Not a cover, but a document of the day.

[Nick Colley]

Hi folks, apologies for absence - other taskings, I fear, got in the way.

Anyway, I found this while I was hunting for something with which to entertain you. Not everyone's cup of tea, no doubt, but one or two of you may find it of interest?

chrs
N

[Chris Grimshaw]

Hi Nick

Nice item of interest.

Chris

[Peter Harvey]

Talking about postage and postage rates, I had these questions emailed to me, can anyone help?

Mail that left Gibraltar for the UK in WWII was I believe sent via the RAF.  Which airport in the UK did the planes land that mail?  I have heard Northolt suggested.

I know from the late John Daynes that much of the mail from UK to Gib went civilian from Heston via Paris and Tangier, but did the RAF also carry mail ?

The other question was - when was freepost introduced for naval personnel.  As I understand the free postage was only for those serving on ships serving abroad OAS, but those based in home ports had to pay the postage.

[Michael Dobbs]

Peter

Colin Tabeart asked the very same question (re: naval personnel) back on 25 June 2019 and I eventually responded (after I was able to carry our some research at The Postal Museum archives) on 27 September 2019!  Frank Schofield had responded earlier, and I took his reference as a pointer for me to go to in the archives.  The answer is as follows:

[b]Letters, etc, Received from HM Ships on Active Service[/b]

The Post Office Circular of 8 November 1939 (No 3574) notified that letters, postcards and other postal packets (except parcels) not exceeding 2oz in weight [u][b]from[/b][/u] officers and men serving in His Majesty's sea-going ships and transports on Active Service at Home and Abroad and enclosed in Ships' mail, was to be accorded [b]free transmission[/b] to any address in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and to any part of the Empire, Egypt and the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan as from [b]8 November 1939[/b].  It went on to state that correspondence from HM Ships could be recognised by the words "Received from HM Ships" or "HM Ships" included in the datestamp.  It also stated that the privilege did not extend to letters, etc, posted in ordinary posting boxes, whatever superscription they may bear.  There were other exceptions as shown below:

(a) [b]Registered packets under 2oz[/b]: the concession of free postage did not include registration fees; and registered letters under 2oz, although not liable to postage, still had to have the appropriate registration fee prepaid by means of postage stamps.  In the event of stamps not being available the letter was to be marked "stamps unobtainable" and the addressee was then liable for payment of the registration fee, and not double the fee as in the case of a letter compulsorily registered.

(b) [b]Packets over 2oz in weight[/b]: letters and other postal packets which exceeded 2oz in weight had to be prepaid in respect of the full weight.  If unpaid or not fully prepaid, such letters were liable to surcharge at the appropriate single rate.

(c) [b]Packets for transmission by air[/b]: letters, postcards and other postal packets, to be transmitted by air abroad continued to be prepaid at the full rate and, if insufficiently prepaid, were liable to a surcharge of double the deficient postage.

[u]Note[/u]:

Surcharges were only to be raised at the office at which the Ship's mail was opened.  Any letter, etc, which, in the opinion of the office of delivery, had escaped surcharge was required to be delivered free of charge and the particulars reported to the Director of Postal Services, Postal Services Department.  In this respect attention was drawn to the notice in the Circular of 25 October 1939.

[Michael Dobbs]

Nick

Sorry, Peter's questions overtook your item.  A really nice leaflet, not seen it before.

Thanks for showing it.

Mike  :)