Port Depot Ship Rosyth

[Tony Walker]

As we have established HMS Crescent was the Port Depot Ship at Rosyth, I wonder whether someone could tell me when the Rev. C H Payton joined the ship? I have a nice cover with his personalised censor mark with C.H.P., but undated.  I have another cover with the same framed censor mark, but without the C.H.P. dated 15.8.16, so maybe he had either left the ship by then, or joined it after?

There may have been more than one censor on board as Michael Gould notes two basic types.

Tony

[Frank Schofield]

Tony

Rev Charles. H Payton,appt to HMS Crescent on 8th Febuary 1915
then appt to HMS Juno (Light Cruiser) on 10th November 1915, remained on her for rest of rhe war

Frank

[Michael Dobbs]

Well, well, well ... who'd believe it - as soon as you mentioned the C.H.P. censor I instantly thought I'm sure I have a cover/card with that censor cachet on it and low and behold I find that I have a photographic picture postcard of HMS Crescent with the C.H.P. censor cachet.  It is postmarked London MAR 12 but year unclear but almost certainly from the correspondence below it would have been 1915.

I am not generally a WWI collector, let alone naval mail, but many years ago I did purchase a small number of items.  Thanks for bringing this to light!

Mike  :)

[Chris Grimshaw]

Nice One Mike

Great Card.

Who'd  have thought that a small query on a Shore Base could develop into such an interesting topic.  Now running at two pages.

Chris

[Chris Grimshaw]

A little more on HMS Crescent

Scan shows a re-directed cover to Staff Surgeon Blunt,

Crescent was stationed at Hoy February 1915 to November 1915 as an armed Guard ship.

Chris