FPO 415

[Roy Reader]

Could anyone with a knowledge of the styles of British WWII datestamps tell me if the  FPO 415 datestamp illustrated in Figure (a) attached could be  genuine.

FPO 415 was allocated to the 1st Polish Armoured Division in 1944, but use of its datestamp on mail is very rare and, what is more, the datestamp as it appears on the only two items of mail that I know of showing definitely genuine use of it has day and month indicia not looking quite like those of the datestamp in Figure (a). The two items showing definite genuine use were cancelled on 25 July and 14 August 1944, a few months earlier than the 7 October(?) 1944 of Figure (a). They are shown in Figure (b) attached.

The datestamp of Figure (a) has a very angular '7'. I know that a few datestamps of some British FPOs do have a rather angular '7'. The most angular that I know is in Figure (c). Even this is a little bit less angular than the one on the datestamp of Figure (a). See Figure (c) attached.

It is to be noted that the sender of the cover bearing the datestamp of Figure (a) had sent the cover to himself. During his stay on the continent he produced a number of self-addressed totally philatelic cards and covers, some, for example bearing red or green FPO datestamps, others underfranked so they could not have actually gone through the post, and even a Belgian postcard cancelled at both Polish FPO 251 and Overmere civilian post office on 8 September 1944, that is before the 1st Polish Armoured Division could have even reached the Overmere area, still being west of Ghent on that date!
 
The datestamp of Figure (a) was on a cover that the late John Daynes sent me a photocopy of. He in fact kindly sent me photocopies of all the 1st Polish Armoured Division covers that he had in his collection as I am doing a book about the Polish Armed Forces in France in 1939-48. After his demise I bought an auction lot made up of nearly all his 1st Polish Armoured Division covers. The cover of Figure (a) was not, however, among them. If anyone reading this now happens to be in possession of this cover, I would be pleased if he or she could contact me about it as, if possible, I would like to seek permission to include a copy of it in my book.

Thanks in advance for any help that can be given.