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Mike Elliott has responded directly to the person making the enquiry as follows:

[color=maroon]As far as I am aware British troops were involved in Finland on 3 occasions:
1. 1919. This is one that I was not aware of until your email although I believe the British navy did have ships in the Gulf of Finland.
2. 1940. There were 214 British volunteers that arrived in Finland, but they got there too late and arrived too late to take an active part in the Winter War. There is a book giving details of this group.
3. 1941. The 'minor annoyances' caused by the aircraft in Northern Finland arose from the declaration of war by Britain on 7 December 1941. Churchill had a good relationship with Mannerheim and so was reluctant to declare war on Finland, but Stalin put on a lot of pressure and war was declared. I attended a conference on 6 December 2017 to celebrate 100 years of Finnish independence. At that conference we were told by the Finnish Ambassador that, as far as she was aware, it's the only time in history that a declaration of was [i][war][/i] has not resulted in casualties on either side.
Although I am not a member of The Forces Postal History Society your enquiry was passed to me because I gave a display to The Royal [i][Philatelic][/i] Society London on 18 November 2021 called 'Finland at War'. This was basically about the wars and mobilisation exercises from the War for Independence up to the end of The Lapland War. As part of the I produced a booklet (32 pages) and I'd be happy to send you a copy. To do this I'll need your full postal address.[/color]

Chris - thank you for your two responses.  I shall pass on the details.  It looks as though the person making the enquiry will also join the Society!

Mike

The auctioneer of the Faroe Islands Study Circle sent in the following query:[color=maroon] In our most recent auction, a cover was submitted with an FPO cancel.  Someone had added '219' and 'Faroes' at some point in the past.  When the purchaser received the cover from me, he reckoned it was FPO 217 rather than 219.  He had seen a scan before purchasing, but hadn't noticed the error.  He is happy to retain the cover for now, but wants to know where FPO 217 was, so that he can provide the information if he decides to sell it on.  Could you tell me where FPO 217 was in October 1942?[/color]

I responded as follows: According to "History of British Army Postal Service, Volume III 1927-63", undated, Edited by Edward B Proud and published by Proud Bailey Co Ltd c.1982, 531pp, h/b
FPO 217 is recorded as being in Egypt (no location given) and has been recorded there 24 Aug 42 to 6 Nov 42 (earliest and latest dates given).

From the scan sent I could not tell if it was FPO 217 or 219!  However, I dug into Alistair Kennedy's WW2 Army censor ledger and found an entry for Censor 1787 - see attached scan - used with FPO 217.  There are the letters 'SC-' between the FPO number and date - I wonder if this stands for "Stamp Collecting" magazine but date not known?

Can anyone provide any further information as to the location of FPO 217 in Egypt or indeed the unit which used the censor stamp?

Thanks, Mike

Thanks Alan - I am in contact with Mike Elliott over this.

Thanks also to Nick Colley who has provided the following information:

The following information has been found in the book "Hurricanes over Murmansk" by John Golley, which reveals that the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) carried out raids on Kirkenes and Petsamo (in Finland, on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia) in July 1941 from the carriers HMS Furious and HMS Victorious:

"Hurricanes over Murmansk" by John Golley
Published by The Crowood Press Ltd (2001)
ISBN 10: 1840372982 ISBN 13: 9781840372984

HMS Furious:
July
1st Arrived at Gibraltar and later sailed for Scapa Flow to resume duties with Home Fleet.
23rd Sailed from Scapa Flow for Iceland with HM Cruiser ADVENTURE and HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS escorted by ships of 1st Cruiser Squadron and Fleet destroyers.
28th Detached with HMS ADVENTURE for passage to Archangel.
(Note: HMS ADVENTURE was carrying mines for use by Soviet Fleet.)
30th Carried out series of air strikes at Petsamo.
(Note: Operation EF – This also included air attacks on Kirkenes by HMS VICTORIOUS.
Attacks on Petsamo were unsatisfactory owing to early detection and eleven SWORDFISH aircraft were lost. See CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R Woodman)
see: [url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-04CV-Furious.htm]https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-04CV-Furious.htm[/url]

HMS Victorious:
July
6th Working up exercises for embarked FAA Squadrons in NW Approaches.
23rd Deployed with HM Aircraft Carrier FURIOUS and 1st Cruiser Squadron to escort HM Minelaying Cruiser ADVENTURE carrying mines to Murmansk (Operation EF).
30th Deployed with HM Cruisers DEVONSHIRE and SUFFOLK screened by 6 destroyers of the Home Fleet as Force P.
Carried out air strikes on Kirkenes concurrently with similar attacks by HMS FURIOUS on Petsamo for air attacks after refuelling in Iceland.
(Note:  11 ALBACORE and 2 FULMAR aircraft from ship were lost)
see: [url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-04CV-Victorious.htm]https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-04CV-Victorious.htm[/url]

The missions would have been launched from offshore Murmansk.
That would explain the reference to the naval aircraft.

Reference to Operation EF - see [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_EF_(1941)]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_EF_(1941)[/url]

Mike

I knew I had seen this subject before - but it has taken me some while to find it!  There was a query in a past FPHS Journal on the subject and I responded as shown below - this appeared in Journal 280 (Summer 2009):

[color=maroon][b]NAVAL CONTROL SERVICE[/b]
by Michael Dobbs

I refer to Query 320 from Nick Martin in Journal No 279 (Spring 2009).  I believe that I can help with some information on the Naval Control Service - the National Archives source file below is a bound volume of miscellaneous papers to do with the Naval Control Service and convoy titles and codes.  A particular document is entitled "Naval Control Service Organisation" but not dated, although from other handwritten information on the document and its position in the file dates it from sometime during 1940.

That document explained that the Naval Control Service was established for the Naval Control of the sailing and routeing of British Merchant ships in time of war - in other words dealing with convoy and routeing duties for merchant ships.  Plans were prepared in peace for a special organisation designated "Naval Control Service".  Initially Naval Control Service staffs were allocated to the more important British ports and also to the more important ports of prospective allies and certain selected ports of prospective neutrals.  The Naval officer in charge of these Naval Control Service staffs at a port was known as the Naval Control Service Officer (NCSO).  The NCSO worked under and was responsible to The Admiralty through the Naval Officer in charge (NOIC) of the port if there was one.

I need to research further regarding the Naval Control Service in North West Europe as I have not come across any reference to such an organisation - but obviously there was at Antwerp as the unit datestamp on Nick's cover clearly shows.

Reference:
The National Archives document ADM199/2172: Naval Control Service: convoy titles and organisation 1940-45[/color]

There were two other responses as well, in the same Journal, from Mike Hill and John Leathes.

Regards, Mike

I have received the following enquiry:

[color=maroon]I am writing a manuscript and at the same time doing background research for my new Postal History collection "Field Post in Finland".
I am currently struggling with two major problems relating to the British forces/troops in Finland in the 20th century.
The first challenge is in 1919, when British troops marched towards city of St Petersburg and the second to year 1941, when Liinahamari and Kirkenes harbours suffered some minor annoyances after the visit of Albacores, Fullmars and Hawker Sea Hurricanes.

If the Society has already published some writings or some of your members do have some ideas regarding these operations and especially field post relating to these events, I would be extremely honoured to have some more information.[/color]

Is anyone able to help with any information or suggest someone to contact?

Thanks, Mike

American member Martino Laurenzi has some queries on how the Thomas Cook Ltd PO Box 506 service was used:

[color=maroon]Hello, I am working on the communication between Italy and GB during WW2. I would appreciate very much any help with the following information re. Thomas Cook Ltd. intermediation of civil mail from PO BOX 506 in Lisbon.  In particular I'm having trouble understanding the following points:

1. What was the cost of forwarding a letter from Italy to GB? In other words how much did TC charge?
2. Was that charge paid in International Response Coupon? If not, how was it paid?
3. Some of the letters bear a KGV 2 ½ d stamp some from the same period don't. Why?
4. Same consideration goes for the yellow label with the UK address applied by TC over the original one (ie, the one written on the cover addressed to Lisbon) which is not always there. Why? and how was the cover delivered if it was lacking its final UK address?
5. Where was the 2 ½ d stamp applied? It was cancelled in London; given that  on 1 May 1940 the international ex-Commonwealth rate had been brought up to 3d while the domestic rate up to 2 ½ d, is it correct to conclude that the stamp was applied in Londpn, to cover the internal rate?
6. And finally: did the TC forwarding service work also in reverse ie. GB to Italy?[/color]

I hope we have members out there who can help answer at least some of Martino's queries or point him in the right direction.

Thanks, Mike

As Peter Burrows has pointed out to me the mark is also illustrated in "English & Welsh Postmarks since 1840" by James A Mackay, published by the author 1980 - illustration 2464 on page 131 with text on page 134, under the chapter dealing with "Parcel Postmarks".  I somehow missed that page when I was hurredly looking through my copy !!

Mike  ;D

I've just carried out a search of our Forum and came up with this topic in February 2017:
[b][color=maroon]Crash cover with B.M. postmark [/color][/b]

It illustrates a crash cover from the Korean War period.

Mike

PS: are you suggesting the sender or recipient was an informer or spy, esp one working for the police (copper's [b][u]nark[/u][/b])  :) :) ;)

Peter

I would suggest that B.M. is for Birmingham.

In "Collect British Postmarks" 8th Edition, Bill Pipe 2011 (pub Stanley Gibbons) under "Large Circular Handstamps - Exceptional types" it illustrates a similar type but with LIVERPOOL as Type 9/79 which states "Large barred circle e.g. Liverpool, B.M. (Birmingham)".

However, I can offer no further explanation as to when this has been used or why on a cover with a London-based organisation and addressed to Edinburgh.

Mike

Peter

In response to Philip's suggestion I found your postmark in "Skeleton Postmarks of England & Wales", Third Edition 2006 compiled by Patrick Awcock and John Frost and published by the British Postmark Society.  WORGRET / CAMP (no county shown) dates seen used: JY 30 / 12 to AU 8 / 12 (date in two lines: month day / year) (31mm diameter with the note G missing, which is clearly the case in your illustration.

Mike

Howard

I cannot help on information relating to the Camp itself, but your postmark is listed in "Skeleton Postmarks of England & Wales", Third Edition 2006 compiled by Patrick Awcock and John Frost and published by the British Postmark Society.  There is also an extension of the earliest usage date for the last one shown below, listed in the 16th Supplement issued in January 2022.

There appears to be three different types of skeleton datestamp for Bullswater Camp - all with the same inscription:

BULLSWATER CAMP / WOKING 30 AU 14 - 21 SP 14
(28mm in diameter) (Type 14 - date in one line)

BULLSWATER CAMP / WOKING 7 OC 14 - 29 NO 14
(28mm in diameter) (Type 9 - date in two lines: day month / year)

BULLSWATER CAMP / WOKING 10 JU 18 - 22 AU 18
(35½mm in diameter) (Type 9 - date in two lines: day month / year)

Mike

Phil

Thanks for your posting - I do hope someone will be able to come up with the answer.
Just one minor correction - it is FPHS Newsletter 165 not 164!
For information I have attached the relevant pages

Thanks for your response Chris.  I attended the Royal yesterday andwent to the Library with the intention of looking at Proud Volume II.  However, it wasn't there - either on loan or missing / mis-filed!  Typical - Volumes I and III were there but not the one I wanted!

I asked Richard Berry if he could bring our FPHS Library copy to our meeting on Saturday (or his copy if the Library does not hold a copy) - I will now stand him down!

Mike