Cover of the Day 6 June: BFPO meter franks

[Michael Dobbs]

Further to my previous posting on the ending of the Official Paid scheme on 1 April 1982, a new method of paying for postage on official mail had to be introduced for British Forces overseas.  As I understand it they could not use the PPI method and so the Forces Post Office introduced meter franking machines to pay for postage on official mail from units.

The Forces Post History Society (FPHS) Newsletter 172 gave details of the introduction of meter machines at many BFPOs following the phasing out of the 'Official Paid' service for official mail by the Post Office on 1 April 1982.  Details of the two BFPO LONDON meter machines (serial numbers HF 22052 and HF 22057) in use in the Falklands were given in FPHS Newsletter 175 and John Daynes' comprehensive book "The Forces Postal History of the Falkland Islands & The Task Force".

In a letter to the late John Daynes dated 14 May (no year) Lieutenant Colonel Roger Ayres OBE RA explained that units handed over all official mail to Forces Post Offices unstamped.  The mail was then sorted and those bundles which needed franking went through the meter machine.  This meant that within BAOR only mail to civilian addresses received a meter mark - unit mail still received the normal datestamp.  At that time mail to the UK normally received as 12½p meter mark unless:

(a) It was marked 'First Class'
(b) It was for the London area; he commented that this must somehow have been delivered or distributes from Mill Hill.

I show here mail from Germany and Cyprus used on the first day - 1 April 1982.  The first two are Hasler machines: serial HAS 1437 used at Düsseldorf BFPO 34 on 1.IV.82 on a cover from HQ 6 Artillery Support Squadron RCT and serial HAS 1438 used at Rheindahlen BFPO 40 on 2.IV.82 from 4 Armoured Division Transport Regiment RCT at Minden (BFPO 29).  The third cover is an Ascom/Hasler machine serial HGB 1413 used a Nicosia, Cyprus BFPO 53 on 1.IV.82 from HQ UNFICYP Transport Unit (this is the only report I have had from this serial).  It is clear that, certainly in BAOR, official mail from various BFPOs was centralised on certain locations for meter franking (see the item from BFPO 29 franked at BFPO 40).  It could be that the Cyprus item was not actually franked in Nicosia but at another FPO in Cyprus.

Mike  :)