Cover of the Day 11th April

[Chris Grimshaw]

Afternoon Team

Came across this when sorting out some old paperwork.

Photo copy of a large registered piece originating in Batum and going via Constantinople to Malta.  Cancelled APO Y 1 27 March 1920.  Mail from forces in Batum is known taking this route and cancelled thus.

Total postage paid is 8 shillings plus 2d registration fee.  At 2 1/2d for first weight band (1 oz) and then 1 1/2d per each further ounce a package of considerable weight.

If my calculations are correct (Vodka and Caviar withstanding)  62 oz = 7sh/9d +2 1/2d = 7sh/11/12d. Total 63 Oz package and overpaid 1/2d

Whilst parcel post would have been a lot-cheaper registration gave more security  I'm unaware of the max size / weight which could be registered.

Chris

[Nick Guy]

I thought I'd put in a recent acquisition, attached as scan0001.  It's standard OAS mail through Base Office at Nairobi (the postmark date is 41) but lately my eye has been caught by this style of preprinted ON ACTIVE SERVICE envelope and I had already acquired a couple more (scan0002 & scan00003 - taking licence again).  These may be well known and commonplace but I cannot recall ever hearing a comment on them.  They are clearly a series with different insignia - badges? crests?  Does anyone know who produced them and where - mine are either from East Africa or with East African links, but that is because that is what I collect.  The envelopes are Lion Brand Croxley Opaque - so produced by the British firm John Dickinson, but they marketed worldwide so they could have been sourced in South or East Africa.  Were they confined to the unit whose insignia is shown (like a battalion crest on the flap as used in peacetime).  One wonders at the security implications if they were.

Nick Guy

[Chris Weddell]

Here is my cover of the day.

It is a postcard I did not know I had with a censor mark I cannot find in Gould's unless I am missing it.

The card was posted from the New Zealand Hospital ship H.M.N.Z.H.S. "MARAMA" to Egypt.

What interests me is the "PASSED BY CENSOR.............." single line multi dot censor mark. The mark is similar to the Gould 4C97 mark but this has a straight line and not a line of dots ???  Has any seen this mark before?

[Peter Harvey]

Hi Chris (Weddell), The Marama cachet I have noted before (several copies), I do not think is is recorded in Proud (NZ Book - can not locate mine), but there are other Marama cachets listed. By the way it is not a censor mark, so not in Gould would be correct.

Peter

[Alan Baker]

The person to ask about the Marama is Lorraine Maguire. In fact she included a picture of the ship in her contribution to the Society booklet which accompanied our display at Stampex in 2018

[Chris Weddell]

Peter and Alan,

                    I think we have our wires crossed. The mark I am talking about is the passed by censor single line censor mark with the dot line and not the Marama ships double boxed cachet. The censor mark is below the Southampton machine cancel.

                                                  Chris

[Ross Debenham]

Nick, I don't think use of those envelopes was very common. I think they were usually used in KUT by South African forces. I have one in my collection from the South African Engineers and I think I have only seen one on Ebay. I am a bit surprised to see one of yours used by the 5th South African Brigade in Egypt using KUT stamps. Very interesting example. I would have thought by the time they had reached the Middle East the censor may had had something to say about the use of such envelopes. All the best for Easter. Keep well.

[Nick Guy]

Ross - as you can see  even from the scan the EGYPT PREPAID item is not in the best of condition (and it probably looks better in the scan than it is).  The censor seems to have signed in pencil which has been nearly rubbed off over the years and is obscured by the toning as well.  The manuscript "Censored Capt" (and why was the unit censor's handstamp not used?) at lower left appears to be in the same hand as the address.  The stamps, of course, are (a) unnecessary on OAS mail and (b) not valid in Egypt and the envelope has never been opened (and does not appear to have an enclosure) so I'd not be surprised if censorship regulations had been ignored.
Do I gather from your comment that the star is the badge of the 5th South African Brigade?  I've not been able to track down a source to ell me - and I am guessing, but not able to confirm that the Springbok badge is a general SA Army (or infantry) one - I'm assuming that the third represents the SA Air Force,

Thanks for the comment

Nick

[Ross Debenham]

Hi again Nick, according to Proud, Egyptian Prepaid 47 was only ever used at South African Army P.O. 17 which was attached to 5th South African Brigade. I have googled the Brigade and it does not appear the insignia of it. However it may be the insignia of one of the components of the brigade and will dig a little deeper and see if I can dig something up. It's an interesting exercise in this time of social isolation. I'll get back to you if I have any luck.

[Alan Baker]

Nick
This looks to me a bit like a pre-prepared cover for philatelic purposes. It bears an example of all the KUT stamps on issue in 1941.  It is addressed to the postmaster in Cape Town and the words "Censored  Capt" are written in the same hand as the address.

This could explain why the invalid stamps were used and why there is no unit censor stamp (if the censoring officer had written it, you would have expected it to be in the same pen/pencil). The fact that the envelope has not been opened would fit with philatelic use

[Nick Guy]

Thanks to Ross and Alan