FPOs used by Canadians in the UK during WW2

[John Cranmer]

I have a cover from a Private Shoebottom (a108368) with the return address Roman Way Canadian Convalescent Hospital and with FPO 240 dated October 1944.  While looking for info about Shoebottom I found a reference in a Parish journal to another letter from him this time with FPO 237 dated 1945, but no month, which the article says was the [b]14th[/b] Canadian Military Hospital.  Bailey and Toop however say this FPO was for the [b]12th and 24th[/b] Canadian Military Hospital. 

I am assuming that the Parish Journal is incorrect which brings me to my main question

Bailey and Toop is 35 yeas old and I wonder is there a more modern listing of the FPOs used by Canadian forces in Europe during WW2

John

[Michael Dobbs]

John

Thanks for your query.  There is a more modern book, but whether or not it includes additional information I don't know -

The BNAPS Catalogue of Canadian Military Mail Markings, Volume 2 The World War 2 Era 1936-1945, compiled and Edited by C.D. Sayles; Published by the British North American Philatelic Society Ltd, April 2011

As for Canadian General Hospitals - quite a number of years ago now I was carrying out some research into Canadian forces in the UK / NW Europe from 1939 onwards, didn't complete it but I did come across this listing:

The following list shows the number of postal personnel based at Canadian FPOs in the various Canadian military hospitals in the UK in April 1944:

Basingstoke Neurological & Plastic Surgery Hospital 4 ORs
1 Canadian Specialist Hospital 3 ORs
Roman Way Convalescent Hospital 6 ORs
No 2 Canadian General Hospital, Bramshott 6 ORs
No 7 Canadian General Hospital, Taplow 4 ORs
No 8 Canadian General Hospital, Aldershot 4 ORs
No 9 Canadian General Hospital, Horsham 4 ORs
No 10 Canadian General Hospital, Leavesden -
No 12 Canadian General Hospital, Horley 4 ORs
No 13 Canadian General Hospital, Cuckfield 4 ORs
No 16 Canadian General Hospital, Marston Green 4 ORs
No 17 Canadian General Hospital, Pinewood 4 ORs

You will notice that No 14 is not mentioned, but your cover is dated 1945 so it could be that No 14 Canadian General Hospital arrived sometime after my listing of April 1944 and could easily be in the same location as or even replaced one or the other or both of Nos 12 and 24 Canadian General Hospitals.  Note that No 24 is not mentioned in the April 1944 listing.

There are references to No 14 Canadian General Hospital in The National Archives:
WO204/7620 - 14 and 15 Canadian General Hospitals: move from accommodation at Caserta required by A.F.H.Q. June/July 1944
WO 373/73/642 - Recommendation for Award for Ferguson, Robert Rank: Major (MBE) Regiment: No 14 Canadian General Hospital, Italy
WO179/684 - No 14 Gen Hosp War Diary 1941
WO179/2255 - No 14 Gen Hosp War Diary 1943
WO179/3431 - No 14 Gen Hosp War Diary 1944
WO179/4923 - No 14 Gen Hosp War Diary 1945 (to 31 May) (which appears to indicate it ceased to exist then)

There are also references to War Diaries for No 24 Canadian General Hospital:
WO 179/3441 - Jul-Dec 1944
WO 179/4933 - Jan-Dec 1945
WO 179/5685 - Jan-Feb 1946

I do wonder if the FPO references to No 24 are an error for No 14 - as it appears that No 24 only came about in July 1944.  This requires further research at The National Archives, should I ever be successful in bagging a visiting slot when they become available on a Monday morning for the following week (Tue-Fri) before they are all taken up!

Mike  :)