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Cut words from sailors letters

Started by Sozont Singh, April 21, 2021, 02:41:43 PM

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Sozont Singh

Hello everyone.
I have another question about censorship :)

I have come across such information that censors in the Royal Navy during the WWI cut words, and sometimes whole chunks of sailors letters. How common was this practice in the Royal Navy or in the navies of other countries? Maybe someone has letters where some words or sentences are cut out by a cesor?

Tony Walker

You can certainly find mail from the British Navy in WWI that has been censored in addition to simply being handstamped on the front of the envelope 'CENSORED' and initialled.  However I would say it is not common - most writers avoided subjects that could attract the censor, although you do find PPC's where the censor has blacked out the place name (or whatever).

To actually cut out a piece of text would be a laborious process, far easier to use a black pen - Royal Mail do it all the time nowadays on uncancelled stamps....  Maybe someone can post an example of a 'cut out', although come to think about it, I may well have an example or two, somewhere!

Cheers
Tony

Sozont Singh

Tony, thank you for your answer and clarification!
Yes, it also seems to me that it is difficult to cut something out of the letter. 
But since I met a description that naval censors cut out fragments of letters, I decided to write here. 
It would be interesting to see such specimens.