Afternoon Team
Something a little different, Scan shows a cover canceled * TRESORET POSTES * No removed 14 1 18, Franked 25 Centimes which was cancelled 15 1 18. Endorsed F M but I guess postage was payable into Southern Ireland from France
Addressed to Island Bridge Barracks, Dublin Controlee Censor mark 4 applied and a very nice cachet. No Back-stamps,
Any clues as to where it originated from?
Chris
Hi Chris,
No one replied to this when you first posted it and I had a look today. I can not tell you as great deal, I found a Major S B Wildman mentioned in despatches in the 2nd Anglo Boer War, your cover is addressed to someone of this name.
Th TEP* * marks with no identifying numbers were used as you would expect for security purposes, which does not help the historian. I was interested in he cachet Motor Convoy S.S. Anglaise M4 - Any thoughts on why this S.S. Anglaise naming was used?
Peter
Peter / Chris
Not sure if I can help - done a quick search and found a number of entries which feature S.S. Anglaise - including this one:
GUERRE 14-18 : griffe et cachet Convois automobiles S S Anglaise XI par Dijon
Also this site shows what S.S. stand for:
[url=https://horizon14-18.eu/abrv-militaires.html]https://horizon14-18.eu/abrv-militaires.html[/url]
lists S.S. as Service de Santé (Google translation: health service)
Could these be English motor ambulance conoys in support of French Army?
You could try David Trapnell - he authored a Special monograph on "French Military Posts & Railways 1914-1918 - The Authorizing Handstamps" in 2011 - with his French interest he may be able to offer some help.
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thank you, what a great link to the French Military Abbreviations.
Peter