Self-censorship in the Navy

[Sozont Singh]

Hello everyone.
I'm new to society, so I don't know if this issue has been raised or not.
I am very interested, and the censor-officer on the ship who censored the letters, did he censor his own letters?
Maybe there are envelopes where both the sender and the censor are the same?
(I am especially interested in this question regarding the First World War)

[John Cranmer]

I have examples of letters self censored by Canadian Officers.  I see no reason that other nations forces did not do the same. 

I have a pair of covers by a Canadian pilot one when he was a NCO and was censored by another officer and one after he had been promoted when he censored the letter himself.

[Sozont Singh]

John, thank you for the answer!  :)

"I see no reason"

I have heard speculations that self-censorship may not be very good, due to the fact that you cannot adequately assess yourself. But I think that with regard to wartime, hardly anyone thought about it. I decided to ask here, just in case, because I was interested in this question.

[Michael Dobbs]

Sozont

As I understand it, in the British forces during both WW1 and WW2 officers were allowed to self-censor their own mail - as officers they were trusted persons.

Others more involved with censored mail may wish to comment!

Mike

[Sozont Singh]

Mike, thank you for the addition :)

[Frank Schofield]

Gents

As they say on Blue Peter "Here's one I wrote up this morning"

Frank

[Sozont Singh]

Frank, thank you so much!

The envelope is interesting!

[Ross Debenham]

I have a few examples of self-censorship by officers in the East African and South African forces in WW2 so I think it was quite common.

[Sozont Singh]

Ross, thank you for the addition!
If there are such envelopes in the different collections, then this practice is common.

[Frank Schofield]

The original request was for NAVAL self censored mail in WW1
Attached is an example of a Midshipman writing to his mother and censoring the envelope himself
Sadly he lost his live later when he and his pilot were killed when their aircraft crashed off Imbros Island

Frank Schofield

[Sozont Singh]

Frank, thank you very much!
A naval envelope with censorship, the period of the First World War, this is exactly what I wanted to see! :)

[Frank Schofield]

Just come across a NAVAL item from WWII
Sub Lieut John A. Hewitt writes to his parents in Bournemouth, he has signed the tombstone censor mark himself
He lost his life when HMS Penelope was torpedoed and sunk on February 18th 1944.

Frank Schofield

[John Cranmer]

I thought I should post scans of the two covers from H A Ball while serving in in India.  I refered to these in my original post. 

The first was written when he was a warrant officer and was censored by an officer.  By the time the second was written he had been promoted to pilot officer and he self censored this letter,

[Sozont Singh]

John, thanks for the image.
Now it's a real immersion in this story!

[Sozont Singh]

Frank, thanks for the naval addition!