Type R2 No 135

[Jim Etherington]

Can anyone provide an explanation for this cover?
It is cancelled with a FPO 171 date stamp dated 9 DE 40, at this date used in Egypt.
The Type R2 RAF censor 135 is not recorded by Nick Colley used in Egypt (or any where else) so is this an unrecorded number?
Why are GB stamps being used? At this date Egyptian ARMY POST adhesives were in use.
Jim

[Nick Colley]

Hi, Jim,

Yes, R2/135 has not been recorded until now. Thanks for that. Now, as regards the use of GB stamps, I have two covers (mounted up) bearing the R2 censor from Egypt in December 1940. One is air mail to the UK, and carries the same franking as yours ie 2x5d GB KG6 definitives. The other is air mail to India, and carries 3x 20mils Egyptian Farouk definitives.

I would speculate that post from the military by air mail to the UK may not have been handled by the Egyptian postal authorities - so they would not be entitled to any revenue from it. (But that begs the question: who WAS entitled? Dunno.....) Mail going elsewhere - India for example may well have been transmitted through the Egyptian post, so postage would have to be prepaid with Egyptian stamps?

Its only a hypothesis. Anyone have any other ideas?

chrs
N

[Jim Etherington]

Thanks Nick,

Always good to find something for the first time!

Re the 10d postage I note from your list  "245 Egypt 13/02/1941 FPO 201 Egypt Heliopolis?. 10d postage to Nairobi.". So obviously there are some other examples. But these are far outweighed by those many air mail covers with the 40 mills air mail rate using the ARMY POST adhesives. How come these few covers were handled differently and where did the sender obtain the GB stamps?

Hopefully someone may have the answer.

Best wishes

Jim