Cover of the day 17th April 2020

[Peter Harvey]

Here is my cover of the day - for the record books.

Western front cover 2 JA 17 to Oxford cancelled Field Post Office S.A.1 initially allocated to the South African Brigade. Proud only lists the s/r vision but K&C also note the (Type D2) D/R used from 1916, I have seen several of these within the K&C date range. The letter enclosed does not give any unit details, but nice to know the soldier had received his new boots by post, but sadly the strawberry jam was missing from the package (to quote - stolen), it is amazing that the jam was worth more than the boots !!

[Alan Baker]

Do you have a name for the sender?

Lt Col Horatio P Symonds FRCS was an eminent practising surgeon in Oxford. He was born in 1850 but resigned his commission in RAMC in 1915 through ill health. He died at No 35 Banbury Road in 1923. His son Ralph Frederick Symonds served with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in WWI and was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre. He later rose to the rank of Lt Col, still with the Ox & Bucks but I doesn't appear he served overseas in WWII

[Chris Grimshaw]

Morning Team

My item for today is a PPC from Salonika, Cancelled FPO GX which served GHQ, dated 7 July 1916,  Censor 3/4104.

The address intrigues me.  If I read correctly, S. Cdr F Gibbons, A.O.C. Field Students Branch, Ordnance Depot, Calais, France.

Postcards are very common from this Campaign but much more unusual into France.

Chris

[Peter Harvey]

[b]Chris,[/b]

Could this not be Field Indents Branch, this would fit better with an ordnance depot, requisitions of materials etc ?

[b]Alan, [/b]

Thank you for that local knowledge, the letter is signed Ralph, so I would suggest from Ralph Frederick Symonds, you help is appreciated.

[Chris Grimshaw]

Hi Peter

Having taken a second look, think you're spot on "Indents Branch" it is.

Chris

[Michael Dobbs]

Chris / Peter

I agree with Peter that it is Indents Branch.

Also I believe the name to be Gibbon, not Gibbons

The letters after his name are AOC = Army Ordnance Corps
Therefore his rank as S Cdr = Sub-Conductor

There is a number above his rank - 3571? Could this be his service number?

On 11 January 1879, a Royal Warrant established conductors of supplies (in the Army Service Corps) and conductors of stores (in the Ordnance Store Branch) as warrant officers, ranking above all non-commissioned officers.  Conductors of stores remained in what in 1896 became the Army Ordnance Corps.

Staff sergeant majors in the new corps were re-named sub-conductors. In February 1915, with the general introduction of warrant officers throughout the army, conductors and sub-conductors became warrant officers class I.

Mike  :)

[Chris Grimshaw]

Thanks Mike

A rank I've not come across previously.  Yes it is Gibbon I think.

Chris

[Alan Baker]

From FWR - 3571 Sub-Conductor/Acting Conductor Gibbon TA, RAOC, awarded DCM 1916 for "consistent good work and ability when in charge of a branch of Ordnance Depot"

[Michael Dobbs]

In order to bring about a change to the usual WW1 or Naval items I attach a fairly modern philatelic item as my covers of the day!

In 1990 an exhibition (Tommy Atkins' Letters) concerned with the history of the British Army Postal Service from 1795 was held at the National Army Museum in Chelsea from 5 April to 4 September 1990.  It was mounted as the Museum's contribution to Stamp World London '90.

As part of the exhibition 20 Postal & Courier Squadron RE established a Forces Post Office under canvas in arctic camouflage - typical of the type used on NATO ACE exercises in Norway.  The tent (inside the Museum) was staffed on certain days and it was possible to have covers stamped there, using the two datestamps shown.  You could also post covers in a post box when not staffed.

I did the latter however, when I received these through the post I was not happy - I don't have my covers (I think I forwarded them to the unit with my letter of complaint) but I think as well as badly stamped they were over-stamped with a London machine cancel by the Post Office. 

The letter of apology I received stated that they could not fully investigate my concerns as the staff who were there had since been posted to other units in various part of the world.  They agreed that the standard of datestamping of some of my covers was poor but that they could not provide replacements "as this would entail datestamping of items in arrear (i.e. back datestamping)."  Instead they did datestamp extra covers on the opening and closing dates and as a gesture of goodwill sent me four of these (two for 5 April and two for 4 September).

Mike  :D

[Alan Baker]

When did you live in Himley Road? I lived in Ascot Road, Tooting from 1960 - 1966

[Chris Grimshaw]

Team

My second cover for today,  Registered cover from Suvla to Cheshire.  Mail routes were slow at this time as a subsequent posting will show,  This item went Via Base APO Z in Egypt on the 16th November 10 days after posting at FPO 38, Arrived in London 26th November and final destination on 27th November.  21 days in total.

Chris

[Nick Colley]

Today's offering is an item from a civilian to another (apparent) civilian (he is a 'Mr' in the address) in July 1944. However, the remainder of the address is curious, but I'll come back to that. The envelope includes the letter, in which the writer (a relation of the addressee, I suspect) makes some interesting remarks about the V1 flying bombs and their effects on the local population. The return address is 95 Herbert Road, Plumstead (about half a mile east of Woolwich Common.

'.....All's well at the above [i](ie 95 Herbert Road)[/i], although we have been blasted a bit. We have had some very near ones, and when we hear one whizzing over, we just cross our fingers and hope for the best......'

And
'..... I hope [i](the pubs)[/i] are busier where you are than what they are here. Since the trouble started with these blooming flying bombs, the places are almost empty. Everybody goes home straight from work. We've had so many alerts today that I've lost count of them.....'

If you look on Streetview, the design and appearance of nos 89-95 Herbert Road are quite different to the rest of the road. I can't help wondering if the original house was not so much 'blasted a bit' but damaged beyond repair and was rebuilt.

Returning to the address: HMS Vectis was, I think, the shore base at Cowes. However, HMD Phase 92 is incomprehensible to me: any ideas? If what it was can be established, we might be able to understand why it merited a Box number as part of its address. Presumably there's a likelihood that it was related to operations in France?

chrs
N

[Chris Grimshaw]

Part Two of this Registered Mail Post

Registered cover from FPO M H 3 location unclear Suvla / Mudros served IX Corps Headquarters.  Cancelled 19th October 1915,  No transit markings and Received in London 20 November 1915.  32 Days in transit.

And yes, the signature beats me.

Chris

[Michael Dobbs]

Alan - I lived in Himley Road for a short period, around 1988-91 (cannot recall exact years) - a long while after you were in Tooting!  I moved there from Balham ("Gateway to the South").

Whilst a change of address for moving to Balham from West Kensington appeared in the Spring 1987 Society News Supplement I cannot find any record of a change of address to Himley Road or for a brief period at Byne Road, Sydenham before we moved to Bromley in 1992! (the change of address appeared in the Spring 1993 edition of Society News Supplement).

Mike

[Alan Baker]

I have found some references to Miles W Lancelott, including the sale by auction in 2008 of a pair of medals, British War and Mercantile Marine. I have also found a series of photos from IWM of the King's visit to HMS Vectis on 24th May 1944. One is of him inspecting men of the Merchant Navy of the Landing Ships (Infantry). Perhaps Miles was one of them.

Also, HMS Vectis was the base for minor landing craft and HQ for SO Force J.