Well Team, This one I'll suggest will be 'Puzzle of the Month'
Scans show a Special Post Card, for the Indian Expeditionary Force, BOMBAY.
A stamp has been removed taking most of the cancel with it, I make out, AMBAGRAON, I think, Second cancel is R.M>S. dated 30 June 1915.
Written in a Native script. Not sure if scan of reverse is the right way up. As evident repaired and fragile.
Re-discovered in material which I've had in a box since the George Crabb auction over 20 years ago. I obtained a lot of his Salonika and Dardanelles / Black Sea material so wonder if there's a connection.
Checking the scan I spot a Hand-stamp in Red on the line marked Unit. 56 ?????????
Chris
Chris
The red cachet looks like 56 ?? RIFLES F F or E F
Mike
I read that as 56th Rifles, Frontier Force. The 56th (Punjabi) Rifles, Frontier Force, served 1915 in Egypt and Aden. Subsequently in Mespot then Palestine.
There seems to be a number of Ambagraon(s) in India (as was). The largest is in Orissa State, which does not fit well with the theoretical make-up of this battalion. Looking at that standard Indian postal datestamp, it's likely the first letter of the place name is missing. I need to find out how to do a 'fuzzy search' in Google!
Thanks Mike/ Neil
Looking closely 56 Rifles F F it is.
Cheers
Chris