB France

KC-13R/T (5] various Air-air refuelling NAS Sigonella, Sicily

KC-13R [12] various Air-air refuelling Rhein Main AB Germany

KC-lOA (6] various Air-air refuelling Rhein Main AB Germany

E-36/C [3] 552nd ACW Air Early Warning Gielenkirchen AB Germany

E-8C (2] 93rdACW Surveillance Rhein Main AB Germany

F-ISC [12) 48th Fighter Wing Combat Air Patrol Cervia

F-15E [6] 48th Fighter Wing Offensive A via no AB Italy

F-1 17A [12] 49th Fighter Wing Offensive Aviano AB Italy

F- 117A [12] 49th Fighter Wing Offensive Spangdahlem AB Germany

U-2S [2] 9th Reconnaissance W Reconnaissance NAS Sigonella Sicily

31st Air Expeditionary Wing, Aviano AB Italy

OA/A-IOA [8] 52nd Fighter Wing Offensive/FAC Aviano AB Italy

OA-IOA [4] 23rd fighter Wing Otfensive/FAC Gioia del Col le AB Italy

EC-130E 355th Wing Psychological Aviano AB Italy ABCCC [2] Warfare

EC-130H [2] 355th Wing Electronic Counter Aviano AB Italy Compass Call Measures

KC-lOA& various Air-air refuelling Moron AB Spain I 35R/T [25]

F- 15E[20] 48th Fighter Wing CAP A viano AB Italy

F- 16C [88) 20,3 t & 52 F Wings C A P I Offensive Aviano AB Italy

EA-6B [16] US Navy Suppression(SEAD] A viano AB Italy

F/A-180 [15] US Navy Offensive Aviano AB Italy

86th Air Expeditionary Airlift Wing, Rarnstein AB, Germany

This Wing is primarily a Combat Search and Rescue wing with HQ and a few aircraft at Ramstein but mostly based at Brindisi AB Italy with about 20 aircraft

IOOth Expeditionary Air Refuelling Wing, RAF Mildenhall UK

28 Air to air refuelling tankers were based in the United Kingdom

US Navy & US Marine Corps

In addition to those mentioned above P-3C aircraft were based at NAS Rota Spain and NAS Sigonella, Sicily. In addition many US Navy aircraft were deployed fi·om US Ships

USAPO •

09456

09456

09791

09636

09212

09212

09104

09212

09603

09603

09123

09623

09603

09345

09603

09603

09643

09603

09603

09603

09603

09009

09464

* The USAPO nwnbers quoted are those li sted for the Base and not necessarily just for Allied Force


/7/.V Ea-;//-()J7AL ;)a~~ &/)YI~T j ;/~A/G1f<?Y

A!O AE£ t'93tYJ

OPERATION. ALLIED FORCE

Page 10 Autumn 1999

JOHN OAYNES

25A MILL ROAD

!JURNHAM ON CROUCH

ESSEX CM08PZ ENGLAND

A cover from the Military Post Office APO AE 09309 IN Budapest, Hungary. This APO was one of the short lived APO's which closed shortly after Operation Allied Force ended.

··-· (, .... ... _ -~.- ' .... _ -....... .. ''" ... . .

©John Daynes 1999

UNITED STATES FORCES POSTMARKS

The US used the usual two types of postmark -the double ring for counter use (usually in mauve ink) and the APO with "killer" bars in black ink. The wording varied according to the service of the unit- e.g. Army, Military or Air Force. Examples are show here. One unusual named mark was from Aviano Air Base APO AE 09603. Air Force 09456- R.A.F. Fairford Glos APO AE 09345 - Gioia del Colle Italy Military Postal Ser·;ice - Unit 12 APO AE 09789 (Hungary?)

To be continued


NEW SELF iNKING DATESTAMPS OF BRiTISH FORCES POST OFFICES sv JOHN DAYNEs

Certificate of PostincT

b

As reported in previous editions of the Newsletter the Forces Postal and Courier Service experimented with the British civil type of self inking datestamp. Subsequently this type of datestamp was introduced in FPO's in Germany.

Meanwhile it had been decided to introduce SIDs to all static British Forces Post Offices. The new datestamps were delivered in May and introduced at Forces Post Offices worldwide as and when they were received.

The new datestamps are intended for counter use although a few have been seen cancelling ordinary mail.

lt is anticipated that these datestamps will be used on Postal Orders, Certificates of Posting etc. lt remains to be seen if they will be used to cancel postage stamps on Special Delivery (registered) mail.

The new datestamps have been seen from the R.A.F. bases in Italy- as detailed in the Kosovo article- and also some BFPO's in Bosnia ..

Although they are clearly of a non-security nature re-posting facilities are still not permitted.

I would welcome recordings of any of this type of datestamp.

Th~:s is (::. rece~tJ.t for (;Jr<r.iitJu. ~;.: ft·t U!1''i~ Ke~ it S...:2/L16! !.t J Jnv.1:-t.(~., in rh:{, e~1 l:'1tt of a, :!.).i.·~i~n ,

11;!! ordi.•Iary[m.'l shcmld not be ust!dli}r .wnding money o·r •vabu;.ble item5.

P!c;..;~ '~·rhc the name, :ld~fn:ss ;lnd nun'lib~r of i.t(;lm pos rc(~di ftn <C-ad, Item yeu!.re: sending

· ~in'd1e .column b':im~ (ln.h{k).f .-

,":,.

' lJ~.tl1C

I ·~j · j I

·,f --J'GP..R--'Qaynes. 25A-'Mbll--Road .. Buroba.:m-en- c .rouch-O.ID.--8127. Of\ _____ j .

. I --·- .... _____ ... __ ·----- . -·-·-- ·- -..... " ·-- -· . I L_ l

r..·:., p1c:-J.5:t' Ct~ : t:i;: uc (t• l:. ~h ~" bil ·~ k ·~rf ;J .!? !.· ~;;, .~ry')

FPHS NEWSLETTER No 241 Page 12 AUTUMN 1999

FORCES POSTAL HISTORY OF HONG KONG 1939 to 1997 By John Daynes and Alistair Kennedy

PART SEVEN- BFPS, FOREIGN & COMMONWEALTH ASPECTS

In part six we listed the British Forces Post Office Commemorative cancellations used in Hong Kong and London and these are illustrated below. BFPS 1074 was one of the first commemorative datestamps used by the British Forces Postal Service and was unusual in that the location was not included in the postmark only on the cover. The early use of this mark meant that the philatelic reposting service was not available and we have only seen examples on the official cover as illustrated below (reduced). Another interesting cover is that issued on 2nd October 1972 to mark the inauguration of direct trooping flights to Nepal for the Gurkhas. The covers were additionally stamped on arrival with a Nepalese postage stamp and postmarked at Kathmandu on the same day. [see next page for illustration].

POSTED ON BOARD

FIRST DAY COVER

HMS HERMES ON 2.STH NOVEMBER 1968

AT HONG KONG

\• 28 OCT 71,·

··KQ\\~ ~llfll~~

..... ... ...... ... ............... ..

FPHS NEWSLETTER No 241

SOUVB"'lR COVER Inaugu;3tion of Otukha Direct Troopinq Flights.

Hon~ KMq -l{~thm~ndu by Royal Air Force

Brittania MK 2 ~il'C I'~ft 2 Octob~r 19i2

Issued by Royal Air Force Hong Kong Philatelic Society in aid of the Gurkha Welfare Appeal

JfANNE D'ARC FORBIM

Page 13

·· .'::

AUTUMN 1999

RAF HK PS BFPO I.

ilatelique fc'\aistranC:.

29 t~ - BREST .; ~ ·.. . :'·


FOREIGN NAVY POST OFFICES

The United States operated navy post offices in Hong Kong as the Colony was a popular port for visits during the Korean and the Vietnamese wars. We have recorded the following;

17071 96659 96522

from February 1967 April1979 October 1992

to November 1972 May 1979 September 1995

The U.S.Navy also used Navy Post Office 517 (up to 1st Jan 1965) and 969 (in the immediate post war period) as M.A.O. (Mail Address Only) numbers. The United States Navy ships would have continued to use their ship post offices and postmarks while in Hong Kong but we have no record of these and imaging they are difficult to identify.

The French helicopter carrier "JEANNE D'ARC" visited Hong Kong from 4th to 9th March 1974. In addition to its ships post office a special cachet was applied to mail. [illustration on previous page]

.. ~

t \

i i

John ])aynes 25A Mill Road Burnham-on-Crouch Essex, England

i i


One of the advantages of publishing a comprehensive article on postal history of a specific area is that some of our members advise us of an aspect of which we were unaware. Mr 0 Fraser has told us about the Royal Australian Air Force Detachment "A" at RAF. Little Sai Wan which was a listening post for China and we are most grateful.

The covers illustrated below seems to indicate that originally the Australians were part of the RAAF Base Squadron at Butterworth in Malaya and used the Hong Kong civil post but later concession postage rates were permitted on mail posted through the British Forces Postal Service and that a special cachet indicating mail to Homeland was applied. The mail was then transferred to the civil post office to despatch to Australia. The illustrations below show a cover of 1966 with full civil postage of $1.30c. The second item would seem to have been a Christmas card and posted through the civil PO by surface mail- this was perhaps at 15c cheaper than using the Forces mail service.

AIR MJ\IL

'.. -·;=r , _ _,.Ar;.) , _·~ . ~ - ·

/ · . . I .. -. . · rA:-:C:-::C:::-0:-::UN~T:-:"A':':'N:-T -::"O~FF:-'C~E~R--..;,..__-., ' --:.' ••• ,.,.-..

SASE SQUADRON BUTTERWORTH .• • ..,. OET A RAAF Cl. AUSTR ALIAN GOVERN MENT TRADE COMMIS'l iON P o. eox s2o HONG KONC..

IF NOT DELIVEREll WITHIN SEVEN DAYS

RETURN TOP. 0. BO X No. 820 HON G KONG.

., __ ,,

'PI.T LT j. W. G. HARTSHORN gtl6509 B .. ll., Squadron 8utterwvrlh Oc:t .-\. kAAF Little Sai Wan HONG KONG

Wg. C~r. A. Cadd, C/o Offisers ~e~s, RAAF, Eankstown, N.S.\V., AUSTRALIA

-, ... .... ___ _,-

--------...... __ ·------. ......... .....__..... . .... -.. ..... __ _ ... . -- ---.....__ __ ..... ;_ -------- -...__ _ __ J'


Covers to Australian from Det "A" Little Sai Wan showing the cachet authorising reduced postage rate.

~~~F -sY AIR MAIL

PAR AV I ~' N

.... ... . ·: · .·.

-..... .. · .

r · t . . I

. )' . /

,/--Flt. Lt. J.W. G, Hrrtshorn,

. BASE SQUADRON BUllE!ItWOiHH OET 'A' RAAF

UTI"LE SAl WAN -HONG KONG.

·"" ·~· ----- ------..... ~~-; · - -- -· ._ .. ,_--: ... ~" -· - ~~....,.1~·. , - . _,.,·;;:y:.; ,

: . ctdltkti'Jt ' i1. . . ;-. . i:': .:,val Auotl. , ;i<ln .--.:· !<'<~re .~ \.. c· • ~r '·.F !.5'-V H: .i ; :i~ KOr~G l ,. · ·-~ i-: S ~A . ', !L ·; ,- ~ TIHL HOM~~_ .• r. t'14 ~

:~ ~ ... t : _i -~ j . . ~ } ~ : . \ . ·, \ t -----· -.. - -.. ..

FPHS Newsletter No.241 Page 17

ALBANIA Remember 1913

By David Ball

AUTUMN 1999

To some it may come as a surprise that we have been here before.On April 22nd 1913 Montenegrins and Serbs took Scutari [Shkoder] and what is now Northern Albania from the Turks. The Western Allies , fearful that the land-locked Serbs and, more pertinently, their supporters the Russians [then as now] would establish a foot-hold on the Mediterranean. Not wishing to support Austro-Hungarian aspir ations they quickly supported the formation of the new Albania, agreed to by all six of the Great Powers, including Russia and Austro-Hungary, and to implement this despatched an International Stabilization Force [familiar ??] to the fledgling state. The initial occupation was by Marines of five Powers, excluding Russia, followed by Army contingents of the same five. Royal Marines from H.M.S. Gloucester took part in the first wave and the permanent British contribution to this force was 300 men of the 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment from Malta, under the command of Lt.Col. G.F. Phillips which arrived in Scutari on June 7th 1913 and returned to Malta on June 9th 1914, being relieved by the 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Some officers with civilian responsibilities, including Colonel Phillips, remained behind until August 1914. ll1ustrated is a cover to an address in Malta incurring the Maltese Taxe mark T (M.S.C.PIYI'-6)

1d in circle(M.S.C.PD12) and on reverse Maltese receiver c.d.s MALTA A JY 30 13(M.S.C.MAL 12). There are no other postal markings but the envelope has received the recipient's personal hand stamp F.R. 31 JUL 1913. There is information from the sender - m/s "Scutari. No Maltese stamps available" m/s signature "George Crossman Capt." over handstamp "Lt.Col/COMDG 2nd P.W.O.WEST YORKS REGT. Captain George Crossman was Company Commander of 'A' Company of the 2nd Battalion presumably using the CO's stamp in the absence of others. The absence of postage stamps proved a persisting problem as another cover, to the U.K. with London arrival Aug.22, 1914 posted at the end of the deployment, is inscribed"Scutari,Albania. No English Stamps available" Both covers attracted ld Postage Dues of their respective destinations and the explanation of that rate is unclear. The difficulty probably lay in the classification of Malta as a Home Posting and, therefore, not entitled to free postage. A reasonable redesignation of this detachment as an Expeditionary Force would have obviated this but that was not achieved. Kennedy & Crahb(1977) do not record any postal markings used by this detachment which is hardly surprising in view of its small size and short duration but one rather gets the feeling of a"forgotten army.


I would be grateful for auy comments or further infonnation from members I would particularly like to thank Mr J.S.Phipps author of'The Stamps and Posts of Albania and Epirus 1878 - 1945" for his belp and permission to quote from his book and recent article "The Skanderbeg" Janua1y 1999, and Malcolm Lacey, postal h1stOiiau, and Lt.Col. T.C.E.Vines of the Prince of Wales Own Regiment of Yorkshire, for their help thus far. References: Alistair Kennedy and George Crabb "The Postal llistory of the British Army in World War 1 Before and After 1903-1929 Pub!. 1977 F.P.H.S. J.S.Pl1ipps "The Stamps and Posts of Albania and Epirus 1878-1945" Publ.Stuart Rossiter Trust. "The Skanderbeg" Journal of the Albania Study Circle Jan.1999 Footnote: Lt.Col.Phillips, like cricketer-diplomat C.B.F1y, was offered the Crown of Albania bnt they both respectfully decliJJed.

F 0 R T H E R E C 0 R D

mD OF "ffiE FIRST BRITISH ARMY OF THE RHINE From John Daynes Below is a cover from Wiesbaden near the end of BAOR.

A local cover from APO S.40 E ofYpres Barracks, Wiesbaden, backstamped at S.40 (main- Weisbaden Station booking Office) and the Wiesbaden civil postmark presumably also at the railway station (BHF)

l, ·: , .. ,, '·.

FPHS Newsletter No. 241 Page 19 Autu.n 1999

1iORID WAR 1 POSTAL INS'I'ROC"tlONS IN :tmiSP.APFJl From Alan Cooke

LETTERS TO THE FRONT

How to write to our soldiers

The War Office has issued the following communique;

(1) The address of all letters and other postal packets intended for members of The Expeditionary Force should include (a) regimental number (if known), (b) rank, (c) name, (d) squadron. battery or company, (e) battalion, regiment (or other unit), staff appointment or department, (f) British Expeditionary Force.

The following is an example of the method of addressing a letter to a soldier serving with his own unit.

633 Pte J. Smith "B" Company East Yorkshire Regiment British Expeditionary Force.

Special care should be exercised in addressing correspondence for officers, non-commissioned officers, and men who may be detatched from their units and employed in other appointments.

The following example is given.

2645 Corp. R. Brown 20th Hussars Attatched 1st Divisional Corps British Expeditionary Force.

(2) In no case must the name of any place be inserted in the address.

Rates of postage. (3) The rate of postage to and from the troops will be ld per ounce, letters will be accepted for registration, but not for insurance or express delivery. (4) Rates of postage for parcels will be; on parcels not more than 3lb, ls ; over 3lb and not over 7lb, ls 4d ; on parcels over 7lb and not over lllb, ls lld. Parcels will not be accepted for registration or insurance or for express delivery.

(5) Private telegrams should be addressed in the same way as letters, but they will necessarilly be subjected to so much delay that all communications should be sent by post. Sailors letters are to be forwarded in the usual way,

The sailors name, rank, and the name of his ship are sufficient address.

source. Hinckley Times & Bosworth HeraldSaturday 22 August 1914.


THE • WESTON• COVERS An Update and Correction by Frank Schofield

Regarding my short piece on the "Weston" covers (Autumn 1998, Newsletter No. 237, page 192); I have recently come across evidence that proves my original article is completely wrong. ·

The first seeds of doubt were cast, when a fellow FPHS member, told me that H. Edgar Weston, was a trading name of Oswald Marsh, a well known stamp dealer from South London. This raised a query of Stoker Robert Weston being his son. I must admit that this tie up between the initials (apparently "R.W.") at the top left of the "Queen Mary" covers and "Weston", was passed on to me many years ago, by a well respected member of the society, who alas is no longer with us.

At the "Stamp 99" show at Wembley recently, I was able to speak to Oswald Marsh's daughter, who assured me that her father never traded under the name of "Weston", so I was back to square one.

One of the many philatelic societies I belong to is "The Postal Stationery Society" and after a reminder to pay my subs, I ordered a small booklet offered by the society, this duly arrived, and it completely gives the answer to the "Weston" covers and the use of postal stationery cut-outs, which came from specially ordered sheetlets of 48 (4 x 12) impressions and not from envelopes. The 32 page booklet is called "Victor Marsh's, Great Britain: Abnormal Embossed Postage Stamps of King Edward VII and King George V. A 75th Anniversary Edition, Introduced & edited by Peter J. Van Gelder".

The introduction explains that the original pamphlet was first published in 1923, and further explains the name mix up between Oswald Marsh and Victor Marsh, the pseudonym of H. Edgar Weston (British Library records), because they both used postal stationery cut-outs on philatelic covers around this period. "Victor Marsh" was still advertising similar philatelic oddities in the late 1950's.

lt also explains the confusion over the initials, they look like 'R.W.' and by a strange coincidence Stoker Robert Weston was killed when the "Queen Mary" blew up at Jutland. After increasing their size by some 200% on the copier, it shows that the initials are in fact 'R.L.C.' These are the initials of Lt. Cdr. Ralph Lyall Clayton, also killed at Jutland. He is mentioned in the booklet, " ... ... posted me a number of covers, which reached me (Weston) with commendable regularity, all stamps being cancelled by an eight-barred circle". The booklet also reveals that about 280 covers were lost with the ship.

The fact that the cut-outs came from sheetlets, and not envelopes, explains how the tete-beche pairs came into being. I found a pair recently on a "Weston" cover from the Hospital Ship "Braemer Castle" and must admit their origins puzzled me.

For the non-naval collectors, details of failed efforts to get like covers from Army sources are also given.


Any FPHS member interested in purchasing a copy of the booklet, it is available to nonmembers of the Postal Stationery Society, for the surprisingly small sum of £2 to UK based members and £2.30p elsewhere (which includes the postage) from:-

The Editor, Postal Stationery Society, 16 Frant Avenue, Little Common. BEXHILL. Sussex.

PRISONERS OF WAR WWl RED CROSS LISTS 1917 Provided by Bill Brierton .

,..., ~''-''-'viiiiJit.l 1~11.

INTERNEES IN NORWAY

1. A rrangernent relatif a l'~ternerr~:ent en Norv.ege: · Le nom.bre. des places n'est pas indique, mais la propbsition est la

sui van te : ··

a) Po ur les places d'offic~ers . russes, 1 prisonnier de guerre venant d'Autriche-Hongrie ·sur 3 venant d'All~Jnagne· . P<JUX: les places de solda ts russes, 2 prisonniers de guerre ven~htd~Autricl1e ·:_Hongrie su~ · 3 venan·t · d' Allemagne. :.- ,: .).: :<~~1h-~j ··~;:,! :. . ~_:' ~~"-;~ · · · \ ·/~t: ... . · .

b) Pour les places d'officietfdpstro-4ongrois :. et ·alleni.ands;·B officiers austro-hongrois sur 1 officier allemand, ·pou r les places de soldats .a ustro · hongrois et allemands 4 soldats austro- hongrois sur 1 soldat

- allemand.


GERMAN POWS _ ,,. " , •: ,;, . ' ·: :.~ ~- ·J·::, : :-- ~~· . .-· ~-._, ~o:i; -,; '·:":~-~-;.·- .;,-;;-~ ·;t·.:)~ .. -_{.;7~~{" · -. ' i · -.~.-. ' . \_-:<,>< .

Allemftnds. . . . .-- ·· . . ,:~·,.-~ .. --~:~ . ... . _,·r ~ .. , J . .,,_'~ ~' :. :· -.

~- .- : l - -'- . i lf- -* 1 ... ./ .. ·p t'fi r. 1 ,.~ ~~l""\'f:f,.tr.·.:;.~ft~1--/ .' · ':.' '' ' ' .1 , ~< ' · , • ,~ ~ ~ ' • - .-i~ ·. •'·; / •; £.! 11/i~

· .-:. . "' ·~ \· .:.: ... '~ ,..~ ~ .. - _ -,.~·~·. · ... -,. 1 --!i .Y.- ... ·~4; .. ~.. ":' ... __ · , - -~-:: . .. .- ~ . . .. _. .:,.-~~

· :.::::~_:_,_:·Au~"~_tATS-UNis. -.. ~./.~g~.n~~ ~):~cu_jl~_$ .¥7~~et~4J. d~cemht~;Je~;~t~!s; .:s-uiv ti~kricerna~1t des· 'officf ··t.i~~W.t·, .. :.·a:tWtift.l~t1~n·A.~'eri · '~-e-. (t'·~~~1Hf<L~

._.,._,,::_!V;t, ::~:: -. · -~ , .-.·::o~~ -~- · ·, · ·A··~~~;'~ .;L: ~- · · · q i . ,.~' -~~~~<!~~;:._~ .. ~t~t:t· uti~':li~t~ n° 19-Jatee --d~ . 24\s~ _ ·:P't-·e-de :pfisoniiieps : tr~ipW£~ris .. \ie_'~ ~1··11[:. -rr., ... H:,;...... ,. ·.~ .; ;...... . . . ..,,.,. · :tCl.l · . ,.~~ !t !~.-~:.:.· ... .,~: ~;.\ . • . .· ·.~~; r ·. ~ .. ·I .: .. " -., :: .:--.

' 'Fort- - Ogl~th,(fvpe, · Georgi~~·' :,~.? F6rl·;~~~fJ!ers.o.~~-·dans·J~iW.-et~;\;~; Etat ,rt~ :: ·. totah~de.A48 ~ noms se decohipos_e _ cOmtiie suit : S.M.S/;Ptitt~ .' Ettel Ff>"ie:..~ ;· drich (359 noms), S.S.Prinz Sigismund, Grunewald, Sachsenwald ou Sa;.. .~ vola (49}, S.1LS. Geier ('d),PresidenfLincoln (1), George tl'ashington (1), Amerika (2), J(aiser' l-Vilhelrn If (1), :S. M. S. Cormoran {1), Witteldnd (1), sans indications 28 noms. . ,-< -;' .·> . . .

2. Un_e liste n° 20 dJ! 14 septeinbre· mentionnant 18_2 transferts des Schofield Barracks, .Hawa~ au Fort Douglas, Utah: membres des equipages du S.M.S. Geier (158)_, S.M_.S. G_ormoran (1)_, Locksun(4), Locksun ou Geier (13), sans indications 5. -. · ·'

3. Une lisle n° 22 du 5 octobre faisant connaitre 277 mutations .de . .

Gallup's Island a Hot Springs·, ~orth Ca.ro_l ina et ~.oncernant 12 meinbres de l'equipage du OckenfelsJ _ 100r4u · - I(r~nprinzess~~ · Ce9ilia; .20 du lVitti~ _,· kind, 59 d~ __ Cincinnati.J 26 du<l(~~t.t; : 5~~-~'y_ · l~~~ilca. : :·:_ · ~. -- '. · .. . , ~,oi

' · . . . . . ; .~ ...... ' -:l :,- ' . . . :. . . . . ... :. -.. ~· J,.': .r, , . /i, . ··:." ~~;~

Aux. ETATs-UNis ·: · CiviLs. - :~· : ;L'Age_r;tce 'a-reQu··de"la · Cr.oix-Rouge'·'' . de \Vashington en date du 11 novembre la lisle n° 23 comprenanl les

noms de 47 prisonniers politiql.ies. : La liste n° 18 re<;ue a la meme date_signale la mutation de 31 prison-

.niers politiques transferes de Fo~t -Mc Phersori a Fort Oglethorpe. - ~;''' i :

Au PoRTUGAL: CIVILs. - · Il ressort d'une lettre particuli~re de la « Sociedade Alema de Beneficencia », a Louren<;o-Marques en dale du 10 octobre 1917 que le Gouvernement portugais a consenli tl. transferer tousles inlernes de cette region en Europe. ,

Selon les ins_tructions de Lisbonne, ils seront diriges en premier lieu . sur Lisbon ne d'ou ceux qui sont figes de plus de 45 ans pourront se ren· dre en Espagne. Quant aux autres, ils seront vraisemblablement internes a l'ile de Terceira. .

En ce qui concerne les femmes et les enfants ils pourronl ou aller en Espagne, ou accom pagner. le chef de famille. .

DANS l'EsT-AnucAIN.- CIVILS. -A la suite cl'u11 arrangement enlre les gouvernements beige et allemand un convoi de civils allemands amenes de l'Est-Africain au pdntemps 'dernier et intoriH~s en France, a traverse la Suisse en date du 7 decembre, Ce convoi comprenait 35 femmes, 30 enfants et 8 homrnes.


BRITISH POWS

~

:Anglais. ·_ -)';.·.·.

'~~:: EN ALLEMAGNE. - D 'apres laJiste 2387 du 5 ~e~embre .(Geneve 10) : _: >. • ~ - l •: ·: . .. ~. • , . '.t .... ' .. . • .

iSOn.t. a :; Cadsruhe quelques avt'ateurs pns en octobre et novembre. Sont ~-~t'ti·~.u.es~~JArnh6:~rg)l~s ,p~if?Pnr.i1.~r~:ajpc_tob~~ ~a,ptu_res,.~ ·lf):~J?~);~~r:I~ielt. y~ '"'ci'Nsw~~::, -~ 'Or~ ···d~ ·Poi : :·;t.,cne~·~:~i.ei :.· f·et:i- . se' ~ -Er:chin, bief~nhkciti~ saar-~:cke~~'~ilf;' t . .ff~,i.;:;~·~~t : '' ~;:'~'j~~-n ~qurt'/ ~ e~i~p~Jlbe~k.i>Pas· . .§cJie .ndrole{Menrii;=-~GheiU.~r :~·~,. , · ·i? : ~,_:i~ ;_. '/-~z. >-~ -:_; ' . · ·•. . .

. _· .. , ._ . . • .- .,. • . . ... " . )S.· ·~ ' :JisV· .. , .,.,. , 1 . _, .. r·_ .,..., I... - .

~:fjfitA:· 9~W.~~n ;yenall:t ~~;Ji~::?. ·, r;• ::~~-~Q~P,_1 :·~~~-?:rt~ ~ d~~s _pr!so·u~ ·ie~~ d'{)(;.tobre et ;n.ov~~~re.;~ap~ures a ):pr·~~~~~~)a'giimarck;:TqQy.rout, :P_a~s~hendrele. ·

~:/::·?-t .D.;apres:· .Ia lis·t~- 2aa~_' d.h:~i- d~~~·mb~~~TG~ne~e :il (son t ·a ffectes a Limbourg des officiers a~iate~-;;~ pris a \Ver\vick (27 -. octobre), Douai (21 octobre), Neuville (31 octo_bre}; et des sous-officiers et soldats pris a Ypres (6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14 . octobre), --Poelcapelle (12 octobre}, Bois du Poly gone (4, 6 et 8 octobre, 5 novembre). · .. · ·. .

. . . ~· . : . ;, ;~~ ~:~·: ' .... if·.: ... :.·''~.·,: . , . .

EN Asm-1·IINEURE.- Sttivai;it urie communication verbale de Mehmed Iz.zet bey, Directeur de 1' Ag;t\ce des prisonn iers de. Constantinople au sujet des prisonniers n3partis le long de la ligne en constructi,on du chemin de fer de Bagdad, le Croissant-Rouge ottoman, afin d'assurer une meilleur~ repartition des fonds "qu'il _a la charge de distribuer, a -decide _d'envoyer periodiq uement un delegu~ .~pecial , da_q~ tou,s les camps d' Asie~.Mineure. Ce delegue se tnettra eri'rapport ave_c -q~·elqhes. . 6.ffici~rs c_hoisis id.J.R!lS chaq~e camp e t }eur remettra_l_e~ SOmmes a dts tribue~. _ · . I

~':.:.:;:/. Etant donne lR disper'siqn:-'.des .':ca·mps sur un ~aste .t~~-r'itoire ou les

moyens de communication sont tres limit.es, la tournee _du delegue ne pourra guere se faire en mains d'un mois et demi.

Le Croissan t- Rouge pen se doneque ces tournees qevron t sesuivre a tl'ois mois d'intervalle. La premjere.etanl eri couts ·main tenant; la suivante .

eo m men cera vra isemblablemen t au debut de fevrier 1918 et la troisieme le fer mai. Entre une tournee-----m-fa stiivante les ~ommes ' re<;ues . seronl gardecs et addirionnees pour etre remises en une s'~ule fois aux a'yantdroit.

Dans les camps eloignes, comme ceux situes a l'Est de_ Baghtehi et Dnmas dans la direction de Mossoul, les prisonniers ne p~uvent utilisel' l'argent re<;u que pour s'approvisionner en i1ourriture, celle-ci pouvnnt s'oblenir partout sans trop de peine; - · ' ·

Dans ces localites par contre, les objets d'habillement sont a peu pres in trou vables.

-Sur la lisle allemancle 2387 du 5 decembre (Geneve 10) est signale le deces u Gazn d ' u n lieu tenant et d 'u n soldat du cc Bedford Regiment n ( 1 er et 10 octobre}. Des decedes sont inhumes sur la route de_Jaffa a Gaza.

FPHS Newsletter No. 241 Page :.!4 Autumn 1999

lNTERNEs EN SmssE.- A la date du 8 decembre (Geneve 10) la Legation Britannique a Berne commu·niq~~ a l'Agence une liste d'Anglais internes en Suisse le 27 novembre. Cette liste comprend 81 officiers et 3~1 soldats.

BELGIAN POWS

Beiges. ~ t:.~· :~;.;\' : < ~ ~ . . , .. 1 _/~·tfif~ .. ( 'I • . ~ • :-<,·.~-_:\'~'

EN ALLEMAGNE. - D'a_vres'. ia· '· list.e .·23E36' ~du 5 · q~/~'!ithre {G~neve 10

dice~hr~ ), sont attp,~pu~.~ a Lin1bo.?·~g ·ae's~pr!~~~nie~~·lr~~J).t~f~~ ,~ . Dixmude, Stalhlll.e.:et Stuyvekenskerke en }Uille_k. !iotlt ; ~t's~pteplbre., Un ~oldat du 1er chasseti~s,' pris a Dixm ude ·le. 2 nove'inbr~· a ?~te . condu'it :· de . Gand a · ·.·-· ~.-a·.:-~ " .. ,.r. , , ·1·.:, · • -,-.' .. -.~ ~-·!~;:~rr·'·. · , ... _ ;_ .•. ii,:·r:_~·;_ .'."i;. · .• ·•. · . :~~:-..; ·; .. · ... ' •. -- · .

Dulrrien.

FRENCH POWS

Franc;:ais. · --~ .... ~ .. ~ ., .... · · -:: .

. EN ALLE.MAGNE. _ . La liste ~394 du 7 uecernbre (Geneve 11) signa le l'arrivee a Butow d'officiers fran<;'lis preceden1ment internes au camp de Reisen. Des prisonniers d'octobre et novembre venant de Fourmies sont arrives a Nlilnster, d'autres sont affectes a .Limbourg .

. , . .

ENVOIS COLLECTIFS D~ PAIN AUX PRISONNIERS. - D'apres le Bulletin de tOjjice et information du "18 decembre un nouvel accord a ete conclu entre les Gouvernements allemand et fran<;ais aux termes· duquel les

· officiers fran<;ais et beiges prisonniers de guerre en Allemagne beneficieront desormais gratuitement comme les hommes de troupe et pour la m erne raison qu'eux, des envois collectifs de pain faits dans to us le camps par la Federation nationale.

Les expeditions commenceront i. la date du 10 decem!Jre. A partir de cette date, les paquets individuel~_ adresses, aux .. officiers ne devront plus eontenir ni pain, ni biscuits; toutefois l'envoi des -gateaux et les cakes demeure perrnis. . ..

EN BAVIERE. ~ Depuis. quelques mois les plaintes des families fran-

ca ises au sujet des eamps de prisonniers en I3aviere se multiplient. Le ca mp de Lnnclshut notamm ent e t le's detachements qui en depende nt sont l'objet cJ e t' CC ]BlllC1t ions YiSant principa}ement le regime de Ja COrrespondan c.e . Le ComilL~ Inlernalion al de la Croix-Rouge a cru devoir adresser une note ·a ce sujet au l\1inist8re de la guerre bavarois. A la date du fer dece mbre la Legation royale de Baviere a I3erne a transmis la reponse suiva nte :

« Le 0-Jinisll~ re de lH g uerre du roya ume de Baviere declare no n rece·vnbles des ques ti ons de c.e genre. en tant que formulees par des Societe:-; de Croix.- H.ouges et reco nnail corn me se uls co mpetents les representanls des puissances protectri ces J) ,

P a r le ltre en dote d.u 6 decembre le Comite I nternational a decl a re qu'il ne pcuvait aecepter ce po int de vue.

FPHS Newsletter NoG 241 Page 25 Autumn 1999

CAl\IP DE LL\tBOURG: PtHSON.- Les Nouoelles du 17 no~embre (n° 46, p. 382 ) ont publie unc lisle incomplete des prisons et etablissements penilenliaires de lt.\ grnc region militaire dans lesquels se trouvent , des prison

__ n.iers de pays enneinis de l'Allemagne. Ces prisons sont au nombre de ~G .~et non de 12: Aix-la-Chapelle, I3onn, -Cobleo.~, Cologne· (pr~son ~royale ) ; ~Cologne (prison de Corteresse)' D olken ,. Plf~en ;' E~ pen; D.ulijie_ti-; E:r l{~Ienz, ·:~G,~Ewep_b_roich, Rheit)bach, Siegburg1: 'fr.e\.es, : ;\~j~_tlis4~~~M ~ri~~en.:Glad-~~h":, ;~lt~Jl.h' E u §_k i ~-c 11 en ' . ~;? 1 me~ !t::'·~?.ri!j~~!~Z~~i' t.?~~J~;;r~~'~Jl w ied' . ~indhH .. ;;::~ .. ~.I-~berg;'"":-y~~rsen. · · :·· : _ ::. ~- -:·;~;\ ,' :. : · - :: ~· ·· ).. -~"'_::f:_-· , ·:ii::.;.:~~:-~;.X/· ::. . ·· ...

':,, ;.~~~~~}JET.ENus · ;;ltr·{'~~~t.aiQuE ;_: __ C,vir.:sY·' 41($liU·epori.s.~e ·· ·-~ E_,~n., ~~··,d'~rtlaQ,tle · de·:

~~ ·,:.:':"• ... -, · .- ~ - ~~i ... ' · - ' · - ..:.r~ -~ ·.' ' • f"..."Y•: ··,; • .".: '-··~··· · •·:.. .... ·· .· .~· ·l;,~. ~ ."" 1·~~lf"i1 r ~ ' · : . ' ·'"'.... '- . : • .

.... , Ag~nce:au sujet d t~~:·r~gime '~ applitt'u.~i,~:~l~·:_~et~nus. ~ :~~:~~~lt.f~~-~~,~·:.~s,~J?V ~.~ijJ§~ a :B r u x elles, ~~ . Gro i ~ · R o ~-~-~~~~ · ,~~-~ cfo r t. n bus ])}:f~~-!rl ~;~~p:, da t~ d u · '·fer dtkembre, qu'il y a 'dans la , .p.Fisoii'.V(le·:· Ia - ..I\omm~ndantui ije ·Saint-, . . .. . . . ·. · .

Gilles des Frnncnis en pr ison preventive 'et d'atitres __ subissant une peine . -lis sont autorises a recevoir des colis et a ecrire des lettres nutat:~t que les dispositions penales n'ont pas fixe de restrictions. Jl ne s'agit que des· personnes domieiliees en Belgique ei ayant transgresse Ies ordonnances Jegales. · · ,. . . -- . '

INTErtNEs CIVILs rt,\PATruri:s.~ L' Agence a re<;u le 6 deqembre du Bu-reau de l'Internement a Berne une liste de civils fran<;ais et beiges internes en Suisse, rapatries le 22 octobre. ·c·ette lisle comprend 26 Beiges et 97 Francais. GREEK POws ·

Grecs.

:~ : -. : ·EN AuTRICHE-HONGRIE. · _

.· . ' : . : ,1 • . ·• .. .. '

~· · ~ . ,. .... .. .. · .. . :·/..;. -· .. ... ·~ \· ;~- ~ . . ,

A la date" clu 29 noveinbre le Bure.au de ' -renseignements de la Croix -Rouge de.Vienne, repondant a 'une.demande de 1' A gence, no us tra nsmet In lisle des ressortissan ts grecs du vapeu r CephaZonie enptuni par In f1otle autrichienne aux Bouch,.ts~de-Cattaro en 1915 . Ces. matelots ~ont maiotenant internes a Katzenau ''O·u empl'oyes par les · Compagnies de navigation du Danube ou d'autres firmes. La mP.mP. li<:<f.e PiP'llinnnP "'n nnlr•n TJr> p-...,,..,1-,;,...;<:;tP. dn h,-.f,-.::>11 7rfnnlu'rr.

EN ALLEl\lAGNE. - Lu lisle 2:JD1 duG uecem]H'e (Geneve 10) signale a .. I3rar1debourg venailt du Cattaro l!'ois· Grec~ pris it bord du Cambric en ~leLlilen·<:mec le -i novellll.H·c.

PORTUSUESE POWS

Portugais.

EN ALLE:\IAGNE. - D'apt'es l<t li sle 2:3U2, duG decembre (Gen~vu to duce mbre ), un lieu tenant pl'is le 10 novemLre a La Bassee, n ete conduit de Lille a Car lsruhe. Sont d'autre part, a Friedrichsfeld, des prisonniers de Vieille-Chapel le et de Lille, venant cle Dolmen. Trois prisonniei's du mois . ~'aotlt ont ele conduits de I. ... angensalza u Cassel.

~PHS Newsletter No. 241 Page 26 Autumn 1999

B 0 0 K S H E l f

A PRICED CI-£CKLIST IF INDIAN BASE & fiELD POST IFflCES 191~ - 192~

Edited by Charles H.Entwistle

Another in the valuable series of prices checklists this volume covers the Indian Base and field Post Offices for the period 1914-1924 which gives the collector quick and easy reference for establishing the theatre of use and a valuation guide of Indian fPO covers. Prices range from £7.00 to £1000.00 for .items in a good condition considering the cirqumstances in which a cover was posted.

Types of postmark are illustrated but the list does not indicate when two or more types of postmark have been recorded. The theatres of operation sre briefly introduced with useful notes. While some areas[e.g. Aden,China,and Egyptj are summarised in a few lines Persia has a much longer entry.

The list of fPOs is clearly set out with details of the number,da~es of ~ in each theatre, locations and comments, and finally the value. As in previous books of the series unrecorded FPOs are listed and priced and I would have preferred to see these marked in some way[e.g.*]

As one has come to expect, the checklist offers en incredible amount of information in a small space and is ideal for "those days out at Exhibiticrs and Stamp Fairs". Thoroughly recommended it is available either from the publisher (Chavril Press,Bloomfield, Perth Rd. Abernethy, PERTH PH2 9LW tel.01738 850351) or from Peter High,13 Hillcroome Rd.SUTTON Surrey 5M2 5EL tel. 0181 643 1039 @£6 post free in UK . Overseas Post&Packing £2~

QUERIES

Query No.2J9 (2~1/26) From John Daynes In August 1945 the well-known collector R Tocila wrote to the French Liai&n Officer at Tilburg asking about the Russian Camp at Tilburg and any special censorship that applied there. In his reply the French Officer stated that the administration of the camp was by the British and he was unable to give the information requested. Does anyone have information about the Russians or their camp at Tilburg in 1945?

.. ~

~~ K . To c:.Q(\_ S \· o.-d, ~tn'- tlwt4·K <).!e. --\ 3 .\~

~ i,-(/z.dct ~ ______ ... ___

--~--~·--·

fP HS Newsle tter No. 241 Page 27 Autumn 1999

Que ry No. 2 40(241/27 ) from Keith Fitton The photocopy cover below is one sent by a Seychellois soldier serv i ng i n Egypt with the Pioneer Corps to a relative in Seychelles . The adhesives total 2!d the correct ·surface rate, and are cancelled by the Cairo-based APO 4 cds 11 FE 43 with obliterator.Top left on front appears to be 'Sea ' over 5/70- probably indicating mail service by sea and no.S of 70 in the bunch. There is no unit censor mark nor officer's signature . The cover had been opened and res~led ~ l\fith the civilian PC 22 label , red lettering on white, 'OPENED BY CENSOR' which appears in Torrance/Morenweiser as Press censorship sealing label used 1939-1940. The label is tied on both sides by ~ ~iamond mark containing '8 ' which I understand to be a base censor mark from Kenya , .and on the back tied by cds EA APO 85 , 6 Ill 43r based in Nairobi. An arr1val cds fon Seychelles AP 7 43 as backstamp.

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fPHS Newsletter No. 241 Page 28 Autunin 1999

Who opened and resealed the cover, and where? Why did they use a civilian label on a cover from a soldier which clearly went through the military mail s~stem? Assuming the diamond '8' is a base censor why combine a civilian censor mark with military PO cds and base censor mark? If it is not a base censor what was its purpose? Any ideas and responses gratefully received.

Query No. 233 {240/299) REPLIES From John Leathes The cover is from RFA "Pearleaf'', one of two oilers on the China Station from 1934 onward.Mail from ships in the Far East was often routed via Siberia(railway) if they were in the Northern part of the Station.

From Clement Olliver(exRN)RPS Library The cover is from RFA Pearleaf.The address in Landport Terrace is probably a solicitors office. The cover would be put in a mailbag,sealed, and sent by the most direct route as shown by the London p/m & Received from HM Ships.

1'/lo!o add<id 10 27,

APPLELEAF (ex- 'l 'r:>:ol) (Wo rkman Clnrk), BRAMBLELEAF (Lithgows), CHERRVLEAF (Sir Jt. D~· o _ _ &;. •. Ca..) ORANGELEAF (J . L. Thornpson & Sonoi ,JtARtEAF'1:'} (\V. Grny &. c.,. ). Alllnunch ed 1917. Displa ~monts: from · 12, 2i0 t o 1 2,~i 0 tons . Dimensions : 405 x 54i x 271feet . T r ipl t} ex puns iun engines nn d cylin d ri cnl Uoiiera . I.H .P. : G,i 50 = 14 kl s. Dendwcight capac ity: Ap]>lclcaj nnd Ch erry/raj, ;j, 400 tuns ; ot hPr,s , 5,000 tons. \\'nr loss : l'lumleaj. . .

From J Rawlins I have a somewha t similar cover, no crest, identical postmark but 8 JLY 1937 to Mrs F.A.Bryant, Gillingham.

From Frank Schofield The ship's crest is of RFA Tanker"Pearleaf" of some 5911 tons built in 1917 , on the China Station from 1934 and Eastern Fleet during WWII; sold in 1946.

Query No. 234 (240/300) REPLY From Konrad Meyer BRITISH & FRENCH UNITS IN NORTHERN SCHLESWIG 1920 The French Plebiscite Force consisted of the 22nd Battalion Chasseurs Alpins. They did not have a FPO but the mail was collected and sent by courier to the HQ of the French Army on the Rhine[A.F.R.] at Mainz where it was cancelled by ' TRESOR ET POSTES 77' as the Army belonged to Secteur Postal 77.Tne postal address of the French Bn in Schleswig was Secteur Postal 184, DS the battalion was part of 46 Division Chasseurs Alpins which was sent as the French Occupation Force to Upper Silesia (1/1920 - 7/1922). So collectors must be careful: return address SP 184 does not necessarily mean that a cover or pc is from North Schleswig and other clues are needed to show whether it from Upper Silesis or Schleswig . The British Plebiscite Force consisted of 1st Bn Sherwood Foresters.They had no FPO : their mail was sent to London where it was postmarked 'Official Paid' or

- 'Paid'. Naval mail got the usual RECEIVED fROM H.M.SHIP machine cancel . Ref . Kenedy & Crabb (1977) pp 24617. Any further information would be welcome .

fPHS Newsletter No. 241 Page 29 Autumn 1999

··' -----·- -·· -- ··--··· - ----------------------------------:---·- ----- - ·-:

t '

~ French FM pc cds TRESOR ET POSTES 13.5.20

Official ? cover with unit cachets cds T etP 77 12.2.20

fPHS Newsletter No. 2•1 Page JO Autumn 1999

OAS Pc written FLE~ Froruary 8th 1920 two days before tre plebiooilte in\ tre Nortrem Zm=l, by a crew nartJer of ITA ~AV(L p/m nv'c U:NlJN;fE 13 20/R:C£IVED Ftrn H.M.SHIP/ r-.D D-Wrr TO BE RAI~O

............

OAS rover with·ns 'Schles-dg Plebiscite Force' 01 bad< crest of XLV Shel'\'<KXXI Foresters p/m Lcrd:n Paid 28'f-1ay 20

f PHS Newsletter No . 241 Page Jl Autumn 19 9 9

Query No. 237 ( 240/301 ) REPL IES From John Daynes The fo l l owi ng i nformation is taken from the book "Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy " by Lt.Cdr . B Warlow R. N. ( 1992) - "H.M . S. St.Angelo was the base ship in Malta and was commissioned on 1st July 1933 and remained until British Forces were withdrawn from Malta on 31st March 1979 . Fort St.Angelo was transferred from the War Office to the Admiralty on 8th December 1906 for use as a barracks . The Base had a tug(built in 1935) hired as an Auxiliary Minesweeper in 1939 and this was lost on 30th May 1942 by a mine off Malta. This was replaced by a Diesel Launch (No.3972) the same day as the tug was lost. H. M.S. St.Angelo 11 and H.M.S. St.Angelo Ill were min~r bases at St .Pauls Bay from 1943 to 1945, the latter having a Diesel Launch (No.3822) " In fact H.M. S. St .Angelo was the main Naval Base(o r Pa r ent ship as the 1942 Royal Navy List calls it) in Malta and was often referred to as one of the 'Stone frigates'and is illustrated on the ~d George VI postage stamp.The 1942 Navy List has some 200 Officers listed and that gives some idea of the size of the establishment. Below is a 1939 cover from H.M .S. St .Angelo ,.

From Frank Schofield

I can cofirm that the tug HMS St.Angelo was mined off Grand Harbour on 30th May 1942, but was the cover off this ship? HMS "St . Angelo" was also the name of the shore base in Grand Harbour : could the apparent later use of the cachet be as simple as somebody dropping a mailbag into the water whilst unloading? The shor t est distance bet~een "St.Ange lo'' and Admiralty House being straight across the harbour by boat . I have a similar item from Egypt in 1937 which was dropped in the Suez Canal . I believe a book was published on the wrecks of Malta .

f rom Colin Tabeart No ship of the size of a tug would have a cachet"SECRETARY TO FLAG CAPTAIN" which implies that an Admiral was carried aboard. HMS St.Angelo was the shore base and HQ of the Commander-in-Chief,Malta, and as such would have had a Flag Officer and his Flag Captain and therefore the latter's Secretary. I suggest the letter was recovered from one of the many ships sunk in or near Valetta ha rbour during 1942, taken ashore t~ HMS St . Angelo and there processed.

FPHS Newsletter No. 241 Page J2 Autumn 1999

From David Ball

HMS St.Angelo may have been a tug sunk 30.5.42 but, more importantly, is the NAVAL BASE, MALTA so the cover coming from a sunk tug is unlikely. More likely is that it is part of a consignment of mail sent from Valetta between Oct.23-28 1942, which bears the "DAMAGED BY SEA WATER" cachet. The 5th Nov 1942 p/m could be arrival date in London or Ipswich.

Query No. 241 (241/J2) From Ben Ferguson

This recently-acquired cover of World War I vintage appears to be addressed to an officer of the Serbian Army in Bizerta, Tunisia - part of French North Africa. If that is so why was the Serbian Army serving in North Africa at that stage of the war ? I believe I have also, at some time, seen a ppc of a Serbian Army camp somewhere 1n North Africa.

' t . . .... .. .. rHE UNrv::Rsr'rv oF Lf;:Eos

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Newsletter Editor: B.Ferguson, Flat 4,Springfield Court,Woodside,LONDON SW19 7AJ

THE FORCES POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY · THE FORCES POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 241 AUTUMN 1999...

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