I don't know if it is relevant to your current query, but I have a number of 'green envelopes' from the BEF in 1939-40 that have unit censor marks and others that have been resealed with Base censor labels applied and tied with a second censor mark.

Thanks all for your assistance. Hopefully Geoff may have the answer.
Jim

Hi Peter,
Thanks for your suggestions.
I have since found among my collection a similar cover with a civil censor mark (no 2818) struck with a FPO 115 dated 30 MY 40 that was being used in Norway at this point in time. It is also resealed with a military censor label. This makes me wonder whether the first cover, which I assumed had come from France, had in fact come from Norway. I note neither of the two covers illustrated in Nic's book, like the one under discussion, have FPO cancels, just the military censor mark and PAID cancels.
Could it be that mail from Norway was for some reason attracting civil censorship? I have no other covers from Norway to test this hypotheses.

Please can anyone explain/suggest how this item passed through the postal system? I am assuming that it was sent by a member of the BEF because a range of No 1300s military censor marks were in use in France. But was it posted in France or the UK? (The London PAID cancel dated 2 May indicates it was too early to be mail sent during the evacuation period when free postage was enjoyed by returning troops) Again I am assuming it was initially censored at unit level with censor mark No1338, but no FPO datestamp has been applied. At some point it has been censored a second time when the Army Censor label has been applied. Was it at that point that the civilian censor mark was applied? This begs the question was the military at some time using civilian censor marks and if so, where? There are no back stamps to indicate that it may have passed through Home Depot at Bournemouth.

Nic illustrates two similar covers in World War Two Censor Marks (p22), but only notes that "some active service mail was censored or re-censored during May and June."

I have a number of these covers addressed to countries other than the UK with the blacked out FPO and censor numbers.

Am I correct in assuming the postage stamp represents the required postal rate for members of the BEF serving in France to send mail to foreign destinations?

This particular cover has the stamp franked with an unusual cancel. Can anyone shed any light on it?

In response to my query I have received the following from John Davis

Hi Jim,  Many thanks for your enquiry concerning M.P.O. E604.  Looking carefully at your illustration,
I fear it is actually M.P.O. E601 with a little ink seemingly across the stem of the 1 making it look like
a figure 4.  That postmark, oddly with the exact same date as yours, is from the Egypt Study Circle listings,
originally sent to me by John Firebrace who encouraged me to write the book.  His list is on page 181 where it
has the number 4 and, once again it is the same date!  The date-stamp is also illustrated on page 155 of Part I
of my book in Appendix C.  This I list as C.D.S. no 4 in Appendix D with an earlier date, and it was always at
Cairo.  Sadly, I wish it were an unrecorded date-stamp, but fear it is in fact. M.P.O. E601.

Never mind. You can't win them all.

Thanks Mike. Will do.

Sorry folks I made an error. Another one of those annoying senior moments.

John Davis (2014) DOES illustrate a curved E 601 date stamp in Appendix C of his book and it is the same format as my E 604. However it is the only curved handstamp among the other 17 illustrated.

However it leaves still my original query unresolved.

Jim

Thanks Peter and Mike for your help.

The John Davis publication only shows examples of straight line cancels as to does Richard Wilson's exhibit available for viewing online (https://www.kelleherauctions.com/specials/exhibit_wilson_2.pdf). I note Proud (1982) also only illustrates straight line cancels.

I haven't had sighting of the ESC article, but the image that Peter has sent confirms that curved handstamps existed. It seems reasonable to assume that although only E 601 is illustrated that the other E series cancels similarly had curved versions.

It opens up more questions. When were they used? Were they in use at the same time or was the curved handstamp introduced later?

Chris I'll send you it as query for the journal if Peter doesn't come up with anything.

Jim

Seeking comments...

The references I have referred to (John Davis and Richard Wilson) show the M.P.O. E 604 handstamp used in Port Said between 19 October 1939 and 12 September 1940 with the M.P.O. letters in a straight line.

I have recently purchased a cover cancelled with M.P.O. E 604 handstamp that is distinctly different, the M.P.O. being curved and the E. 604 in much small type.

Is this possibly a new find or is it just that the straight line example is the only one illustrated in the references?

Thanks for the suggestion Peter.
I'll contact Richard.
Jim

Thanks Frank. You are probably right.

Hi Frank,
Thanks for your feedback, but what makes you think the 'R' stands for 'Records'?
Do you think the cover been sent to AG6R from Ascot in an attempt to find where Gilbert has been posted and would this account for the redirection to the BEF? Its journey is a little difficult to unravel particularly as there is no evidence that it was forwarded to France.
Jim

Thanks Mike.
Every bit of info helps.
I tried googling A.G.6.R. War Office but didn't come up with anything.
Jim

Please can anyone shed any light on the A.G.6.R. / WAR OFFICE cachet. Presumably it was a branch of the War Office, but what was its function. This may help in explaining why this cover was initially redirected to the War Office (hidden under the paper attachment). Any other observations on this cover would also be appreciated.
Thanks
Jim