WW2 RAF Censors Rhodesia

[Peter Harvey]

Hi,

I have received the following enquiry from a collector in Australia, member of the Rhodesia society and seeking either any further information about RAF Censor type R1(55) used in Rhodesia or and or copies. In discussion he appears to be writing an article on this. Pictures of his cover attached. The references he makes are from Colley & Garrard and this is the only information I could find on this. Any help appreciated and i will pass on.

[color=blue][font=Verdana]I have a cover posted from the HQ Rhodesian Air Training Group in Salisbury to an address in Bulawayo in August 1940 and it was censored by RAF censor 55.   I haven't seen anything like this before - the RAF censors were only operating officially from mid-1942 and prior to that Rhodesia had civilian censors.   What I have found out so far is that this officer was stationed with No.4 Flying Training School at Habbaniyah in Iraq where he was one of 14 censors in Iraq in the early months of 1940 - censors numbered 45 to 58.   In July/August 1940 the RAF initiated the Rhodesian Air Training Group (RATG) and it would seem that some RAF personnel were sent from No.4 FTS to assist with the setting up of the RATG.   Censor 55 seems to have been one of those and he carried out censorship for only a few days - probably he was told censorship was not carried out by the RAF.   I'm not sure how long the RAF personnel from No.4 FTS stayed in Rhodesia.
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[color=blue]As best as I can read the signature on the RAF55 censor hand stamp, it looks like F/O R Wilson.  In view of the supposed rarity of this censor mark, I'd like to find out some more about Censor 55 and the secondment to Rhodesia and know of any further copies?[/color]

[Peter Harvey]

Just a reply to my own posting from the collector that originally contacted with - he found some data - but still looking for more if anyone can help??

.........developments at this end re the RAF censors in Salisbury.  Two other covers exist - one censored on 17 January 1940 by RAF 23 and another on 17 September 1940 by RAF 33.  My cover with a Salisbury postmark (August 1940) has a faint pencil note on the back 'Posted in Nairobi' which I only saw when I scanned the back.    I don't know why RAF23 would have been in Salisbury in January 1940.  However, after Italy declared was on 10 June 1940, 237 Rhodesia Squadron flights were attacked by Italy as early as 13 June.  Italy had vast air superiority it seems but as 237 was strengthened during July and August the Italians backed off.  Then, in September 1940 the South Africa Air Force took over 237 positions and 237 returned to Nairobi before being moved up to the Sudan.

So presumably 55 and 33 were in Salisbury to check mail coming in from 237 to make sure the changes weren't being discussed.    So, new questions arise - Where did 33 come from and when?  Were 55 and 33 together or did 33 replace 55?  (I can't imagine two censors were needed for the job).  What happened to 23?    When did 55 and 33 leave Salisbury?

[Nick Colley]

Peter, your correspondent asks a lot of unanswerable questions.

However, we can supply him with some raw data, if not answers (I wish !).

We have R1/55 recorded from HAbbaniya between 23/2/40 and 16/5/40. We have an observation of it  from Salisbury SR on 14/8/40. Is this the same date as your friend's item ?

Wrt R1/23 we have it recorded from Nairobi between 4/10/39 and 9/7/40, and on 30/9/40 with the ROYAL AIR FORCE POSTAL FRANK EAST AFRICA

Moving on to R1/33, we have it recorded from Nairobi 17/9/40. This one is also with a RAF POSTAL FRANK mark.

Therefore we can confirm that those two marks were in-theatre; interesting they crept into S Rhodesia

Now, his comment about RAF censorship not officially starting until mid-1942 ? I don't understand. What does he mean ? Is that comment confined to S Rhodesia ? If so, then could you persuade him to expand on that, because the only RAF censor marks we know about from Rhodesia are the three R1 marks which are the subject of this Forum entry - ie nothing known after September 1940. Are there some RAF censor marks hitherto unknown to the FPHS from  Rhodesia (dating from after mid-1942 ?

By the way, if he would like, he can have his cover bearing the R1/55 mark illustrated in the next edition of Colley & Garrard, which is nearly finished. He can e-mail it to me, if he wishes - he might be able to provide a higher resolution copy than that on the Forum ?

That is quite long enough for a Forum entry.

chrs
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[Peter Harvey]

Hi Nick,

Thank you for the feedback, makes interesting reading about this use of R1 and certainly expands on my knowledge of the censors use.

I have sent the comments back with your email address, so either you will get a reply or he will come back to me.

And....... I look forward to the next Colley and Garrard, I am sure a reference that may many collectors will be interesting in.

Regards