F P O 1005 & FPO 1061

[ChristchurchPS]

Greetings

Can anyone provide me with details of the location of FPO1005 in 1965, during the Borneo Campaign.

I have a series of covers from a NZ member of the 1RNZIR who posted mail back to NZ, between 21 may 1965 and 31 October 1965.

                GB stamps are cancelled                              Backstamped

21/5/65            1005                                                            nil
29/5 - 8/6          1005                                                          154  [Jesselton]?
11/6 - 18/7        1005                                                            nil
19/7                  1005                                                          156  [Brunei ? 1964 - ?/ Singapore? 1965]
25/7                  1005                                                            nil
1/8                    1061 [Simangang, sarawak? Brunei]          156
16/8                  1061                                                            nil
12/9                  1061                                                          156
19/9                    1061                                                          156
3/10                    1061                                                          nil

Thanks in anticipation of your assistance

Robert Duns
 

[Michael Gould]

In a list prepared by the late John Daynes FPO 1005 is listed as Bankok Thailand from June 1963 on (I don't know if troops from Borneo would have gone there on leave). FPO 1061 is listed as Borneo from May 1966 (no stop date given but on the next line is the date October 1969 with no location - presumably he did not know where it was then). Unfortunately 1061 has been claimed as Brunei and Sarawak - it was in Thailand from June 1963 to August 1964. I know John spent  a lot of time setting up his list but I have no idea of his source. Michael

[Michael Gould]

I should have also said that 154 is given as Singapore May 1964 to June 1965 and 156 Singapore July 1965 to March 1977, so it looks as if one replaced the other. Michael

[Michael Gould]

I may as well add another post! Was Thailand used as a place to acclimatise troops to the tropics? Michael

[Michael Dobbs]

Robert

The following information has been taken from "The Forces Postal Service in Borneo during The Confrontation with Indonesia 1962-1966" by W Batty-Smith MBE, FRPSL based on the notes and original research by the late Gillian Hart and published by the Sarawak Specialists' Society in 2007 (ISBN 978-0-905844-07-7):

1005 - This FPO was in Thailand from June 1963 until 1966.  The 4 covers known are all philatelic.  Stated to be at Simanggang from February to May 1964 but this may have been a person based at Simanggang on a visit to Thailand.

1061 - Located at Seria (BFPO 605) August 1964 and then Simanggang (BFPO 628) May 1966.

154 - This FPO is somewhat of a puzzle.  It is stated in the Sarawak Journal, vol 26, p.224, to have been in Singapore throughout the confrontation period and in vol 49, p.93 to have been at Jesselton from 7 September 1965 to 28 December 1965.  The Jesselton use is confirmed by an AV7 locating it there.  I have only seen 5 covers.  Two of these are dated 15th May 1966 to the same address in Kuching and obviously philatelic.  One is backstamped Kuching 17th May 1966, which does not help much, on the other three it is used as a backstamp.  None of them gives any evidence of it being located at Jesselton.

156 - Brunei (BFPO 605) 4 August 1964 - 28 June 1965, Singapore 19 July 1965 - 1971.  The exact date when this FPO moved to Singapore is not known, but apparently in July of 1965.  

Regards, Mike  8)

[ChristchurchPS]

Mike - thanks for this information, - now the mystery deepens.

I have a cover from S.E.A.T.O HQ in Thailand dated 6 AU 64addressed to my father here in NZ.
I also have two further 'philatelic' items dated 12 JU 72, addressed to NZ from a staff member c/- NZ MAR SEATO HQ/ Bangkok/BFPO656/ANZUK PCCU/Singapore

This verifies the stated location of 1005 at the time.

however the items from Borneo/Sarawak that I listed don't logically tie in with 1005  being used in Thailand/Singapore, as the dates of the 154 & 156  cancels are after that of 1005 and 1061

These 14 items were sent by a member of 1RNZIR  to his family in New Zealand
He was posted from Malaya to Borneo in May 1965 and was there until October 1965.
He then returned to NZ on leave until early 1966 when he returned to Singapore.

Robert

[ChristchurchPS]

Mean to add that his address is shown on the reverse as

BFPO 628, Kuching,Borneo, which doesn't tie up with Singapore.

Robert

[Michael Dobbs]

Robert

In my publication "Forces Postal History Society Study Paper No 1 - SEATO: British Forces in Thailand" by Michael Dobbs, published by FPHS 1992 (ISBN 0 9515815 2 X) I record datestamp FPO 1005 used in Thailand as follows:

Lopburi, Thailand (Exercise DHANARAJATA May-June 1963) (BFPO 622) JU 63

Thailand 11 AU 63 - no further details

Crown Camp, Thailand (Operation CROWN / POST CROWN December 1963 - April 1968) (BFPO 656) 30 JA 64 - 30 OC 64

Located at FPO S.948 in Bangkok serving SEATO HQ and later just the British Embassy (BFPO 656) 1 SP 65 to AP 88 (and later)

My notes also state that FPO 1005 "still located at Simanggang, Sarawak up to 8 July 1965".

As you will see from the above, its use in Thailand is periodic until allocated to the FPO serving SEATO HQ and that there is no reported use in Thailand between November 1964 and August 1965.  Its reported use in the Borneo campaign fits nicely into this gap.  I do have another unpublished reference to look at, to see if it confirms or conflicts with the above, but that will have to wait a day or two, due to other commitments at the moment.

Regards, Mike  :)