Cover of the Day - L/Cpl M. Dobbs our secretary?

[Marc Parren]

20p forces overseas registered cover posted in 1973 at Rheindalen BFPO 40 with FPO 351 from what I believe our Honorary Secretary!! Already sending requests out to postal auction houses!

[Nick Colley]

Ha! The shape of things to come  ;D

Good one, Marc.

chrs
N

[Michael Dobbs]

Marc - Yes indeed it is me!

I don't remember this at all!!  I don't know what I had bid on, forces or Spilsby in Lincolnshire?

Upon leaving school in 1968 I joined the Army on my 17th birthday and after training as a Staff Clerk I served in two NATO HQs (AFCENT and NORTHAG) until I left Germany and the Army in September 1975 having reached the rank of Corporal. 

At HQ AFCENT (Brunssum, The Netherlands) I served in the Orderly Room of the British Army Support Unit which was next door to the FPO.  That is where I first began to get an interest in Forces mail, initially the commemorative postmarks - sadly I cut out the Forces postmarks on official mail received!!

I transferred to Rheindahlen in June 1971 and was employed mainly on typing duties in G1/G5, HQ NORTHAG in the JHQ.  Whilst there I joined the Rheindahlen Garrison Stamp Club and through a Colonel in the HQ I was given details of the FPHS and joined in late 1974 or early 1975.  As soon as I arrived in London I started to attend the FPHS meetings at Caxton Hall.  Here I met the likes of John Smith, Bill Garrard, Alistair Kennedy, George Crabb, John Daynes and many others, all now sadly deceased.

I've amazed that a cover I sent to a dealer all those years ago has survived into the philatelic world!!

Regards, Mike  ;D

[Nick Guy]

I'll add another forces link - Stainton Grove was the married quarters associated with Stainton Camp, one of the (many) camps around Barnard Castle that stayed open quite late (1972 according to Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainton_Camp ) - married quarters there and in Barnard Castle itself passed into civilian use when the military presence in the area ended.  As I recall it, Stainton (Grove) stood out as the Army built a helipad there when I was a schoolboy - a truly remarkable intrusion of the twentieth century into 1960s Teesdale!

Nick Guy