Special Post Card

[Chris Grimshaw]

Well Team,  This one I'll suggest will be 'Puzzle of the Month'

Scans show a Special Post Card, for the Indian Expeditionary Force, BOMBAY.

A stamp has been removed taking most of the cancel with it, I make out, AMBAGRAON, I think,  Second cancel is R.M>S. dated 30 June 1915.

Written in a Native script.  Not sure if scan of reverse is the right way up.  As evident repaired and fragile. 

Re-discovered in material which I've had in a box since the George Crabb auction over 20 years ago.  I obtained a lot of his Salonika and Dardanelles / Black Sea material so wonder if there's a connection.

Checking the scan I spot a Hand-stamp in Red on the line marked Unit. 56 ?????????

Chris

[Michael Dobbs]

Chris

The red cachet looks like 56 ?? RIFLES  F F or E F

Mike

[Neil Williams]

I read that as 56th Rifles, Frontier Force. The 56th (Punjabi) Rifles, Frontier Force, served 1915 in Egypt and Aden. Subsequently in Mespot then Palestine.

There seems to be a number of Ambagraon(s) in India (as was). The largest is in Orissa State, which does not fit well with the theoretical make-up of this battalion. Looking at that standard Indian postal datestamp, it's likely the first letter of the place name is missing. I need to find out how to do a 'fuzzy search' in Google!

[Chris Grimshaw]

Thanks Mike/ Neil

Looking closely 56 Rifles F F it is.

Cheers

Chris