F D Censor Type 1 1914

[Chris Grimshaw]

In 'mining' the web which brings forth some 20 to 30 different censors a day across Types 1 to 6 one can come across some puzzling material which leads one to go back to the reference books.

Scans show such an example residing in a Dealer / Members online listings, can't say who, someone would say advertising and 'breaching' use of the Forum.

A FSPC, no postal markings, but datelined by sender as 11/11/14  Censor 1 / 1002 which FD allocates as used by 20th Infantry Brigade 9th Division.  Straight forward.

However it also appears to show a feint strike of a Type 2 censor in Red, No not clear. Confusing...

However when rereading FD I can across the following,

'F D records on page 2-2 – para 1 series (Type 2) and its new list being prepared on or near 10 November 1914, some weeks before brought into use.'  This statement is based on unnamed Official Documents he'd seen.

I surmise the Type 2 series may have been issued at this time but with instructions not to use.

I also show what I've extracted from FD covering the salient facts on Type i, an understudied series I believe.

'F D records from No 1 to 1199 in this series.
Introduced August 1914 and replaced in December 1914

Between No 400 to No 999 there are only 15 allocations made
From No 1000 to No 1199 there are 50 allocations plus the Malta blocks.
No's 1074 to 1084 are allocated to Malta Civil Censorship
No's 1174 to 1176 are allocated to Malta as above October 1914 – May 1916
F D records on page 2-2 – para 1 series (Type 2) and its new list being prepared on or near 10 November 1914, some weeks before brought into use.

AS I've stated before, scans or copies are the primary record of all this censor series, once captured a permanent record. Can anyone supply scans or indeed records of Type 1

Very long term I'm hoping to build up as complete a record of all the series, at a rough count some 25,000 images not factoring in security swaps.  Mad, crazy maybe but if we don't attempt something now material will get too dispersed and we'd never do it.

Chris