Pakistani AIR MAIL handstamp 1955

[dtrapnell]

Please will someone throw light on the handstamp illustrated from Pakistan to UK 27.01 (or 07?).1955 reading "Authorised for Transmission / BY AIR / at Concession Rate /       Major R.E."? Was this a special rate for English serving men (?officers) attached to Pakistani units?
The cds reads APO... (illegible)
Thanks
David

[Robert Toombs]

shot in the dark ...  "Major R.E."  = Major, Royal Engineers, who approves / arranges ?. ... referring to Royal Engineers (postal section), British armed forces. Does this apply to BFPOs in 1955 Pakistan ? 

[Michael Dobbs]

David

British Forces were involved in a number of Commonwealth countries - providing military personnel on loan to a nations military establishments mainly to assist in training or liaison.  One such was Pakistan.  For many a concession rate was agreed between between the two nations.  The exact details are not known in terms of who made the agreements (possibly between the two postal administrations or it could be between the two military organisations) or what the postal rates agreed were.  However, to qualify some form of concessional cachet was required, authorised possibly by an officer and such cachets were local to the military establishment concerned.  The one you show does not refer to the Royal Engineers (Postal Section) as they were almost certainly not involved in the process.  It would simply refer to a Royal Engineers officer who was on loan to the particular Pakistan military establishment concerned.

There was an article written by the late John Daynes back in 1977 and published in the Society Newsletter (No 145, July/August 1977) with a further reference to an additional cachet reported by me in N/L 155 (March/April 1972).  I have attached scans of both.

Mike  :)

[dtrapnell]

Thanks SO much, Mike, for such an erudite (= typical you) response!
I am very grateful.
Problem solved!
David

[akennedy]

The postmark on the cover is a Pakistani place name (which I can't read fully). The section read as APO is not APO, but more like ARD - part of the place name.

Alistair

[dtrapnell]

Thanks Alistair.
Looking again at the original with a high-powered retrospectoscope, I think you are right.
David