BEF 39-40 / Envelope from Clutton return to Clutton

[Ingo Egerlandt]

Hello Members,

you see an envelope, adressed to Major Snow in the Somerset Light Infantry.

I have got some asks about these envelope:
1. What is the R. A. A.?
2. What is the Q. M. L.?
3. I didn´t found the circle rubber handstamp Army Post Office. The handstamp is on reverse. Who know the story about this handstamp?

Thank you
Ingo Egerlandt

[Michael Dobbs]

Ingo

I can respond to part at present: it is not R.A.A. and Q.M.L. but D.A.A. and Q.M.G. = Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General (usually held by an officer of the rank of Major - this fits in with the rank of the addressee).  Quartermaster can also be spelt Quarter Master.

Regards, Mike

[Graham Mark]

Just for interest:
I suspect that Major Alfred Ernest Snow (born 1898) of the Somerset Light Infantry was the son of LtGeneral Thomas D'Oyly Snow who rose to be a Corps Commander in WWI and his first commision was in the SomLI and after WWI became Colonel of the Regiment SomLI.
The son following his father.
Best wishes
Graham

[Ingo Egerlandt]

Thank you Mike for the correct indentification and Graham for the interresting story about the Snow´s.

At last, the rubber handstamp on reverse.

I think about it was an office handstamp only use inside the army.

Ingo

[Peter Harvey]

Hi Ingo,

The rubber datestamp ARMY POST OFFICE is illustrated on page 276 of Proud's Vol III History of The British Army Postal Service. This was one of the date stamps used at the Home Postal Depot on mis-directed or redirected mail - this is the same as Proud's figure 25 stated to have been introduced in 1940.

You commonly see this strike in violet.

Peter

[Ingo Egerlandt]

Peter, Many thanks😵

[Michael Dobbs]

Ingo

A bit of background information on the Depot:

Its official title at this time was the [b]Home Depot, Royal Engineers (Postal Section)[/b] and it was located in Bournemouth in the county of Hampshire.  It had moved there from Reading, Berkshire on 1 December 1939.  It moved into newly built sorting office premises built for the General Post Office (GPO) but offered top the Army prior to the GPO using them.

The Depot was initially established to serve the BEF and this was accomplished by sorting mail into unit bags which were then coded.  These bags were then sent by rail to Southampton where they were loaded onto boats bound for Le Havre, France.  On arrival at Le Havre the bags were loaded onto pack trains according to destination and subsequent movement was governed by the coded destination appearing on each bag label.  The Depot was connected by a direct telegraph line to GHQ BEF and No 1 Army Base Post Office in France, so that there was immediate daily contact regarding locations of units of the BEF.

Regards, Mike  ;)

[Ingo Egerlandt]

Mike, thank you for these important Information. Ingo