From the Overseas Mails Branch Weekly Reports and my note of a Discussion Forum thread from 10+ years ago, a 3d airmail postcard service from the UK to forces in the Middle East and East Africa (and Malta) was introduced on 2 April 1941 and withdrawn on 7 December 1942.  Neither OMB nor the Forum discussion (which related to an outgoing item) mention whether there was a reciprocal service and I would like to confirm that there was - ie were service personnel entitled to send airmail postcards from British APOs in those theatres to the UK for 3d?

I have, for example, this item originating at Nakuru but accepted by APO 186 at Khartoum.

Thanks
Nick Guy

Thank Nick, I note that your cover has no sender on reverse. Mine has H Johnston on the reverse with no service number. All very interesting.

Thank you very much for those links Peter.
I've had a fair bit of time away from collecting as my mother passed away but I'm working on a few bits of research again now.

Hi, Ross, interesting that you should put that up. I also have a cover from Senegal in May 1943. I have yet to establish the character of our naval presence in Senegal at that time, but considering what happened between the Allies and the (Vichy) French forces at Dakar in September 1940, I imagine relations between the Brits and the local French forces were less than cordial. Anyway, the nearest I've got so far is the establishment of a shore base, HMS Fann, at Dakar, which first appears in the June 1944 Navy List. However, the earliest dates of appointment of the officers listed are in March 1944. This is in agreement with the listing of HMS Fann in a compilation of naval shore establishments compiled by the late Bill Garrard – he has HMS Fann existing between March 1944 and 30th June 1945.

That's the best I can do so far.
Nick

I attach a scan of a cover just purchased which is post marked somewhere in Senegal in 1943. Censored using n.109 censor marker on 9 May, 1943. Can any of the naval experts inform me if there was a Royal Navy presence in Senegal in 1943. The only clue I have to the sender is H Johnson written on the reverse.

Second scan

I am posting this on the off-chance that a member will have information which could clarify my query around the structure of the Portuguese army in France and make sense of the abbreviations.

I am attaching a copy of a cover addressed to Manual Costa, 6th BMM (amended to 2nd BMM). I cannot work out what the BMM might stand for.

I am also attaching a copy of the first page of a service record, which I think is his, which also shows the 6th BMM. However, it gives his unit as 1st battalion, 18th regiment. Wiki gives a breakdown of the units making up each brigade, but only quotes battalions, not regiments. There is no 18th battalion listed.

Does anyone have any ideas about this or sources of information which might clarify this?

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.

Thank you for that information, Neil. I thought that is what it may be. I have covers fr0m some of those squadrons with KUT stamps and APO's used, which isn't surprising I suppose as part of the squadron/s were stationed at Port Reitz.

Ross

I can't directly answer your questions, except offer some thoughts based on examples from elsewhere around the Indian Ocean, particularly Socotra Island which similarly had flying boat detachments and a small garrison (from the Aden Protectorate Levies in that case).

the aircraft involved at Diego Garcia were detachments from 205 and 240 Sqns RAF both with Catalinas and 230 Squadron with Sunderlands. First use was July 1942. Probably 2 or 3 aircraft in total were at Diego Garcia at any point in time.

Experience with Socotra, and the small wartime airfields on coastal Arabia, with relatively few personnel, indicates mail was collected and flown to base by supply and swap-over aircraft and there entered the military postal system proper. For Socotra, Kamaran Is, Masirah Is, Riyan, Salalah and Ras-al-had this was Aden. In the case of the squadrons on Diego Garcia, this is likely to have been the flying boat base at Koggala (close to the city of Galle) in Ceylon, where the HQs of 205 and 230 were located, and 240 had a detachment.

maybe this helps a little!

Neil W