Neil

Once again many thanks for your response.  Having taken a close look at the cover I have now responded as follows:

[color=maroon]I have not had many responses but the one I have had and would agree with suggests that the cover is a fake for the following reasons:

1. The naval cachets he has for 1960s covers are more professionally created than this; the text is off-centre and the gap at the top and bottom is not equal and appears too large.  Also the date appears to be a fixed date and not a moveable one as one would expect on a unit (ship) datestamp.

2. The covers he has from 1967 going to a military collector in Austria are franked at 9d, which would have been the FPO and UK rate. No way is 1d a valid rate.

3. The 'cancellation' looks homemade. Even if the machine cancellation die head was accidently missed, the wavy lines are not identical to British machine cancellation wavy lines of the period - they are too thick and the wavyness too great compared with genuine British machine cancellations.  It is also suspicious that there is no die head shown.

4. Last but not least this ship was no longer in the Royal Navy.

For these reasons we do feel that the cover is a fake.[/color]

Regards, Mike

[b]6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion[/b]

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was a unique U.S. Army unit and it had the distinction of being the only all-African American, all-female unit sent overseas during World War II. The women kept mail flowing to nearly seven million soldiers in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO).

For those of you interested in US military postal history during WW2 you may be interested in hearing the BBC Radio 4 programme aired yesterday (7th June 2023) - a 29 minute programme about Major Charity Adams and her unit, the first African American woman to be commissioned in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, who arrived in Birmingham, England, to sort out an enormous problem with US mail for troops in the UK and Europe - up to two years build up of mail, including Christmas parcels, stored in six rat-infested aircraft-hangers.  This is a most fascinating story on US postal history as well as the leadership role of a young junior female officer - well worth a listen (download the programme and you won't have to sign on or register with the BBC):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001mljz

For more historical information, including their time in France, click on these links:
https://armyhistory.org/6888th-central-postal-directory-battalion/
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6888th_Central_Postal_Directory_Battalion
and
https://www.womenofthe6888th.org/

Neil

Many thanks for your comments - I have had another look at the illustration and I am beginning to agree with you on all aspects.  Having a closer look, the Ships' cachet does not look as though the date is moveable, in other words a 'one-off' datestamp for that date only and as you say off-centre.

Thanks again, Mike

I have received the following query:

[color=maroon]I've been chasing information on a cover I have with a cachet on it -
"Commanding Officer, 11th August 1969 H.M.S. Stratton "
This is a bit of a mystery as I've been in contact with Peter Down ( TCA 2000) and he has confirmed HMS Stratton was on the reserve list before being sold to the South African Navy in 1959, some years before the cachet. I've also had a look at the list of Shore Stations ( https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_ship_names_of_the_Royal_Navy_(R–T)#S ) and there is no mention of HMS Stratton. Darrel Drury suggested I contact a Michael Dobson who has pointed me in the direction of this Web site. I'll send on a copy if required.[/color]

Are any of our Naval specialists out there able to help please?

Thanks, Mike

Peter

Many thanks for your response - it has helped me put together a response which I have nearly completed.

However, one query - I thought that unit censors could only be officers, but you mention NCO - is that correct?

Mike

Peter

I have been meaning to respond to your query for some time - I do n't think it answers your question (re newspapers posted overseas) but does expand upon the Whitney listing.  It is taken from "English & Welsh Postmarks Since 1840" by James A Mackay (published by him 1980).  Under the section "Postmarks on Newspapers and Periodicals" the text relating to the relevant illustrations (2304, 2306-2309) states:

"Datestamps including the name 'London' were intended as cancellers and incorporated an obliterating element (2303, 2305), the majority having patterns of short lines (2304).  This style has continued to the present day in various guises (2306-9)."

As I say, doesn't help your query, just explains their use.

Mike

I have received the following enquiry a few days ago:

[color=maroon]I wonder if anyone can help me please. I am writing a non-fiction book based around a collection of letters written by a REME soldier to my aunt during WW2. In August 1944 his Unit moved to France, then Belgium, Holland, and finally Germany. The letters were stamped by the censor in different ways. Plain envelopes had the 'Passed by Censor' stamp and the signature of the censor; Army Privilege Envelopes (aka 'Green envelopes') had ''Passed by Censor [number]', without a signature; some plain envelopes just had 'Released by Base Censor' [un-numbered]. I am trying to understand the different levels of those censors - where were they based? Is there any record of which officers were assigned the role of censor?

Your help would be much appreciated and acknowledged.[/color]

Due to the amount of work I'm involved in with other philatelic and non-philatelic societies at the moment I'm struggleing to come up with a suitable worded response and I'm looking for some help in this respect please.

I know that censorship was carried out at unit level (or company, battery, etc for larger units) and so the censoring officer would either sign or initial the envelope and apply the censor cachet.  I also know that from time to time the base censor would nominate mail from specific units to be further censored at base level just to check that local censors are doing the job correctly.  I also know that green envelopes were exempt from unit censorship and were sent to the base censor for censorship before being put in the post for delivery to the addressee.

I don't know that reason why some envelopes are not signed but have the censor cachet applied - unless that it just an oversight by the censoring officer.

Help please.

Thanks, Mike

Nick

You could well be right - see attached link "Polish YMCA Building Kassasin (Qassassin)"
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/ymcaphotos/25/

As a result of searching "Kassasin" I have come across this link:
Camp 379 Qassassin:
Prisoner of War Camp Quassassin was situated 35 kms by rail west of Ismalia on the Suez Canal; 230 kms SE of Alexandria and 74 kms from Geneifa.
https://italianprisonersofwar.com/tag/camp-379-qassassin-el-qassasin-quassassin-kassassin-el-kassasin/

Thanks, Mike

1936 Besuto Company, AAPC

WO 169/12993 1936 Company (Basuto) African Auxiliary Pioneer Corps (AAPC)
(Jan-Dec 1943)

Yesterday (Tuesday) I visited The National Archives and was able to look at the above file the unit War Diary for 1943.  This showed that the Company was located in Bengasi in January 1943.

A look through the War Diary I came across the following two entries for 22 December 1943:

Seven Sections and HQ arrived at P.C.D. at Qusassin from Tripoli and they were accommodated in Camp 50.  In the War Diary I read the handwriting as Qassassiu which was obviously wrong as various web searches show the Pioneer Corps Depot to be at Qusassin.  However, I could not find in which country Qusassin is situated!

Lt A. Guthrie (71295) reported for duty with the Company ex P.C.D. located at Qusassin.

Lt Guthrie was indeed a Pioneer Corps officer
P.C.D. = Pioneer Corps Depot

see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Auxiliary_Pioneer_Corps
and
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj9guSf_Pz-AhVIT8AKHUeOBlMQFnoECAwQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.dtic.mil%2Fsti%2Fpdfs%2FADA322682.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0reJgBeAAMjddBJgbdwHW3

Which has the following passage:

Since the many thousands of Colonial Pioneers to be produced from this vast campaign of recruitment were to be despatched as speedily as possible to Egypt, it became obvious that a depot was required to receive, equip and train the men. A new Pioneer Corps depot was opened deep in the desert at Qasassin under the command of Lt Col H.G.L. Prynne. This desolate spot was where the first companies from Bechuanaland were headed in October 1941.

You will see that the author spells it in two different ways the diagram (p.210) as "Qusassin" and the above text as "Qasassin" (p.211) but still no clues as to where this was located other than "deep in the desert"!

However, after carrying out a search using the spelling "Qasassin" I feel the location to be in Egypt:
https://paulbullard.wordpress.com/egypt-1941-unfinished/

Then I came across this entry which confirms the location to be Egypt:
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/14511386.pdf

I hope this answers your queries.

Mike

Neil

I have found a reference to the unit in The National Archives which may answer your queries:

[color=maroon]Operations Record Book: AIR 29/164/2
1940 July-1943 Dec

13 Wireless Intelligence Screen, later 13 Wireless Observer Unit (WIS WOU). Based at White Waltham (UK) until September 1940, then moved to the Middle East. Photographs of vehicles included. With appendices.[/color]

Mike

Howard

You can use the link in the email sent out by our Webmaster on 2nd March 2023 under the email heading "FPHS: Latest Journal, Newsletter & Auction Listing Now Available" and click on the "All Journals" link and then go and select the group which covers issue 275.

or from the home page of our Forum select the category "Journal, Newsletter & Auction List"
then click on the only item there "Spring 2023 Journal and Newsletter (335)"
then select "click here for all Journals"
then select Journal 275

Regards, Mike

I've now heard from Peter Burrows as follows (relating to the two covers I found on the internet):

[color=maroon]The Censor handstamp was used in Cape Town

The second cover appears to have a British label applied in transit via Liverpool[/color] (i.e. the cover from Southern Rhodesia).

Mike

I've come across another cover on the STEVE DREWETT incorporating EMPIRE STAMP AUCTIONS website:
https://www.stevedrewett.com/index.php?s=95&st=100&qry=&sqry=&sort=adddate%20DESC&

1918 (MY.4.) cover addressed to USA (central bend) bearing 2 1/2d adhesive tied by MOUNT SELINDA/RHODESIA cds and struck by blue circular PASSED CENSOR/ 10/99 handstamp. Sent from the 'American Board Mission' at Mount Selinda and with black on white OPENED BY/ CENSOR/1915 on arrival.

As this has come from Rhodesia to USA, does this suggest the PASSED CENSOR 10/99 is a USA marking?

Another item from South Africa to USA with same censor mark on the Stephen Holder / barndance100 website
https://barndance100.co.uk/product/south-africa-natal-to-usa-1919-censored/

S. Africa 2d & ½d cancelled d/r cds PORT SHEPSTONE, NATAL 20 February 1919; s/r censor cachet "Passed Censor 10/99" (by the British War Office?); to USA; no b/s, clear strikes

Tony & Peter

All three covers illustrated are addressed to the USA and the censor mark appearance suggests to me a mark of USA origin.  I can't really explain it but the way in which it was produced, the lettering, etc, suggests American origin.

Mike