Air letter from a Major of the 1st Hyderabad Lancers, at that time stationed in Aden, to India. Cancellation at the RAF PO in Aden on 8 December 1944. Censors A6/1431, Deputy Chief Field Censor and 'square 33', both the latter presumably applied in Egypt.

Apart from the scarcity of A6/1431, what is most interesting to me is the resealing tape. Plain paper with typewritten (or copied) ' In Lieu of / A.F.W3312 / EXAMINED / BY / BASE CENSOR' .

The reason for the tape must be that the regular issue was not available. I've not seen such before, though Egypt is not my specialist field. Does anybody have any background on this, and is it unusual?

Neil W

Folks

I've been asked if anything is known about this overprint - if genuine, how, where, when and why!

Obviously unused, but I note the franking of 6as is correct for an airletter through the Aden civil posts to Imperial destinations 1945-51.

I've been through my copy of Lee and can't see anything like this.

Has anybody seen another? Grateful for any input.

Neil W

Folks,

I may or may not have posted concerning this cover before. If I have, I have a new question, and I may get a new answer to the old question!

See the attachments. the FPO cds is FPO 171 dated 9 DE 40, according to Proud, first assigned to 5 LoC FPO in Egypt AFTER this date. The enclosed letter is dated 4 Dec 40, so it would be feasible to have travelled from Aden to Egypt for processing of all ME free Xmas concession airmails. 

WIS in the sender's details is Wireless Intelligence Screen, later Wireless Observer Unit - better known later in the war as the listening element of the SigInt 'Y-service'. Y-service was bi / tri-service, hence an army gunner serving in a RAF unit and an Army Lt censor. FIRST QUESTION - does anybody know what E + SD was? (Electronic Signals/Security Division/Department is a best guess).

SECOND QUESTION: TIME ZONES - later in the letter the sender says he will be 3 hours ahead of his family in UK time when celebrating Xmas. Today Yemen and the Horn of Africa are 3 hours ahead of UK time, whilst Egypt is 2 hours. I am aware that things like double British Summer time (GMT+2 in Summer and GMT+1 in winter) applied during WW2. What I do not know is what effect these UK WW2 differences made elsewhere. +3 would imply written and censored in Aden, and transported to Egypt for processing where FPO 171 applied - any other solution might imply written and censored in Egypt with the sender on the way to a posting in Aden.

Any facts/guidance welcome!

Neil W

Folks

Pardon if I've overlooked this, but are there any articles(s) or publications which attempt to put locations to the army numbered censor marks?

Interpreting the attached Airletter is a case in point: the datestamp is EA APO 77, which I understand to be at Addis Abeba. The sender's correspondence address is Aden Command (M) - the correspondence indicates he's been located at (M) for over 6 months, so he's not in transit. As Addis Abeba was never under Aden Command, a reasonable possibility is that location (M) is somewhere in the various Somalilands which were part of Aden Command, but whose mail may well have gone to Addis for handling.

If I knew where 9192 was, it would help immensely!

Neil W

Folks

actually two questions...

used on a cover with marks of 16 July 1917.

1. Does anybody have other dates of usage?

2. Is this pattern/design known for anywhere other than Aden - if so, where and when? 

regards
Neil W

Folks

unfortunately, I don't have the relevant reference material in my 'library'. And I have not found anything in a trawl through back issues of the Journal.

Would be very grateful for the location(s) of FPO 60 in the period 1914-1921 and any known usage range.

regards
Neil W

Folks

I'm writing up the attached item for a display. I'm presuming any stamps were washed off by the fire-fighting at the time of the crash. Can anybody help with the postage and registration rates that would have been on it?

According to the enclosure with the ambulance cover, the contents were a letter and a snapshot, so it wasn't heavy.

Neil W

Folks

If anybody has the 2000 edition of Section 1 (Africa) of the Civil Censorship Study Group's  publication, I would be very grateful for scans of pages 168 and 169!

Neil W

Folks

I'm seeking to go a little deeper into this cover. I was initially dubious as to why a local cover should be marked 'On Active Service' and be franked massively at 6annas to go a couple of miles. However I found the RFC/RAF records of Knights' on line and indeed he was in the Middle East and with 57 (Kite) Balloon Section at the time of this cover. So I suspect he's sent it to himself for philatelic purposes.

I can't find #57 in my 'library', but did find 55 & 56 which were part of 6 Balloon Wing HQ'd in Egypt at this time, so I would guess 57 was as well. There are also a couple of photos on-line of kite balloons in Aden in 1917, and also a reference to 13 Kite Balloon Section of the RNAS being there in February 1917.

Questions: Does anybody have locations and dates for either or both of 57 Balloon Section RFC/RAF and 13 Kite Balloon section RNAS?

Neil W

Folks

see the attached top portion of an AV7 airmail record form. At only 6 grams, the consignment must have been a single bluey!

I presume this is to BFPO 640, but my searches in the QEII FPOs draft document do not find an FPO listed at Manzini (once Bremersdorp, 2nd city of Swaziland).

One is however listed at Matsapa; presumably Matsapha Airport near Manzini?

So is Matsapa/Manzini the same FPO?

regards
Neil

Folks

attached an official-looking goodies parcel acknowledgement. Sender is at HMS Sheba, Aden, and first datestamp is Aden's BFM 23 dated 8 JU 45.

Where was BFM 121 ? (dated 21 JU 45). It would be fitting if it was actually at Nelson.....


regards
Neil W

Dear all

Am about to write up two covers originating in Aden.

One from 1960 is marked with 'Security Courier Service Middle East Forces (No.) 292' and the one from 1966 'Armed Forces Courier Service (No.) 2230'  . The two cachets attached. They have matching 'registration-type' etiquettes.

Question. Are these the same Courier Service, renamed, or different organsiations?

I understand what they were for, but any background, or pointing in the right direction, would also be helpful.

Neil W

Folks

I'm looking to decipher the attached letter/cover, particularly what E & SD is in the sender's return address. Any other gen gratefully received!

13 WIS moved from the UK to the Middle East in September 1940 - later these units were renamed Wireless Observation Units, and more generically known as the 'Y-service'. I could guess the function of No 1 Section was listening to the Italians across the way. It could have been at the radio base at Aden Salt Pans, or at some outpost nearer the Red Sea.

The postmark is FPO 171 9 DE 40, which Proud tells me is then No5 LoC PU in Egypt, applied 5 days after the letter is datelined. The rest of the letter indicates to me Gnr Maxwell is not in transit, so reconciling his address with the FPO mark is another piece of the jigsaw. Did all Xmas Concession mail go to Egypt? - was there some special censorship requirement for this Unit? - did the mail from his outpost normally go to Egypt? - and so on...

Neil W

Folks,

The attached envelope from Dover is addressed 'Prisoner of War Post' to Flt Sgt Arthur Francis Wimsett, c/o The Italian Red Cross, Rome, etc. Wimsett's 47 Sqn Wellesley from Senna, Sudan, was damaged by ground fire and crash-landed at Burye, Ethiopia, on 28 February 1941, the crew of three being captured. The Italians had evacuated Burye by 6 March.

British and Italian censor tapes, Italian Red Cross receiver - and clearly the word 'Libere' (ie freed).

PW mail not being my forte, grateful for any guidance as to:-

the censor mark circle 148 - I
the routing of the envelope both to Rome and back.
hints etc as to the other manuscript marks.
whether Wimsett was freed on the 'liberation' of Burye, or moved to a more formal PW camp in the interior. I've trawled the internet and could find nothing about Italian-run PW camps in the AOI. (Plenty the other way round....)

Sorry it's a list!

regards
Neil Williams

Folks

having recently acquired a copy of ORJ Lee's 'British Forces Air Mail Letter Cards & Air Letters' (1988), and having worked through my Aden material - I have two questions: - see scans below

1. A type J sub-type 6 from December 1944. This shows a vertical doubling of at least 1mm. Is this noteworthy, or just a curiosity?

2. What I assume to be an Indian Forces AL, IAFF - 1083, posted at Aden in December 1947. No other marks, reference numbers etc. The AL obviously travelled to Aden with the writer. Indian forms aren't in the aforementioned publication, so I'd be grateful for suggestions/tips on its classification.

Many thanks.
Neil W

This Concession rate mail is cancelled at Aden on 21 March 1950. Scans of front and back attached. I note the initials on the tape, and that the edge of the tape is 'rucked' by the blue crayon of 'Passed'.

I know of no reason related to Aden why it would have been censored.

Would be most grateful for any help or suggestions!

Neil Williams