1960s Courier Services

[Neil Williams]

Dear all

Am about to write up two covers originating in Aden.

One from 1960 is marked with 'Security Courier Service Middle East Forces (No.) 292' and the one from 1966 'Armed Forces Courier Service (No.) 2230'  . The two cachets attached. They have matching 'registration-type' etiquettes.

Question. Are these the same Courier Service, renamed, or different organsiations?

I understand what they were for, but any background, or pointing in the right direction, would also be helpful.

Neil W

[Michael Dobbs]

Neil

The short answer is 'yes' they are one in the same service - this has changed its name over the years.  Whilst I have some notes on the courier service (see below) there is still a great deal of research to be undertaken to get a fuller picture.  Thank you for your two illustrations, whilst I have seen rubber datestamps before, I have not as yet seen any proofs in PO Impressions Books.

In 1953 within British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), initially as an experimental measure, responsibility for the transmission of classified official mail was transferred to the Army Postal Service from the Royal Corps of Signals (Signals Despatch Service) (SDS) and Royal Air Force (Special Despatch Service).  The title chosen for the new service was the Security Courier Service (SCS) Northern Army Group (NAG). 

It was then extended to the Middle East as Security Courier Service (SCS) Middle East Forces (MEF).  This requires further research to establish a date.  Your illustrations are of rubber datestamps.  The Post Office Impressions Books have steel datestamps inscribed SECURITY COURIER SERVICE / MIDDLE EAST FORCES proofed and issued on 26 June 1958 and numbered in the range 218 / 230 to 299 (with many gaps).  There were two copies of each number.

There is then a very, very small number of steel datestamps inscribed SECURITY COURIER SERVICE proofed and issued between 16 March 1960 and 27 May 1960 (numbered in the range 573 to 1044).  Mainly only one copy of each number.

Oval steel datestamps inscribed ARMED FORCES COURIER SERVICE were proofed and issued on 9 May 1961 (numbered 2100 to 2149) and 31 July 1961 (2150 to 2174) for BAOR.  A further series were proofed and issued on 14 June 1961 (2200 to 2249) for NEARELF and another series proofed and issued on 31 July 1961 (2300 to 2349) with yet another series proofed and issued on 31 July 1961 (2900 to 2924).  In all these cases there were two datestamps of each number.

A series of circular steel datestamps inscribed FORCES COURIER SERVICE were proofed and issued on 8 May 1969 (2350 to 2399).  Again two copies of each number.

Defence Council Instruction (General) 29/66 dated 25 April 1966 set out the general organisation of, and the terms and conditions for using, the Forces Courier Communications Service (FCCS).  It was stated that the FCCS, hitherto known as the Armed Forces Courier Service (AFCS) was part of the Postal & Courier Communications Service (PCCS).  The FCCS was responsible for the rapid and secure carriage of official classified air mail overseas on behalf of the three Services and certain other Government Departments.  Air mail of items with a security classification below Confidential was conveyed by the Forces Postal Service.

The FCCS operated from Forces Courier Offices (FCOs) which were co-located with Forces Post Offices (FPOs).  Items for transmission by the FCCS were handed in to a FCO either as individual items or in bulk. 

I hope you find this useful.

Mike  :)

[Neil Williams]

Dear Mike

many thanks, that is most useful.

By working hard in my photo-editing tools, I've been able to extract the datestamp for 2230. That and the etiquettes are attached to round off. 

Regards
Neil

[Simon Fenwick]

During WW2 it came to the notice of a RE (PS) officer, Capt James Cashin RE, that there was duplication of routes between the Royal Signals (SDS) and the Army Postal Services (run by the RE (PS)). 

After the war when the War Office was looking for expenditure reductions, Lt Col J Cashin, who was working in HQ BAOR, suggested that monies could be saved by eliminating the duplications between the Royal Signals (SDS) and the APS. 

In 1952 trials were conducted in BAOR to test that APS could convey classified material carried by Royal Signals (SDS), the trials proved successful and the responsibility for the carriage of classified material was transferred to the RE (PS).

The classified material was accounted for in the same manner as registered letters, hence the similarities between the Armed Forces Courier Services label and the Registered Letter label.

I remember seeing metal oval Armed Forces Courier Services date stamps when I was serving with 13 PC Sqn RE (3 Armoured Division) in 80/81.  They were used for courier items during exercises.

Simon