MPO E 604 handstamp

[Jim Etherington]

Seeking comments...

The references I have referred to (John Davis and Richard Wilson) show the M.P.O. E 604 handstamp used in Port Said between 19 October 1939 and 12 September 1940 with the M.P.O. letters in a straight line.

I have recently purchased a cover cancelled with M.P.O. E 604 handstamp that is distinctly different, the M.P.O. being curved and the E. 604 in much small type.

Is this possibly a new find or is it just that the straight line example is the only one illustrated in the references?

[Peter Harvey]

Hi Jim,

Simply, I don't know. But I have emailed a member of the Egypt Study Circle who has a significant collection of MPO datestamps and hopefully get some further information. I will let you know what come back.

Regards Peter

[Michael Dobbs]

Jim

I'm the same as Peter - I simply don't know. 

As a Society we don't appear to have published much about the MPO E series in Egypt - I have checked our Newsletter / Journal up to issue 300 (Summer 2014) and found only two references:

- A small item published in our Newsletter No 39 (p.89) (September/October 1959) - "Military Mail from the Sudan 1940-1954" regarding the use of M.P.O. 604.

- An article by Alistair Kennedy published in our Newsletter No 261 (Autumn 2004) - "Egyptian Military Post Offices of the E600 series".  However, it referred to E numbers and locations only and, I presume, assumed all the datestamps were of the same type (i.e. straight rather than curved M.P.O.).

It also struck me that the following publication by John Davis might provide some insight - "Egypt: From the Postal Concession until Suez 1932 to 1956, Part I: Until 1st May 1941".  It includes a chapter heading "The E600 Series of Date-stamps: Use by British Forces".

Depending what Peter Harvey may obtain from his contact in the Egypt SC and what the John Davis book may contain I would suggest this may well warrant a query in our Journal to see what else may be uncovered.  If you don't have or require a copy it may well be available for loan from our Library - contact Richard Berry.

Mike  :)

[Peter Harvey]

Richard Wilson in his ESC paper British Forces in Egypt 1936 - 1941 The Postal Concession notes the numbers M.P.O. datestamps and give th attached table for E601 (sadly not all of the others) - but this illustrated the curved M.P.O. as do the named MPO datestamps, but I have no more on E604 yet.

Peter

[Chris Grimshaw]

Interesting item Jim,  Would warrant something for the journal.

Chris

[Jim Etherington]

Thanks Peter and Mike for your help.

The John Davis publication only shows examples of straight line cancels as to does Richard Wilson's exhibit available for viewing online (https://www.kelleherauctions.com/specials/exhibit_wilson_2.pdf). I note Proud (1982) also only illustrates straight line cancels.

I haven't had sighting of the ESC article, but the image that Peter has sent confirms that curved handstamps existed. It seems reasonable to assume that although only E 601 is illustrated that the other E series cancels similarly had curved versions.

It opens up more questions. When were they used? Were they in use at the same time or was the curved handstamp introduced later?

Chris I'll send you it as query for the journal if Peter doesn't come up with anything.

Jim

[Jim Etherington]

Sorry folks I made an error. Another one of those annoying senior moments.

John Davis (2014) DOES illustrate a curved E 601 date stamp in Appendix C of his book and it is the same format as my E 604. However it is the only curved handstamp among the other 17 illustrated.

However it leaves still my original query unresolved.

Jim

[Michael Dobbs]

Jim

I will send you an email with John Davis' email address and you can contact him direct concerning this to see if he can help.

Mike

[Jim Etherington]

Thanks Mike. Will do.

[Jim Etherington]

In response to my query I have received the following from John Davis

Hi Jim,  Many thanks for your enquiry concerning M.P.O. E604.  Looking carefully at your illustration,
I fear it is actually M.P.O. E601 with a little ink seemingly across the stem of the 1 making it look like
a figure 4.  That postmark, oddly with the exact same date as yours, is from the Egypt Study Circle listings,
originally sent to me by John Firebrace who encouraged me to write the book.  His list is on page 181 where it
has the number 4 and, once again it is the same date!  The date-stamp is also illustrated on page 155 of Part I
of my book in Appendix C.  This I list as C.D.S. no 4 in Appendix D with an earlier date, and it was always at
Cairo.  Sadly, I wish it were an unrecorded date-stamp, but fear it is in fact. M.P.O. E601.

Never mind. You can't win them all.

[Michael Dobbs]

Hi Jim

Sadly I have to agree with John.  For some reason I didn't expand your original scan but took it as read that it was a 4.  Now that I have opened and expanded the image I can see that it is, as John has stated, a figure 1 with something across the bottom to make it look like a 4!

Mike