Armoured Cars in Mesopotamia 1917/1918

[Tony Walker]

You will all be relieved to know that I am coming to the end of this RNAS Armoured Car writing up endeavour.  Apologies to be hogging the Forum, but maybe I'll be able to show you my (our) efforts in due course.

Attached is an interesting cover.

It is addressed to Petty Officer Rudd, HQ staff, British Armoured Cars, Russia, with a Hunstanton / Norfolk cds of 10 July 1917

On the reverse are two dr handstamps :
NAVAL AIR SERVICE MAIL OFFICE - LONDON 25mm overall dia. and with 12 JUL in the centre (no year plug), in bright blue
Also a similarly worded dr handstamp 30mm dia. with 10 April in the centre, in dull violet.

Being addressed to the RNAS in Russia the letter would I assume have gone to London and then to Russia.  However the Armoured Car Division was extricating itself from the chaos of the Bolshevik Revolution and PO Rudd had left by the time the letter arrived there.  It has been redirected to Mesopotamia in red ink, where the disbanded then re-formed unit had been posted, under Army control now, to the Dunsterforce.

I cannot reconcile the dates on the cover, unless the journey of this cover which started in Hunstanton in 1917, and the backstamps (no year) are in fact 1918 and it took more than a year to get to him? Would that be 'normal'?  That's the only answer I can come up with

It was certainly very disorganised in Russia at this time (Archangel would be the likely landing for the letter)

Comments welcomed

I have another cover to, now Sergeant GW Rudd 79164, addressed to  : Advance Party, Locker Lampson's Armoured Car Unit, M.E.F., Mesopotamia, again from Hunstanton in Norfolk and dated 8 July 1918.  Although integrated into the army, many of the armoured car units kept their naval origins much to the frustration of the army.

Again thanks to everyone who is helping me with these covers

Tony

[Frank Schofield]

Tony

Found your Sgt George William Rudd, 79614

He  is listed as Machine Gun Corps (Motor Branch)

No mention of any previous RN service

To Class 'Z' Reserve 12-4-19

Frank Schofield

[Colin Tabeart]

Tony - my cover from same correspondence attached for info. Clearly dated 14 AU 18. No backstamps sadly. Also have a nice photo of the unit personnel posing in front of an armoured car  flying the White Ensign - will send you by e-mail as too big a file for the Forum. Best wishes, Colin
PS Thanks Frank for the info on Rudd. My notes say no other known outbound correspondence known to the unit. Can't really believe that. C