Ross - I've moved this topic from the "Welcome" board to "Members Discussion Forum" and I've also amended the title from "FPO41" to read "FPO 291 in 1941".

According to Proud Vol III FPO 291 was used at Habbaniya, Iraq: 21.11.41 - 12.1.42


Mike

I received the following enquiry via the website (from the USA):

[color=maroon]Hi, I am trying to determine where an RAF censor stamp number 471 was used in 1944? I believe it was used at one of the RAF training schools located in the US. I can send a scan of the cover. Thank you for any assistance you can provide, or if you can direct me to a resource that might answer this question.[/color]

I responded as follows:

Thank you for your enquiry and the scan of your cover.  The RAF censor 471 marking used on the cover is classified as FPHS Type R14.  According to the publication "World War Two Censor Marks" (2nd Edition, edited by Dr Nick Colley, published by the Forces Postal History Society 2016 notes that this type of censor marking has been recorded used in Algeria, Corsica, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia.  The numerical range recorded is 1 to 497.  Dates recorded used are February 1943 to November 1944.

An illustration in the above book shows a similar cover to yours with the US POSTAGE 6c printed stamp addressed to Canada.  In this case it has RAF Type R14 censor 360 postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 579 on 28 JU 44; the FPO is thought to have been in Algeria at this time.

Another (electronic) publication "Censorship in the Royal Air Force 1918 to 1956" (by Dr N Colley and W Garrard), 2nd Edition edited by N Colley and I Muchall, 2015 which states that "Type R14 seems to have been the type used by air force units serving with the North African Forces (which later became the Central Mediterranean Forces) for much of 1943 and 1944."  Unfortunately it does not list censor 471 in the list of censor numbers noted.  However it does illustrate another US POSTAGE 6c printed envelope with R14 censor 200 addressed to Canada from an RCAF member and postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 165 on 26 JU 44; the FPO was used in Sardinia.

Your cover is postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 701 on 25 MR 44 and is addressed to the USA.  This FPO number has been recorded used in Algeria 1943-45.

I regret that there is no indication that it was used at one of the RAF schools located in the USA.  I will, however, pass on your query to Dr Nick Colley to see if he has any additional information which may assist.

He then came back with:

[color=maroon]Thank you for your comprehensive reply, much more than I expected, and greatly appreciated by me.
The cover is clearly not what I thought, but leaves open the question why a US stamped envelope (with the domestic postage amount) was used by the RAF from a non-US location for mailing a letter to the US. Another mystery that will require further research by me.
I again thank you very much for taking time from your day to address my question. [/color]

This raises a couple of questions:
- Do any of you have any record of R14 / 471?
- Do any of you have any idea / reason / how / why US POSTAGE 6c envelopes were used (for Canada and USA)?

Thanks, Mike

Mick

I've carried out a search of The National Archives website and found the following three files under War Diaries:

WO 178/13 (War Diary: 20 Syria Security Mission)
1941 Aug-1944 Jan

WO 169/15961 (War Diary: Syria: British Security Mission)
1944 Feb- Dec

WO 169/19903 (War Diary: Syria and Lebanon Area: British Security Mission to Syria)
1945 Jan- Sept

These should provide the information you are looking for and as the addressee is an officer he is likely to be mentioned at some point, especially as a new arrival or leaving the mission.

Mike

In searching for "Army Numbers WW2" I cam across the following website:

http://www.researchingww2.co.uk/army-numbers-british-army-ww2/

This shows that the Army number concerned (184445) was in the block assigned to the Royal Army Service Corps and that 'T' stood for Transport - please see attached Word document.

The use of Army Numbers to replace Regimental Numbers came in as a result of Army Order 388 of 1920.

Mike

Nick

In the main yes, used as temporary addresses but some were in use much longer than others.
For background information please see my article "Numbered Army Post Office (APO) Addresses Used on British Forces Mail During WW2" in Journal 274 (Winter 2007).

Mike

I have received a query regarding the location of APO 4340.  The only reference to the query is a letter (undated and no envelope) which bears this APO in its address (see illustration).  The person making the enquiry states:

[color=maroon]I am currently researching a British soldier from WW2 who was an Army Catering Corps cook in Princess Louise's Kensington Regiment (PLKR). His overseas postal address was APO (Army Post Office) 4340.
Do you know where this APO was located? I believe it could have been either North Africa or Italy as this is where the PLKR served in WW2.

Cpl G.A. TURNER ACC had a fiancée on the Faroes Islands where he had been previously stationed as a RA Bdr before transferring into the ACC.[/color]

I do not list APO 4340 in my APO number listing, meaning that it has not been reported in the Post Office Circulars as being an address which was able to receive Concession (CSN) or Expeditionary Force Message (EFM) telegrams.

Does anyone have any covers / airgraphs, etc addressed to or from this particular APO number please?

Thanks, Mike

Alan

Have you tried these publications from the Library:

Postmarks of the US Army Postal Service in the Second World War 1941-1946,
MR Bagget and CD Brenner, 1951,
12pp, p/b (US1)

Geographic Locations of U.S. APOs 1941-1984, 5th Ed,
James Shaffer, 1985,
127pp, p/b (US19)

Mike

Peter

Thanks for what you have done - we both spoke with Peter Burrows at our meeting yesterday and I showed him the illustrations in the Jamaica book.  As a result Alan will be in direct contact with him.

Mike

Peter

With reference to your response below - whilst they illustrate a cover with A 27 no mention is made of the A prefix - it is recordfed in the text as simply 27 as though the A is not relevnt or even there!

I'll be taking my copy to our meeting on Saturday for Alan to see.

Mike

I'm finding it extremely difficult -

His name looks like Pte A Fookes 405867
If you look to the bottom left to where it is addressed it looks like A Fookes RASC
(the Army Service Corps became Royal Army Service Corps in 1918 and this was posted on 2 July 1919)
At the bottom of the written text could his first name be Albe?

It could be Fire although it looks like Fures!

I've tried various searches but cannot find anything near a match - I hope that those who are used to name searching have better luck than I!

Mike

Peter & Jim

Its not records cards, its a very large ledger and I was about to look for it when I remembered that I have loaned it to Geoff Hanney to see if he can scan it somehow!

I've had a look through Cornelius's "British FPOs in Scandinavia 1940-47" (1981) but there is no reference to that particular censor number.

Mike

Via our Editor I recently received the following query:

[color=maroon]Can you help me with the rates for telegrams used by British Field Post Offices in 1981-82 please?
I attach a typical telegram. I had initially thought it would depend on the number of words but it is clear it is more complicated than that.[/color]

[b]Telegram tariff revision: 1 April 1981[/b]

The Post Office Gazette of 18 March 1981 contained a Supplement on revised telegram tariffs effective from 1 April 1981.  It went on to state that the new international charges also applied to BFPOs and CFPOs, except for telegrams to BFPOs in BAOR and to Concession (CSN) telegrams where the new inland telegram charges of £1.50 (fixed fee) plus 15p for each word applied.  Other changes included the withdrawal of the EFM service and the application normal word counting to any military, naval or air force address.  A summary of the changes which affected Forces telegrams is set out in the following table:

(see attached WORD document)

The telegram has been sent from BAOR.  The PO Gazette lists charges to HM Forces overseas, but the same charges applied from HM Forces to UK.  The £4.40 charge appears to have been made up as follows:

£1.50 (fixed fee)
£2.40 (16 words at 15p each word)
50p (Forces greetings facility – as indicated on the PO Telegram form above the addressee)
TOTAL: £4.40

Register of returns shows it as follows:

4/8/1943 - 5 BAPO
14/4/1944 - FPO 10 - 10 Corps
1/2/1945 - FPO HTB 10 CMF
12/4/1946 - B.179

The National Archives War Diaries indicate that 179th Infantry Brigade was in Italy during 1946.

Mike

Our Australian member, Gary Diffen, has a couple of covers from POW camps in Egypt in 1915. One has a "PRISONER OF WAR / CONCENTRATION CAMP / MEADI" cachet.  He does not require then and indeed they have been sitting around for a long time and so he would like to offer them to a good home to a member who may be interested in them.

Illustrations are attached.

If you are interested please contact Gary via email: garydiffen@gmail.com

Thanks, Mike

Tony

I cannot help much but I think the postmark (having blown it up) is N.L.1

Mike