salvaged mail WWI

[Tony Walker]

This is a real long shot

I have a cover with a cachet  'DAMAGED BY IMMERSION / IN SEA WATER'

On the reverse is an Indian F.P.O. cancel No. 78 (Basra), with the date obscured by an attached label stating 'Found Open and Officially Secured' which has a London F.S.21 / 7 MR 18 cancellation.  I might be able to soak the corner of the label off and find a date, if it was critical to do so.

The letter is addressed to a Miss Butteris (I reckon), 2 Marlboro' Place, Sidmouth, Devon, England.  In the bottom left corner is a faint and washed out signature which could be Pte  NWThew but highly unlikely, and underneath is 61159 (again I reckon)

Nothing is known of the incident from which this item of mail originated although 3 covers are recorded from Iraq, Palestine and India.  Two of these covers are endorsed mentioning 'being torpedoed'

I could find no Butteris who had died around this time (assuming it was a father/brother writing to a daughter/sister, thinking that might be a way in to finding what ship was involved etc.

Is there any way I can progress this?  See attachment for illustrations

[Michael Dobbs]

Tony

The only response I can give is that on first looking and trying to enhance the image I feel that the "signature" in the bottom left has the initials NCO.  I don't think the initials before it are Pte but P and something else (only two letters).
How that fits in I don't know.

Mike

[Graham Mark]

Hello Tony
A possible ship for this mail is the P&O "Sardinia", carrying mails from the Far East, India, Aden and Egypt.  Attacked by U-52 and damaged, 60 miles off Oran, 4 Feb 18, but she reached that port.
Post Office records give dates of the mail rather vaguely as Dec27-Jan.
Based on the date of the attack the ship would have left Bombay somewhere around 20 Jan so your cover could be dated early in that month.  Put a good light into the cover and you may be able to see the date without resorting to water treatment.
I can well imagine it could take a month to get the mail unloaded at Oran, shipped across to Marseilles then across France but NOT by the scheduled train service which was arranged to meet the P&O/Orient ships when they arrived.

For putting a light inside a cover I use something called "Worklight" -  it is an LED light, the box has a bar-code reference on it, but no name.  In my handwriting I have a slip "C O B LED magnetic work light".  It was only a few ££s on the internet.  The 'business end" is slim, only 5x15mm so it goes into a cover quite well without straining the paper.  It is rechargeable from a usb port.

Best regards
Graham

[Alan Baker]

The signature looks like H Williams, but not a hope of tracing him. I have found a Constance Butteris on Ancestry living in Sidmouth, but no apparent connection to any one named William

[Tony Walker]

Many thanks for responses

Mark - tried your light method. but date part of FPO cancel is behind double thickness of envelope gummed flap.  however, I have managed to get the date of the  Basra FPO 78 cancel, it is 19 DEC 17

Checking out the Sardinia, I note she was initially attacked in the Med on 21 DEC 17, torpedo missed, but was hit on 4 FEB 18, but managed to reach the Algerian port of Oran, as you stated.  That seems quite a long time in the Med.?

There were one or two other ships that might fit the bill- had you eliminated them? They were all torpedoed in the Med. but reached port :
Eggesford attacked 31.1.17, Glenamoy 1.2.18, Ravenshoe 4.2.18 and General Church 4.2.18.  There were a few more in January who were attacked in the Med. but made it to port.  I don't know what sources might be accessible to narrow the field and/or confirm Sardinia

Cheers
Tony

[Tony Walker]

Hello Graham

Just noticed I addressed you as Mark rather than Graham - my apologies.  I have a son called Mark !

Cheers
Tony

[Graham Mark]

Hello Tony
No problem in getting my name wrong.  My father and grandfather also had reversible names.
The other ships you mention would not have had a contract for carrying mails.  My book "Imperial & Foreign Mails, sea Conveyance during War 1914-1918." on the lost and damaged mails was edited from PO records.
I suggest the attack in December was when the ship was eastbound and in February when westbound.  She was returning with Far East mails in February so six weeks between the two incidents seems reasonable.
Best regards
Graham

[Tony Walker]

Thanks Graham (aka Mark)

That's extremely helpful

Tony