My Cover for 5th May Capt W R Gatt

[Chris Grimshaw]

Afternoon Team

Collectors of Malta, Egypt and associated areas in WWI will be familiar with Captain Gatt from Malta.  About as close as I will get to a philatelic "creation"

I show an incoming cover from London cancelled 17 April 18, received in Alexandria 22 V 18,  quite a slow passage.

On arrival "Gatt" ? applied censor 3/3147 which was possibly his own censor hand-stamp.  I have seen other material into him also bearing this censor frank.  FD allocated this number to ANZAC HQ.  At some stage he was Reparation Officer for Australian Troops.

The envelope is from what I show below I believe.

Wesleyan Methodist Sunday School Union  Based at Ludgate Circus

Mr Google gives us this

Capt. William Raphael Gatt, one of just four Maltese servicemen to be awarded the M.C., had transferred to the Royal Field Artillery after service in the Gallipoli Campaign in the Royal Malta Artillery. In 1920 he was appointed Commandant, Prisoners of War Camps, Malta by the War Office. He later rose to the rank of Major and was awarded the M.B.E. while serving as Adjutant to the Governor.

Chris

[Chris Weddell]

Very nice Chris. I will have to show some of my brother Gatt covers for covers of the day.  ::) Do you have any more as this is an area I am very interested in.

                                                    Chris