Mike,
Many thanks for unearthing this. I'll spend a little time on the research as you suggest and report back (when this weather breaks and I am no longer in the garden!)
Mike

Peter, Mike
Thanks for the two suggestions as to the meaning of 'NR' - I'd thought of 'Not registered' but not 'News Report'. Have either of you seen the Express Letter Office cachet before? I don't think the press info. would have to go through London and Cairo would be a transit stop for flights out of Asmara to USA. Below is the ARMY SIGNALS cds as requested. The one on the other earlier cover (which is an actual OHMS envelope with a different OHMS label!) is GHQ 25.I.43 in bluish black alongside a further strike which is unclear.
The Ministry of Information(and later the Foreign Office) posted Public Information Officers to each of the Italian Territories occupied by British Forces and I have a small collection of material relating to the Eritrea office. I have never seen any for the other territories however.
Mike

This is one of two covers I have from the British Information Services in Eritrea in WWII to NY. Between them it is possible to decipher the purple hand stamp [b]'[b]Express Letter Office /NR /General Headquarters /Middle East Force[/b]'[/b]. i assume this was applied in cairo as both have an Army Signals GHQ postmark one reverse, this one dated 13 VII 43. Does anyone have any info. about this service and in particular what the large (about 25 x 15 mm overall) NR stand for? Mike Sanders