Cover of the Day 9th April

[Chris Grimshaw]

Good Morning Team

My offering for today is a further Turkish POW related item.

Ceylon to Afion Kara Hissar, Camp, Turkey.

Addressed to Lieut John Still, 6th Battalion East Yorks, Regiment, Landed at Suvla 7th August.  Taken prisoner 9th August 1915.  Battalion was involved in the attack on Tekke Tepe Ridge.

Chris

[Nick Colley]

Crikey he had a short, sharp sojourn on the Gallipoli Peninsula, then!

Anyway, sorry for missing yesterday - jobs just keep appearing  :-\.

Brazil formally declared war on Germany and Italy on 22nd August 1942 (see https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil_during_World_War_Two). This item is from a member of the Brazilian Air Force in Italy in 1945. Brazil's representation was a small air group, 1st GAVCA - ie 1st Grupo de Aviacao de Caca.It had 350 men, including 43 pilots. This was formed on 18th December 1943. They worked up in Panama, and was declared operational on 11th May  1944. They converted to P47D Thunderbolts in the US during the summer of 1944 and left for Italy on 19th September. The information I have is that they arrived at Livorno on 6th October. They became part of the 350th Fighter Group, USAAF, and started flying their own operations on 11th November, based at Tarquinia, about 60-70 kms NW of Rome along the coast.

The file sizes are a tad too large to put both the front and back on one post, so the reverse (slightly more interesting - it has the Porto Allegre receiving postmark of 9th April, 1945. I can't say how it might have been handled and transmitted from Italy, but the absence of any Italian (or US) marks might be a hint.

chrs
N

[Nick Colley]

And the reverse.

N

[Nick Colley]

I'll try that one again, then, shall I? :(

chrs
N

[Peter Harvey]

Here is my cover of the day, although I am rather late...... also strictly not 'Forces' it comes from WW1 and I hope you will find it interesting, I certainly had not heard of this organisation before:

Plain envelope, undated from France (free post) with the authorising cachets Ministere De La Guerre and the office for information for families. This is addressed the the Bureau International Féministe de Renseignements en faveur des Victims de la Guerre.

There can be no doubt that the atrocities suffered by women in any war are horrendous. This organisation was set up in 1914 and remained in place until late 1919, established in Lausanne by the Swiss campaigner and feminist Antoine Girardet-Vielle to make enquiries for the female victims of war and historically seen as a continuation of the suffragette movement.

I will find something 'FORCES' for Friday.

[Chris Grimshaw]

Hi Nick

He had longer to "enjoy" the area than many who landed at that time.  Will see what else I can dig out from this period. 

Chris