Cover of the Day 1 April 2020

[Peter Harvey]

Positive to see so many contributions to the forum yesterday and the 'Cover of the Day' some stunning items, thank you.

Here is my 'cover of the day'

Stationary cover from the Mayors Office in Lille sent in in 1925 to one of the most famous military commanders ever, he even had a town renamed after him following the First World War. Sent to Field Marshal Birdwood, Commander in Chief, In India to reverse cancelled with the datestamp Special Inspector Foreign Mails 6. 10. 25.

Field Marshal William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO, CIE, DSO started his military career after training at Sandhurst and then in India with the Bengal Lancers before joining the Viceroys bodyguard, he is maybe best known for service in the 2nd Boer War serving on the staff of Lord Kitchener, then leading the ANZACS at Gallipoli in 1915, after this towards the end of WW1 he became Commander of the 5th Army on the Western Front. Following this he became Baron ANZAC, Commander in Chief the Northern Army in India and then Commanding in Chief India.

[Nick Colley]

Folks, this item took me by surprise when I encountered it yesterday in the box of material awaiting write-up. I recall I was attracted to it by the explicit connection of the RAF and Turkey in WW2. Apart from diplomatic personnel, how could that come about, since Turkey was neutral? I assumed therefore that the addressee, Sq. Ldr J.G.Davis, was at the British Embassy. I was much surprised to discover this morning that he rose to very high rank indeed in the RAF, and was a very prominent officer. He retired in June 1969 the rank of Air Chief Marshal. His CV can be found at http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Davis_JG.htm

Anyway, the point is that CV shows he was seconded to the Turkish Air Force as a specialist navigation instructor in 1940, returning to the UK in 1941 to take up the position of Chief Instructor at No.9 Air Observer School at Penrhos wef 7th May.

Moving on to the cover itself: it was posted at Grindleford near Sheffield (embossed return address on the flap) on 6th February 1941, and handled by the Air Ministry on 7th February – Personal  Letters cachet on the reverse. It's a curious Air Ministry address: 'Fisher Road Schools, Harrow Weald' – presumably an evacuated part of the Ministry? Clearly it arrived in Turkey after he had left, and was returned – presumably by Bag, since there are no Turkish markings. It was handled by the Air Ministry again on 7th August. Does anyone have any idea what AI1 signifies? Would that have been a specific Air Ministry section/department?

chrs
N

[Chris Weddell]

My cover for the day. Like Nick I am going though my to mount up box's.

I found this Herbert Edgar Weston cover which is not something I would normally not buy but I thought I recognised the censors initials 'RHL'. The cover is dated on the back 15 February 1916 which helped my while looking though the Navy List. The Initials are for Lieutenant-Commander Ralph Lyall Clayton 1885-1916. He was the torpedo officer aboard HMS Queen Mary. On the 31st of May 1916 the Queen Mary was sunk at the Battle of Jutland and Ralph was one of the 1,266 Officers and Ratings who lost their lives one the ship sunk.

[Chris Grimshaw]

Morning Team

Following on from Peter's excellent item  a further "Birdwood related piece.

One of six covers with letters I have from General Birdwood to Mrs Villiers-Stuart Carrick on Shannon Ireland,  he writes following the death of Major Charles Herbert Villiers-Stuart at Gallipoli on 17 May 1915 .

Chris

[Frank Schofield]

Peter

Re Birdwood

SNAP

Frank Schofield

[Peter Harvey]

Frank and Chris, thank you so much I never really thought other Birdwood covers would exist, let alone be found so easily by members.

As you know with my dealer hat on, I sell lots of covers to collectors all over the world, I actually have a current customer putting together his own collection of material related to General Birdwood, would you mind if I send your pictures to him?

I purchased a small lot of Birdwood covers from Auction back in the 90's that I never did anything with until recently, I still have a couple for sale I think. Recently I had managed to find him a cover to General Birdwood postmarked BIRDWOOD AUST just after the town was renamed, then last week I came across a WW1 letter related to family of Lt General R.G. Ouseley which mentions General Birdwood visiting men he served with 20 years ago in the Boer campaign (picture attached). Amazing this has come to light.

[Chris Grimshaw]

Reverse of cover shown earlier with a Red Wax Seal [b]AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND ARMY CORPS.
[/b]

Chris

[Chris Grimshaw]

Staying with the same correspondence a cover with letter from C I C India

Crest on reverse also shown.

Sent by General Sir Beaumont Duff.

Letter to follow.

Chris

[Chris Grimshaw]

Said Letter.

Chris

[Howard Weinert]

Postcard of the day:

A postcard sent by Richard Pearce, a British sailor or marine in Sevastopol, to his mother in Hessenford, England. Inscribed "On Active Service" and postmarked RECEIVED FROM H. M. SHIP/NO CHARGE TO BE RAISED in London on 8 January 1920. The message, dated Monday 8th [December] 1919, reads, "What do you think of this place? This is Sebastopol." The Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet used Sevastopol as an operational base during its intervention in the Russian civil war. The photograph shows Sevastopol's southern bay.

Can anyone provide information about Richard Pearce?