During WW2 it came to the notice of a RE (PS) officer, Capt James Cashin RE, that there was duplication of routes between the Royal Signals (SDS) and the Army Postal Services (run by the RE (PS)).
After the war when the War Office was looking for expenditure reductions, Lt Col J Cashin, who was working in HQ BAOR, suggested that monies could be saved by eliminating the duplications between the Royal Signals (SDS) and the APS.
In 1952 trials were conducted in BAOR to test that APS could convey classified material carried by Royal Signals (SDS), the trials proved successful and the responsibility for the carriage of classified material was transferred to the RE (PS).
The classified material was accounted for in the same manner as registered letters, hence the similarities between the Armed Forces Courier Services label and the Registered Letter label.
I remember seeing metal oval Armed Forces Courier Services date stamps when I was serving with 13 PC Sqn RE (3 Armoured Division) in 80/81. They were used for courier items during exercises.
Simon
After the war when the War Office was looking for expenditure reductions, Lt Col J Cashin, who was working in HQ BAOR, suggested that monies could be saved by eliminating the duplications between the Royal Signals (SDS) and the APS.
In 1952 trials were conducted in BAOR to test that APS could convey classified material carried by Royal Signals (SDS), the trials proved successful and the responsibility for the carriage of classified material was transferred to the RE (PS).
The classified material was accounted for in the same manner as registered letters, hence the similarities between the Armed Forces Courier Services label and the Registered Letter label.
I remember seeing metal oval Armed Forces Courier Services date stamps when I was serving with 13 PC Sqn RE (3 Armoured Division) in 80/81. They were used for courier items during exercises.
Simon