On Admiralty Service

[Alan Baker]

I showed this cover during the Zoom meeting yesterday (many thanks to Peter Harvey for running it - great success)

This was sent by James McLeod Thomson, Engineering Officer, HMT Laomedon, to a Mrs Thomson in Scotland. It was franked BAPO Z (Alexandria) on 29th May (?) 1916. The ship was a Blue Funnel Line freighter, which was hired by the Royal Navy and used as a troop ship and supply vessel.

However, I omitted to mention the written heading "On Admiralty Service", which I don't recollect seeing before. It doesn't look like the hand of the sender and the cover bears no censorship markings. Presumably, this choice of wording was to reflect that the ship was not a naval vessel and that it was mainly crewed by Merchant Navy personnel.

Any views?

[Alan Baker]

This time with scan

[Chris Grimshaw]

Hi Alan

Nice cover, I'd concur that its "May" and Admiralty Service is certainly in a different hand.

Chris

[Alan Baker]

This is the original cover I acquired (posted on forum before). Even more interesting, with details