The letters H.D. according to the references Post Office Circulars was 'Home Defence' when used for Army Post Office cancellers with (H.D.) and a number (or number a letter combination).

The Army Post Office did have a Home Depot which was located in London but cannot see where the number 26 would apply to this office. 

Kennedy & Crabb gives HD 26 as Brook Hill, Ipswich, Suffolk around May 1916.

Could the bags lead seals have been on incoming mail bags? Rather than for sealing outgoing bags. I assume it would be possible for the Army Post Office to have enough mail going to a single field post Office to seal it bag before sending to France especially if from the particular units home base (Location in U.K.) Which would still doing administrative tasks.

When looking through the Post Office Circulars recently did see refences to Lead seal in the WW1 period.  Unfortunely as did not appear to have any reference to Army Camps I past over it ,but when next go will see if can see find it again.


 

Ross

Like Peter I have had quick look on the Army List, Gazette etc.

Believe his name was Peter Raymond Crews (130564) he joined as War Service Officer as 2nd Lt. on 11th May 1940 with The Sherwood Foresters. In 1945 he was a Captain but had Honorary rank of Major. It possible he might have been seconded as officer to a West African unit (specially as he had Honorary rank) rather than serving with The Sherwood Foresters.

Geoff

[quote author=Peter Harvey link=topic=2263.msg9286#msg9286 date=1653833142]

I have attached a card, the censor cachet I have not seen before and don't have a reference to this.

The card is posted in Bergen Op Zoom (Netherlands) May 1916 and sent to a prisoner of war in the Zwickau Camp Germany.

My question is would the censor cachet have been applied by military or civil censors. The logic says military with the commandant reference, however this is from a civilian address in what was a neural country and the Dutch civilian censor cachets I have seen, are not like this.

Any comments or help appreciated.
[/quote]

Peter

At quick look this in my opinion is Civil Censor applied in Holland. It appears to be in French from Wife to her Husband who if I am read this right is in Prison Camp in Saxony and he was in the artillery although does not give him a rank. It might be he was fighting in Belgium Army and she went as refugee to Holland.

Geoff