Cover of the day 20 april Aden RAF censor

[Tommy Samuelsson]

I am currently working on my RAF R1 censor exhibit, adding some new items as well as some new information. Among the new items is this No 64 censor from Aden, unlisted in the excellent RAF censorship handbook from 2015.The thing is that I am not only writing out the postal rates this time but also the first and last date that the rates were in use. I have been successful with both rates and periods of use for most of my items by studying handbooks from my own collection as well as from the library of the Swedish Postal museum. But for Aden, I have not been able to identify the weight interval for the 2 1/2 Annas rate and when this rate was in use. Can anyone help me here?

[Robert Hurst]

Tommy,

In 2010 Michael Furfie (a noted collector of GB Postage Due material) published a book titled [i]International Postage Rates 1890s-1957[/i], covering surface rates of postage from around the world to the UK. The book uses a number of sources, but primarily draws on [i]The Post Office Circular[/i] (POC), published weekly by the British Post Office to update form P114. Form P114 was a record of surface rates to the UK used to assist with the calculation of postage due on underpaid items.

Against the entry for Aden in the book, a surface letter rate to the UK of 2½ annas per ounce is shown as having been introduced on 2 September 1939 (the source of the information is cited as POC 6.12). It appears that the rate continued at 2½ annas per ounce until the change in currency to Cents and Shillings on 1 October 1951.

The bibliography in Mr Furfie's book mentions [i]The Postal History of British Aden (1839-1967)[/i] by R.W. Pratt, published by Proud–Bailey Co Ltd in 1985, which going by other Proud Bailey titles should have a greater range of information about Aden's Postage Rates. I believe there is also an Aden & Somaliland Study Group who may be able to assist with queries about the Aden Post Office.

I hope the above is of assistance.

Robert

[Tommy Samuelsson]

Thank you Robert for helping me with this! I have studied the "Postal History of British Aden (1839-1967)" handbook by R.W. Pratt but did not find the 1939-1945 rates there. I did not know about the handbook by Michael Furfie but now that I am aware of its existence I will try to find a copy of it. I have a kind of similar handbook in my philatelic library on air mail rates, "Airmail operations during World War II" by Thomas H. Boyle Jr. It is a very comprehensive handbook but still some information is missing regarding the rates from some countries.