Query: Censorship - mail from Switzerland to Dublin 1916

[Michael Dobbs]

I have received the following enquiry from a member.  It relates to mail from Switzerland to Dublin in 1916, it appears to be civil censorship mail.  If no one is able to provide an answer here it may well go as a query in a future edition of our Journal.

[color=maroon]Recently I have acquired a large A5-format envelope which was sent from Sierre, Switzerland to Dublin with an interesting franking of Swiss overprinted stamps. The letter was sent on 22 May 1916 via London (where it received the London Registered postmark on reverse, dated 27 May 1916).  The letter was also censored with two censor labels "OPENED BY / CENSOR. / 405"

This letter is insofar interesting for the collector of Irish and also British Postal History as it was sent just one month after the Irish Easter Rising which was between 24 and 29 April 1916.

As a result please below find my enquiry with the following questions:

1. Does anybody in the FPHS know where the above Censor Label was applied ?

2. Except the London registered postmark there is no arrival date stamp of Dublin or any other sign of delivery which was to my knowledge mandatory as the income of such letters had to be marked at the point of destination.  Why was this not done ? Were the British Postal Authorities not yet in the position to guarantee a normal postal treatment in Dublin at this early time of the end of the troubles - or is there any other explanation why no sign of treatment in Dublin is shown ??

I attach both sides of this cover and may be you will be able to find an answer.[/color]

Thanks, Mike  :)

[Graham Mark]

Hello Mike
The censor was in London.  The London censorship handled all mail, except terminal mails to and from West Africa and the Americas which were dealt with at Liverpool.
I would have expected a Dublin postmark on the back of a registered item.  Why it was not applied in this case is likely to be linked with the disruption caused by the East Rising, ie the destruction of the main Post Office in Dublin.  I can think of no other reason.  Mail was still going to and fro during the Rising and mails between Great Britain and Ireland were subject to censorship for the period 26 April - 1 May 1916.  This item coming from Switzerland would have been subject to censorship by reason of its origin.
I hope this adequately answers the questions.
Graham