WW2 South Africa Censor Mark?

[Peter Gassmann]

Hello All

In a post from 2017 in this forum (https://www.forcespostalhistorysociety.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1062.msg4790#msg4790) I found a similar looking censor mark to the one on my cover. The postmark looks like "EGYPT / POSTAGE PREPAID"/47, 6 July 1941. Could anyone confirm this is a South African (Army?) censor mark? (nothing on the reverse side of the cover)

best wishes, Peter

[Neil Williams]

Peter

Yes it is a South African military censor mark. I can't help further with the unit or location!

regards
Neil W

[Nick Colley]

Yes, Ted Proud's book has EPP 47 listed merely as 'SA APS, May-December 1941', which doesn't get us much further forward. The censor mark was indeed used by the South African army, as Neil says. It's one of the more frequently encountered types of mark. If it's of any interest we have the type catalogued as SA101. I don't know if anyone knows of someone who is compiling a listing of the specific numbers to try and identify which unit(s) used which numbers?

Nick

[Peter Gassmann]

many thanks!
best wishes, Peter

[Ross Debenham]

Upon examination of the date stamp it would appear that it was posted on 6 July, 1941. Epp 47 was used by South African APO17 which was used by 5th South African Brigade and was located at Mersa Mutruh at the time. I would hazard a guess and say that the censor marker was either attached to a specialist unit attached to the brigade or was a replacement for a lost censor marker.