Hello Jonathan,

Welcome to the forum. I have a similar cover. It does relate to MI6. Not sure what the "c" at the end of the cachet relates to - it'd be too much I think to expect it to relate to Cumming the founder of that organisation who was better know as "C" (as indeed has any other head of MI6)!

Richard

Hello John,

Observations in no particular order or in order of importance:

- The destination to Canada from Vittel camp is unusual. I've not previously seen one to Canada.
- The letter sheet with the reply part is also unusual. The expectation is I would have thought that if you'd received one of these letter sheets from a civilian internee that the return portion would have been used to reply to them.
- Other styles of these letter sheets with a response portion were used in Vittel which confirms multiple printings. I certainly have one in the style of yours sent in the same month with the return portion intact - it was sent to the UK by a nun working in the camp hospital.
- Similar lettre de reponse were certainly used by stalags in Germany.
- I've not seen similar lettre de reponse for St Denis - the other major civilian internment camp in France that held mostly British Civilian internees.
- Censor 7 used in Vittel camp is one of the less common censors. It is listed in Vogt's book but not shown in Horton (see next)
- Probably the best book with illustrations of envelopes, lettersheets and postcards is "Les civils britanniques internes en europe entre 1939 et 1945" by Roger Horton. As you can probably tell by the title it's in French. We have a copy in the underutilised Society Library - book GB106.
- Most incoming mail I have going into Vittel and St Denis uses either ordinary stamped envelopes or prisoner of war post airmail letter sheets.

I think that this is an interesting item that you have in your collection.

I hope this is useful.

Richard

Not quite a FDC. Closest I've found though in my Rhodesia collection I'm working on.

3 September 1939 - immediate mobilisation into the Rhodesia Regiment.

Ronald Scobie not Robert Scobie.

Nobody picked that up when I displayed this at the FPHS meeting at Stockholmia!

Marc,

From my one frame display on Greece:

FPO  Date
782  25 May 45  - I've attached a scan of this cover - it was signed by Lt-Gen Scobie
139  1 April 44 -  Honour envelope in m/s "[i]in Greek text[/i]"
137 6 Oct 46
252 22 Jan 46
266 13 Dec 46
267 7 Jun 46
286 9 Mar 46
287 23 Mar 46
288 6 Mar 45
400 30 Oct 44
777 9 Feb 46
782 25 Jul 45
782 21 Oct 49
752 8 May 46  1st Kensingtons
514 4 Mar 45
708 7 Jul 45 Parliamentary election card sent to Guy Crouch (first President of the FPHS)
708  7 No 44

Rest of the frame relates to Greek forces and their MPOs.

Hope this is useful.

[i]Chris[/i] - yes feel free to use it - let me know if you want further information on Turner.

[i]Anybody else[/i] - happy to put up some more CO covers if wanted (or even an FAU offering: Tony, thank you for your interesting contribution)

My contribution...

A self addressed envelope sent back to FPHS member George Crabb from the 30th Signals Regiment.

The Regiment sent 170 members to join the UNTAG Signal Squadron.
.
[Faint FPO 940]

My second formal display as President of our Society was on First World War Conscientious Objectors. Maybe not a subject that falls naturally as a topic for collecting under the forces postal history umbrella as they didn't like militarism!

One of the partial CO correspondences I have relates to an eminent philatelist who later in life signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP) - Sydney Robert Turner.

He spent over 800 days in detention during WW1 mostly in prison but also short spells in detention in army camps. He refused to put on an army uniform and was eventually court-martialled four times before the end of the War for refusing orders.

Shown is a cover sent when he was in detention at Hurdcott Camp awaiting his first court-martial in 1916. His brother Guy writes in the address "CO" (Conscientious Objector). It also has a three line cachet relating to his regiment.

Sydney was a man of great conviction but under the Military Service Act 1916 was conscripted as his conscientious objection wasn't recognised by the tribunals created to pronounce on such matters. He was therefore  subject to army rules and therefore a prime candidate for study under the heading of forces postal history.

So why have I shared this cover with you now - well just thought I'd get involved a little more visibly in the great initiative of "cover of the day". Well done to all who've partaken (so far!)... and keep well all.

Good to see a cover with single usage of a halfpenny machin!