Cover of the Day 25 May 2020 - Russian POW at Hameln

[Peter Harvey]

Another challenge for me - but what I think is a 1917 Russian stationary card cancelled with the FPO 33 datestamp posted to a POW at Hameln German and then a part cachet on arrival August 18 - so 8 months in transit .

Any expert commentary would be appreciated.

[Howard Weinert]

Peter,

Pretty much what you said. Violet mark in upper right corner reads "from the active army", postmark is FPO No. 33 dated 28 Nov. 1917, 34 days after revolution, sent to POW Nikolay Vasilyevich Rudenko in Hameln camp, Hameln censor upper left, Hameln receipt at bottom dated 15 Aug. 1918, message contains Xmas greetings from brother. Postal communication between Russia and Germany was spotty from the end of 1917 onward so the long delay is not unusual.

[Peter Harvey]

Hi Howard,

Thank you for that. Wow, you also needed to send your Christmas card a year in advance !! I have also had an interest in WW1 POW mail, it is still amazing to me how the Germans managed to control camps like Hameln with 22000 POW's from seven or eight different countries, they certainly never allocated huge resources as guards.

Kind regards

Peter