Tony and his friend Edward Caesley have solved the problem, the cover I have is definitely a fake, in that the stamp with a partial VACOAS cancel has been added to the cover.

In April 1896, a year after my supposed cover W. T. Wilson was still living at an earlier address of 192 Birchfield Rd, Birmingham and did not move to 18 Livingstone Rd (the address on my cover until some time later).

It still surprises me someone would want to fake such a common stamp on a cover.

[quote author=Tony Walker link=topic=742.msg3422#msg3422 date=1431262699]

Hello Eric

I have quite a bit of info on your Mr Wilsons, thanks to a good friend of mine, Edward Caesley who has a fine collection of material relating to stamp dealers. 

If you care to send your email address to me at : walker369@btinternet.com I will forward the details to you as received from Edward

Cheers
Tony
[/quote]

Yes, most strange. I have an example of the corresponding VACOAS cancel.

I am the editor of the Indian Ocean Study Circle, and there is nothing like it mentioned in the back issues of our Bulletins (we started in 1970). I am attending London 2015 next week and will take it along and ask some IOSC members what they think.

The question needs to be asked if its philatelic, then why?



[quote author=Alistair Kennedy link=topic=742.msg3417#msg3417 date=1430931766]
The postmark looks rather odd. It is certainly not OAS for On Active Service.
There is a post office of VACOAS, but this does not fit in the avilable space.

Alistair Kennedy
[/quote]

Just joined the FPHS, my collecting interests are Mauritius. Does anyone else have examples of this On Active Service cds, I have only a single example, interested to know the date range of this cds usage.

Its written to W. T. Wilson, 18 Livingstone Road, Handsworth Birmingham, a stamp dealer, from an E . Watson at Port Louis.

Have done some preliminary searches for E. Wilson but have nothing so far.

Edited 11-May...noted from E. Watson (not E. Wilson my typo), [b]and cover is proved to be a fake[/b], read later replies to this post.